It seems extraordinary that a church facing such intense persecution should be one of the fastest growing in the world. There is much to say about open hearts, courageous witnesses sharing God’s Word, and a powerful move of the Spirit.

Just before Easter, in a country near Iran, members of a Persian-speaking church met an Iranian refugee couple and their son who needed help finding somewhere to stay. As well as helping them find a place, the Christians offered them a copy of the New Testament.

Persian New Year (Nowruz) is a beloved annual holiday that some 300 million people across the world celebrate on March 20th, including Iranians. It presents many Christians with opportunities to share the Gospel with extended family and friends, and can lead to testimonies like Ziba’s*:

Iranian Christian Shadi explores how five themes of Persian New Year (Nowruz) – soon to be celebrated by 300 million people worldwide – provide bridges for the Gospel.

If you have Iranian, Afghan, Turkish, or Central Asian friends, I want you to know that right now they are very excited. Why?

In one month, Persian speakers will celebrate their most beloved annual holiday: Nowruz, or Persian New Year, on March 20th.

Last week, the first episode of a new series of our popular program, Time for Worship, began streaming online. Many non-believers have reached out after watching the first episode to ask questions about Jesus. We praise God for the impact this series is already having.

More than two years ago, trained evangelist Mina shared the Gospel with a friend, Sara. Sara was not interested in Jesus, and the pair eventually lost contact.

Then, last month, Mina heard the news that Sara was extremely sick in intensive care. A few days later, she learned that Sara had passed away.

Training leaders for the growing Iranian church remains at the heart of our ministry. This year, more than 60 people have already gone through our 3-month Healthy Emerging Leaders course, and another cohort of 13 are due to commence the course soon.

We often take it for granted that here in the West we can safely and easily access great Christian books and content whenever we want.

Believers in Iran haven't had that same privilege. Until now.
Last month we launched a strategic new resource for the Iranian church: our Kalameh app.

We are delighted to report that through summer sports tournaments in the Iran region, more than 1,000 people (young players and their accompanying family members) tasted the love and welcome of the Lord. Wonderfully, some have confessed faith in Christ as a result.

This summer, hundreds of young refugees in a country near Iran are eagerly anticipating “Rock Academy” soccer (football) tournaments. One of them is Mahan.

Mahan has loved soccer for as long as he can remember, but because of a congenital limb difference, he wasn’t given the chance to pursue his passion.

During May, we will host a residential training for many graduates of our three-month course who are now serving the church in the Iran region.

As around 100 ministry leaders and their children get ready to join us for this strategic conference, we'd value your prayers for these precious people and for those who are preparing to teach and encourage them.

Zahra’s story starts with a Persian New Testament.

It was 15 years ago that Zahra first found a New Testament. In a private home in Iran where she worked as a cleaner, Zahra noticed the small red book on a shelf. Intrigued by the notorious ‘Injil’, she quietly slipped it into her bag.

Nowruz, or Persian New Year, is the first day of spring and an occasion for much celebration and joy among Iranians.

Christians in Iran are particularly praying for chances to start conversations about Jesus as they mark the occasion with relatives.

26 emerging leaders are currently studying our foundational 3-month church planting and evangelism course in the Iran region.

The students are bonding well together amid their intensive studies, and are already catching the vision to share the message of Jesus with others. The students regularly take part in practical ministry assignments in addition to classroom learning, including prayer walks, practical service and evangelism.

In one month, the biggest celebration of the year for Persian speakers (Iranians, Afghans, Tajiks) will be upon us: Nowruz, or Persian New Year.

In Iran this beloved celebration falls this year on March 20th. It is followed by a holiday period in which many Iranians travel the country to visit family, and others take the opportunity to go on vacation overseas.

We are praising God that our worship team has just released a brand new album of worship music for Persian-speaking youth.

The title song, "Only One" (which refers to Jesus being the only true Lord, and the only one worthy of our worship), was recorded at one of our youth conferences in the Iran region in 2023.

During December, our Weekly Fellowship resource unpacks the four "Songs of Christmas" in Luke's Gospel. The significance of Christ's birth is explored through the songs of Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon, with a new resource released each Friday.

A few months ago, a thief mugged a Christian. At first the Christian tried to plead for his phone, but the thief threatened him and took everything he had - including his phone and backpack which contained several New Testaments. 

Later, the thief read the Scriptures and felt a conviction he’d never sensed before. He wanted to know more. He switched on the stolen phone and called the recently dialled numbers on the phone until he managed to track down the owner.

In 2023, hundreds of Iranian and Afghan kids and youth have been impacted by sports ministry run by local Iranian churches. One of them is Saeed.

Saeed’s mother died when he was just nine years old.

When his abusive, drug-addicted father then abandoned the family, young Saeed was left to fend for himself. Separated from his brother and sister, he scraped a living on the streets of Iran before being taken into a state-run welfare home.