Every week we like to end the week by sharing with you some prayer requests for the persecuted church. This week is no different, and since Christmas is early next week I'd like to also ask you to remember to pray on Christmas for our dear brothers and sisters in Christ in restricted nations, since persecution on Christian holidays often increases. Please share these requests with praying friends and family.

On Friday afternoon, Sept. 21, a mob of several thousand Muslims attacked St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Mardan City, Pakistan. The attackers, armed with rifles and kerosene, overwhelmed security guards and broke into the church. They destroyed Bibles and prayer books, desecrated the altar and set fire to the church building and several surrounding homes and buildings. The mob was returning from a protest against the film Innocence of Muslims, which has sparked violence in many Middle Eastern countries this month and led to the death of Christopher Stevens, U.S. Ambassador to Libya. In Pakistan, the government had declared Sept. 21 a national holiday in honor of Muhammad, and the day had been set aside for peaceful protests.

A young, physically-handicapped Christian girl accused of blasphemy waits to hear her fate in a high security prison in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Rimsha Masih, a poor girl from a low caste family of Christian sweepers, was accused of burning pages containing Quranic verses. When rumors of the incident spread, hundreds of Muslim protestors surrounded a police station on Aug. 16 and demanded Rimsha face prosecution under Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws.