HO CHI MINH CITY, April 22 (Compass Direct News) – In what religious freedom advocates regarded as a breakthrough in Vietnam, authorities granted rare permission to unregistered house church groups to hold a large, public Easter-related service here last night. More than 15,000 people gathered at Tao Dan Stadium to worship God, proclaim Christ and experience a rare sense of large-scale Christian unity, especially house church members accustomed to meeting in small groups. The only other such event granted to unregistered groups was an open-air meeting during Christmas of 2007 sponsored by the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship (VEF, a house church umbrella group). At the event last night, the VEF endeavored to include all house churches, not just its own members, sources said. Unregistered groups holding an event that includes worship and evangelism outside a church building violates Vietnam’s restrictive religion laws, and the celebration – in which 1,200 people indicated they had decided to follow Christ – did not happen without struggles. Reluctant to endorse such Christian unity events, authorities demanded and got the removal of one of the organizers as a condition to consider approval. Officials did not grant permission until 4 p.m., just three hours before the event was to begin, though event organizers had requested permission several months prior.

ISTANBUL, April 23 (Compass Direct News) – Christian convert Raheal Henen Mussa and her Coptic husband are hiding from police and her Muslim family for violating an article of Islamic law (sharia) that doesn’t exist in the Egyptian penal code. Police arrested Mussa, 22, on April 13 for marrying Sarwat George Ryiad in a customary marriage (zawag al ‘urfi), an unregistered form of matrimony in Egypt made without witnesses. Mussa’s family took her from police custody on Sunday (April 19), but she escaped from them on Tuesday (April 21). She and her husband fled Cairo and are in hiding. According to a strict interpretation of sharia, Muslim women are not permitted to marry non-Muslim men, although the opposite is allowed, and Article 2 of the Egyptian Constitution stipulates that sharia is the basis for legislation. The two have not committed a crime according to Egyptian law since they didn’t seek official marriage status, but police and Mussa’s family are pursuing them because they violated Islamic law, advocacy groups say. “They have not violated the law, but the family and the police are applying their own unwritten law,” said Helmy Guirguis, president of the U.K. Coptic Association.

This past Sunday, according to reports from Mission Network News and International Christian Concern, a group of Hindu extremists burst into a church service at Douglas Memorial Church, during the sermon and began yelling "Jai Shri Ram" which means "Victory to Lord Ram," referring to the Hindu deity, Rama. And they also took sticks and beat the members who were worshipping.

I have personally been thinking a lot about Gao and his family, since I've been spreading the word about his torture and imprisonment. Today is day 76 of being held hostage by the Chinese government, simply for being a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

Today we have some great news to report concerning Pastor Bike. China Aid has released the following press release.

Mission Network News is reporting today that Christians continue to be persecuted in Uzbekistan. Many Christians are being put in prison or fined for simply sharing their faith with children.

The paper was dirty, torn at the edges. The black ink marched across the page in an almost-illegible scrawl. At the bottom, the letter was signed—Ricardo.

This past Saturday, Todd Nettleton was a guest on Talking It Over with Janet Parshall and we now have the podcast ready for you to enjoy.

Join Todd Nettleton tomorrow morning as he talks to great friend of The Voice of the Martyrs, Janet Parshall, on her Saturday program Talking It Over.