Category: News affecting the Church

Christian-Jewish Charity Delivers Ambulances to Syrian Minorities Near Israeli Border

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NOAH LEVY (Guest writer)

A Christian-Jewish humanitarian organisation has provided five refurbished ambulances to religious minority populations in southern Syria as violence against Christian and Druze communities escalates, according to a press release from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

The vehicles, formerly operated by Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service, were transferred to local medical teams on Sunday and fitted with medical kits to equip emergency medical technicians and doctors responding to civilian casualties.

Medical personnel also received first-aid and emergency response instruction from MDA paramedics focussing on proper operation of the vehicles and equipment.

The Fellowship coordinated the transfer with Magen David Adom, COGAT and the Israel Defence Forces.

“When Druze and Christian communities just across our border are targeted for their faith, indifference is not an option,” Yael Eckstein, the Fellowship’s president and global chief executive, said in the statement.

The delivery follows attacks on the minority populations over the past year in areas where access to emergency medical care remains limited.

Last year, the Fellowship established two medical clinics in buffer zone villages, supplied hospitals in the Al-Suwayda region with equipment and medicines, and distributed thousands of food parcels to families affected by recent violence.

The organisation has previously assisted persecuted Christians in the region, including providing food aid, funding medical facilities and supporting refugees fleeing Islamic State attacks.

US Justice department investigates after protesters storm worship service

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(EDITOR NOTE: This article is presented because it is something that affects the church. Its presentation is not intended to ‘take sides’ on a divisive issue. Feel free to leave comments in the comments section. Uncivil comments will not be approved. Be respectful.)

Federal authorities are examining whether civil rights were violated when demonstrators interrupted a Sunday service at a St. Paul church.

The protest targeted pastor David Easterwood, who allegedly oversees local Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

Activists chanted demands for accountability following the fatal police shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old who was involved in an incident with ICE agents during an ICE operation in Minneapolis this month. Don Lemon livestreamed a portion of the event from inside the church building on YouTube.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated houses of worship aren’t public forums and are protected by federal law.

Black Lives Matter Minnesota helped organise the demonstration, which protesters livestreamed on social media.

Christian Author and Publishing Leader Robert Wolgemuth Dies at 77

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DAVID INGRAM

Robert Wolgemuth, award-winning Christian author and longtime leader in Christian publishing, died early Saturday morning in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Wolgemuth is survived by his wife Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, founder and lead Bible teacher of Revive Our Hearts. His death followed a brief but intense battle with pneumonia complicated by a severely compromised immune system from a prior cancer diagnosis.

Nancy Wolgemuth, who was at her husband’s side, described his passing as peaceful, occurring during a time of worship, prayer, and Christian music. Family and friends, including one of Robert’s brothers and his wife, surrounded him during his final hours. Nancy described his death as him being “safely Home.”

Wolgemuth had been hospitalised on Christmas Eve due to pneumonia. His condition quickly became grave due to his weakened immune system. In the days leading up to his death, Nancy shared publicly that Robert was “approaching the finish line.” The hymn Come to Jesus was played moments before his death, and Nancy said that Robert took his final breath during the lyric referencing a “final heartbeat.”

Robert Wolgemuth built a distinguished career in Christian publishing, serving as former president of Thomas Nelson Publishers and founding Wolgemuth & Associates. As a bestselling author, his work earned numerous awards and touched readers across the Christian community.

Robert married Nancy in 2015, just over a year after his first wife, Bobbie, died of ovarian cancer in October 2014 following 44 years of marriage. After marrying Nancy, Robert became actively involved in the ministry of Revive Our Hearts, supporting and participating in the organisation’s work alongside his wife.

Robert Wolgemuth was 77.

Iranian Christian convert jailed for 5 years as crackdown on faith deepens

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MARK ALLEN

A Christian convert in Iran is sentenced to prison. Nayereh Arjaneh began her five-year prison term on 23 December. She was charged with “promoting deviant propaganda and teachings contrary to Islamic law.” The Revolutionary Court in Garmsar also assessed a fine of 165 million tomans (around C$ 5,432), two years’ internal exile in Kouhbanan in Kerman province, and a two-year travel ban. She was sentenced to two separate five-year sentences, but they will be served concurrently (at the same time,) and not back-to-back.

Arjaneh was arrested 7 July, 2025, along with her husband, Qasem Esmaili. The couple was taken into custody shortly after returning from a Christian training event in Turkey. Such travel and religious activity often draw the attention of Iranian security forces, especially when Muslims convert to Christianity.

“Christian converts in Iran face systematic persecution, including arbitrary arrests, lengthy prison sentences, and vague national security charges. Iranian authorities consider conversion from Islam illegal and routinely target converts for peaceful religious activities,” said the Center for Human Rights in Iran in a Facebook post about the sentencing .

Esmai­li was also sentenced, receiving three years and six months in prison. However, his imprisonment has been postponed for now because he is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

Under Iranian law, trying to spread any religion other than Islam can lead to a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The law is also commonly applied in a way that bars Muslim citizens from leaving Islam or adopting another faith.

Suicide bomber targets Christian celebrations in Aleppo, Syria on New Year’s Eve

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on New Year’s Eve, killing one police officer and injuring two others in what authorities described as a failed attempt to attack Christian worshippers, according to The Syrian Interior Ministry.

The Syrian Interior Ministry said on its Telegram channel that the attack occurred in the Bab al-Faraj neighbourhood when the assailant, identified by local authorities as a member of the Islamic State, opened fire during a police interrogation. A police officer physically restrained the attacker, at which point the bomber detonated his explosive belt. According to authorities, the attacker was attempting to reach a nearby Christian neighbourhood and religious sites, including a Greek Orthodox church, to target New Year’s celebrations.

The Aleppo bombing represents the latest in a series of recent Islamic State attacks in Syria. Just a week earlier, an explosion at an Alawite mosque in Homs killed eight people. Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, which analysts believe operates as a front for IS, claimed responsibility for that attack. On December 13, an IS attack in Palmyra killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian.

These incidents come as Syria continues military operations against Islamic State remnants under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, an Islamist leader who previously fought against IS during the Syrian civil war. In November, Syria officially joined the U.S.-led coalition against IS and has since been conducting coordinated raids with U.S. Central Command targeting IS sleeper cells throughout the country.