Jos church attack

Jos church attack

Many of you will have heard about the attack on a church in Jos early yesterday morning. We and all friends are completely fine. We had good advice from our leadership in the group from soon after the attack and just stayed at home. Reasonably high security around the city has been stepped up but life mostly continues as normal for us. Do pray for those affected and thank God for his mercy in protecting people despite the schemes of evil men.

Here’s our group’s official statement:

Around 7:30 a.m. local time on Sunday morning (26 February), a suicide car bomber approached and detonated a bomb outside of a large church in Jos. Initial reports vary, but it appears as though at least five people were killed with others being injured. This attack was then followed by shooting and burning elsewhere around the city in retaliation for the bombing. There are no reports of any Nigeria Group staff that were directly involved in any of the morning’s violence, though most if not all of us have friends or acquaintances who might have been.

Please pray for the situation here, and following are a few thoughts to guide those prayers:

· Please pray for those who have been affected by the attack—whether it be through injury, death or fear.

· Please pray for the security forces as they handle the situation and the complex challenges that arise from such an incident.

· Please pray for the people of Jos. Jos has a history of tension which can flare up easily. Please pray for calm and restraint in times like this.

· Please pray for us – and our friends and colleagues living in Nigeria – as incidents like this can cause anxiety and fear. Please pray that the Lord would use us in ways that will promote peace and bring about His message of salvation.

We appreciate your prayers.