Mexican martyrs: Pastor Mariano & Pastor Jairo

Mariano Diaz Méndez was a minister of the indigenous Tzotzil Evangelical Church in San Juan Chamula, a small town in the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. He was traveling near the village of Botatulan early on the afternoon of October 24, 2003, when a group of heavily armed men stopped his car. As a pastor in a tumultuous area, Méndez was well aware of the threat against his life and intimately familiar with the increasing attacks aimed against evangelical Christians from the caciques, or community chieftains, in the area.

Since Christianity’s advent in the Chiapas Highlands in the 1960s, the caciques have used violent tactics to discourage its spread. Scores of evangelicals have died and hundreds more have suffered injury by groups who practice a “traditionalist” religion, a semi-pagan mix of Mayan religion and Roman Catholic beliefs.

Pastor Méndez bolted from his car in an attempt to evade his attackers, but they overpowered him with their weapons, their bullets piercing his body and bringing the pastor to the ground. The assailants shot him to death.

The deadly assault against Pastor Méndez had occurred exactly one week after a pastor in the city of Mapastepec, namely Jairo Solís López, had also been killed by the caciques.

Both Pastor Méndez and Pastor López had given their hearts to serve Christ in the face of formidable challenges in Chiapas. Together, they embody what God promises in Revelation, that “they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death”; rather, they overcame “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (12:11).

Excerpted from Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs. You can order a copy of this book from our online resource catalogue.

Christian students in New Mexico suspended for handing out doughnuts and Bible verses

A student group in the Roswell Independent School District in New Mexico went to extreme lengths to share the gospel with their teachers. But their gifts of Krispy Kreme donuts along with Bible verses were not received graciously, reports Charisma Magazine.

A Christian student group called Relentless drove an almost six-hour round trip to the closest Krispy Kreme shop in Texas. They made it back to school on time to deliver the donuts along with a Scripture verse with each one.

The response to their kindness: suspension. One student was immediately sent home while two others were punished by having to spend four hours alone in a classroom Saturday morning.

The Liberty Counsel has filed a lawsuit with the district.

"Some teachers are worried about their students giving them bullets, and this school suspends students over a Bible verse! These students are living their Christian beliefs by showing kindness,” says Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel and dean of Liberty University School of Law.

The full story can be found here.

What’s your response to the story of these young people? If you were the parent of a member of Relentless, what would you say to your son or daughter after a situation like this? Would you take part in evangelistic efforts like these in your school or workplace? Why or why not? 

Evicted Christians to return to Chiapas community

Pray for believers in Chiapas, Mexico,
as they attempt to integrate back into
community life.

Thirty-two Christians in Chiapas, Mexico, say they are ready to return to the community where their neighbours torched their homes and stole their livestock, reported VOM sources.

The group fled the area in January 2010 after being forcibly evicted by a mob of 200. The Christians had been worshiping in a believer's home for almost a year because the same mob had destroyed their church. Members of the community were unhappy that the Christians would not contribute to or participate in religious drinking festivals held in their town.

The Christians filed a court case requesting compensation for their burned homes, but they have seen no progress since the government loaned them the use of a large home in another city. The 32 believers have decided they will return to their community on June 15, with or without government help.

“It is time to go home,” they say, “and win the others to Christ, whatever the cost.”

Pray for these Christians and others who have been run out of their communities because of their Christian faith.

Pastor kidnapped in Mexico

Pastor Josué Ramírez Santiago
(Photo Assist News)

A pastor has been kidnapped by suspected drug traffickers in the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, reported Compass Direct News.

At approximately 8:15 a.m. on April 10, a group of men armed with machine guns barged into the Christian Center El Shaddai where some 500 Christians were gathered for a worship service. The men fired guns into the air and grabbed Pastor Josué Ramírez Santiago.

The following day, the pastor's family received news that the criminals wanted a ransom of 20 million pesos (approximately $1.6 million CAD). Even if the family could raise such an immense sum, it is unlikely that payment would secure the pastor's safe return.

Local Christians have reported that organized crime syndicates and drug cartels often target Christians because they view churches as revenue centers.

"Some 100 Mexican or foreign pastors who lived in Ciudad Juarez have had to abandon the city because of the threats and demands for money," said Arturo Farela, director of the National Fraternity of Evangelical Churches. He also noted that many pastors and their families had been victims of extortion, threats, kidnapping and homicide.

Pray Pastor Josué will be released and safely returned home. Pray for protection for evangelical Christians suffering persecution. Pray for God's peace to reign in regions of Mexico currently embroiled in violence and crime. Pray God's people will be equipped and emboldened to serve their Lord faithfully, even amid great opposition.

Violence toward believers in southern Mexico

Troubles for believers in southern Mexico have not ended.

Terrible violence has been sparking toward tribal believers in southern Mexico, reports ASSIST News Service.

Dr. Dale W. Kietzman, founder of Latin American Indian Ministries told ASSIST News, “While we want to be positive about the year ahead, we have to report to you a real concern for tribal believers in southern Mexico. The troubles for believers there have not ended!”

Here are confirmed reports of events that have happened just in the past few months, all from the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca:

• A pastor was waylaid and killed as he travelled back to his village after a doctor’s appointment in Comitan, Chiapas.
• Three pastors were killed in Santa Maria El Tule, Oaxaca.
• Four families of believers were expelled from the village of Chilil, Chiapas.
• The church in Llanos, Chiapas, was destroyed last June, and believers put on notice. This month, six homes were destroyed and the families expelled from the community.
• In Mitziton, Chiapas, the church and many homes were destroyed, and 50 families were expelled from the community.
• In Nachug, Chiapas, 86 families were expelled.
• At the end of 2010, 498 Indian believers were living as street people, homeless in the city of San Cristobal, where they had sought protection.

Kietzman, who is the former US director of Wycliffe Bible Translators, says much of the persecution is the result of conflict that develops when new believers decide they cannot participate in their villages' drunken fiestas to saints who have come to represent ancient pagan gods. The responsiblity for funding the fiestas is passed around to families of the community, and the conflict begins when an evangelical family is supposed to purchase the liquor but refuses to do so.

You can read the full report here.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Pray the Lord would make them strong to lovingly and boldly proclaim the gospel (Ephesians 6:18-20). Pray that their passion for Christ will be the light that draws their family members and fellow villagers to Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16). Pray also that increased persecution will result in increased boldness among believers (Acts 4:29-31).

The Overcomers: Christians under attack in Chiapas, Mexico