In Depth:  Elam Ministries

There have been 95 conversions reported in the past months in Iran.

Iman, a refugee from Iran, attended a Christmas service and heard the gospel proclaimed for the first time. His heart was open and he eagerly took home a copy of the New Testament.

When Iranian women discover Jesus and their inherent worth in him, many cannot help but share the gospel with others.

Attieh* is one such lady who has become an irrepressible evangelist. Attieh was given a New Testament in a country near Iran. As Attieh read, the Word of God spoke to her heart. So, the next Sunday, Attieh made a two-hour trip to the nearest Persian-language church. That day, in the church, she gave her heart to Jesus.

A new TV show for children was, in March, described as playful, dynamic and full of truth.

Elam’s TV show, Garden of Friendship, teaches young Iranians about Jesus and the Bible. With very little available to reach and disciple Iranian children, the show fills a serious void. And it is impacting many adults as well as children.

This is a story of an online conversion shared in late August.

‘Mahmoud has become a totally new person since he met Christ. He’s the one ministering to me these days’, said Vahid, an Elam Internet pastor.

Iranian evangelist Bahram spoke at a conference for Christian missionaries in a European capital, it was reported in June.

At the conference, Bahram shared about his ministry in a city in the Iran region where every Sunday about 500 Iranians gather. In the last couple of years over 400 new believers have been baptised. It is probably the largest church in the Iran region.

Maryam Naghash Zargaran (also known as ‘Nasim’ or ‘Naseem’) was temporarily released from Evin prison on 6 June on medical furlough.

Maryam has been in Evin prison for nearly three years on charges related to her Christian ministry, serving a four year sentence. During her incarceration she has been suffering from a variety of serious ailments, but she has been routinely denied access to the full medical care she requires. Maryam went on a hunger strike on 26 May, to protest her ongoing imprisonment and the denial of access to adequate medical attention. The hunger strike, which continued for over a week, weakened her severely and her family are very concerned for her health. Do pray for her.

Farshid Fathi, who was released from prison in December, was able to leave Iran safely several weeks ago, it was reported in late April.

He had been imprisoned for five years for his Christian ministry. He is in good health and has many poignant stories to share of God’s faithfulness during his time in prison. Farshid says: ‘His amazing love and grace was much, much greater than I had imagined.’ He said he could feel ‘the aroma of the prayers of God’s people’ while he was in prison.

During the recent Persian New Year (Norouz) outreach in a country near Iran, an Iranian family was given New Testaments by a team of street evangelists.

The family excitedly declared that they had been searching for the Scriptures inside Iran for a long time without success. And following a deep conversation, the whole family gave their lives to Christ right there on the street. They have returned home to Iran, taking the gospel with them.

Executions in Iran surged to nearly 1,000 in 2015, the highest level in more than a quarter of a century, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran reported in March.

Dr Ahmed Shaheed reported to the UN Human Rights Council that at least 966 people were put to death in Iran last year, roughly double the number executed in 2010 and ten times as many as in 2005. Most executions in Iran are by hanging, with a majority of the condemned having been convicted of drug-related offences. Dr Shaheed underlined that the executions often happen without the most basic due-process and fair-trial rights and for ill-defined crimes, such as ‘enmity against God’. However, numerous Christians who have spent time in prison for their faith have met and befriended people on death row. A few have been led to the Lord through their witness.

The church in Iran continues to grow because believers continue to be bold in sharing the gospel, despite the high risk, it was reported in October.

Sharing Christ among Muslim-background people is seen as a heinous crime in Iran and could result in long-term imprisonment. Nevertheless, passionate believers continue to speak.

The movement of Iranians to Christ is happening among every class. Even hardliners and mullahs (religious leaders) are coming to faith in Christ, as the following stories show.

Some of these men go on to become evangelists and church planters.

Many Christians have difficulties obtaining employment in Iran, particularly converts. As a result, many Christians run their own businesses. But it’s a difficult economy in which to stay afloat.

Hamid, a Christian, was renting a shop with a friend in a busy bazaar. The rent was crippling and he began to cry out to God for his own shop. It was a prayer for a total miracle because he had no money – not enough even for a down payment.

A new house church was born in mid-April in Iran and the church’s new pastor, tells how it happened.

‘An old neighbour of mine – let’s call him Amir – bumped into my brother. They got chatting and ended up discussing Christianity. My brother mentioned that I was a Christian. Amir got very excited and asked to be put in touch with me.

In early March it was reported that, in recent weeks, over 220 Iranians and Afghans have been baptised in two cities in the Iran region. Elam Ministries says: ‘Please join us in praying for these new believers, and for the churches as they disciple them.’

The baptisms were joyful day-long occasions, full of worship, prayer, fellowship over meals and the sharing of testimonies. One new believer at one of the ceremonies recalled how finding a New Testament by accident had started him on his journey to Christ. Remarkable stories of the Lord’s providence abounded during both days.

In December, Farshid Fathi was sentenced to a further year in prison, which will commence immediately following the six-year sentence he is currently serving, thus postponing his release from December 2016 to 2017.

It is believed that this development stems from a violent raid on prisoners of ward 350 of Evin prison in April 2014, in which several prisoners were injured, including Farshid. In August 2014, many of the prisoners, including Farshid, were moved to other prisons.

In September Iran will have a new translation of the Bible.

For 18 years Elam Ministries and a major Bible translation agency have been working to provide Persian speakers with an accurate and modern version of the Scriptures. Their work is now finished and on September 22 Christian leaders from Iran and around the world will gather in Church House, Westminster for a service of dedication for this Bible.

An interesting turn of events during a salon appointment, reported in May, led to the growth of more than just hair.

Mojdeh and Sepideh were very close friends throughout high school. But when both girls left school and got married 15 years ago, with no internet and no mobile phones available, they sadly lost contact. Mojdeh always wished they had managed to stay in touch.

The publication of an article that questioned a religious tenet led to the ban of another Iranian newspaper early in November.

Media is tightly controlled in Iran, and censorship is particularly tight when it comes to religious topics. Christians should pray for a change in media climate and for freedom of expression to be protected