Thousands of Egyptian Christians gather to pray for country

Tens of thousands of Christians recently
gathered for prayer in Egypt.
Photo: Dr. Wafik Wahba

On November 11, an estimated 70,000 Christians gathered for worship and prayer at St. Simon Church (also called the Cave church) in Cairo, Egypt. Millions more around the globe watched the live broadcast on TV and the Internet, reports Dr. Wafik Wahba, Associate Professor of Global Christianity at Tyndale Seminary.
From 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning, Christians from varying denominations focused their prayers on repenting, forgiving, and dedicating themselves to live consecrated lives.

The prayer event, the largest of its kind in Egypt's modern history, comes during a tumultuous time for the country. In February, the former president was forced out of office and Egyptians have since faced continuing chaos, brutality, and frustration.

The culmination of this sense of despair reached an unprecedented level on October 9, when at least 26 people were killed and hundreds more were injured when army personnel attacked a large gathering of predominately Christian protestors (for more, click here).

Elections for the next house of parliament began on November 28. The elected parliament will be entrusted with the task of drafting a new constitution and establishing a new government. There are currently 25 parties competing for the nearly 500 seats in parliament, contributing to the complexity of Egypt's election process. These parties vary from Islamic fundamentalists to Marxists. Christians and Muslims alike worry that their dreams of a free and democratic country that respects religious freedom will be undermined by Islamic extremism.

Despite the unrest and uncertainty, Christians in Egypt are looking to the Lord for protection and guidance. A prayer movement has been growing for the past few years and is now spreading to churches across the country.

Please join our brothers and sisters in Egypt in prayer.

• Pray that Christians in Egypt will place their hope and trust in Jesus Christ, who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). 
• Ask the Lord to bless and protect His children in Egypt. 
• Pray for continued unity among believers. 
• Pray for peaceful and just elections.

To learn more about persecution in Egypt, go to our Egypt Country Report. To post a prayer for Christians in Egypt, visit our Persecuted Church Prayer Wall.