INDIA: Pastor Killed and Wife Injured in Andhra Pradesh

Date of Bulletin: 22 January 2014

India

Photo: Pastor Sanjeevulu

Pastor Sanjeevulu and his wife, Prema, were brutally attacked by Hindu radicals on Jan. 10 in Vikarabad village. The pastor and his wife had continued their ministry work in defiance of warnings from the radicals to stop sharing the gospel and holding prayer meetings.

Pastor Sanjeevulu, who led the Hebron Fellowship Church, was at home with his wife on Jan. 10, when they heard a knock at the door. When the pastor opened the door, members of a Hindu radical group attacked  him, hitting him over the head and stabbing him. His wife tried to intervene, but she was then stabbed in the hand.

Neighbors and church members rushed the couple to the hospital. The next day, Pastor Sanjeevulu's heart stopped beating, but he revived after pastors and church leaders prayed over his body. Pastor Sanjeevulu  died from his injuries on Jan. 13. Before taking his last breath, he said, "God forgive those people who did this to me."

VOM Sources

Please Pray!

• Please pray that God will comfort and console Pastor Sanjeevulu's wife, Prema, and family.

• Pray that they will not lose heart but continue to faithfully serve the Lord.

• Pray for the salvation of the Hindu radicals involved in the attack.

"The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness." Is. 57:1-2

Voice Of the Martyrs is assisting the family through the Families of Martyrs Fund. VOM assists other Christians in India  through the Families of Martyrs fund, the Participating with Strategic Partners program and Bibles Unbound.