Dear Friends,
Over the next two months, please join us in prayer for Christian leaders from South Asia. Comprising eight nations, South Asia is home to nearly a quarter of the world’s population, including 35 million Christians. Through the Vital SustainAbility Initiative, ScholarLeaders works with five seminaries in India and one in Sri Lanka. Through LeaderStudies, ScholarLeaders has supported 55 Christian leaders, including 11 currently, from Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. Learn more about these leaders and their countries here.
This week, thank you for interceding with us for Dr. Maqsood Kamil in Pakistan. In Pakistan, the only nation established in the name of Islam, all laws must conform to the Quran. Of the nation’s 243 million people, more than 97% are Muslims. Just over 1% are Christians, but the Church continues to persevere and grow despite persecution. Learn more about the Church’s history in Pakistan, barriers to missions, and common objections to Christianity here. Please pray for our Pakistani brothers, sisters, and neighbors, especially in this terrible time of trial. Since June, record floods have killed nearly 1,700 people, displaced 7.9 million, and left another 20.6 million in urgent need as one-third of the country remains underwater. With crops destroyed and medical access cut off, millions face malnutrition and disease. Let us join in fervent prayer for the Lord’s mercy, deliverance, and provision.
Maqsood is Vice Principal of Gujranwala Theological Seminary, which trains 80% of church leaders for all major Protestant denominations in Pakistan. He is also President of the Arete Institute of Leadership and Management, which seeks to transform both the Pakistani Church and society through academic and field training in Christian virtue. In addition, Maqsood serves as Strategic Advisor to Pak Mission Society, a Christian NGO dedicated to spreading Christ’s hope and love through emergency relief and development efforts.
ScholarLeaders supported Maqsood for his PhD in Islamic Studies at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (UK). Maqsood’s research on Christian-Muslim debates in 19th-century India strengthens the Church’s witness through interreligious dialogue in Islamic contexts. In his 2016 Global InSights, Maqsood proposes a Christian response to religious extremism in Pakistan. Maqsood and his wife Ruby have three children.
Maqsood shares the following message:
Dear Friends,
Thank you for reaching out to me and asking for prayer requests. As you all know, Pakistan is facing the most terrible situation caused by rains and floods unprecedented in our national history. Pray for Pakistan and its suffering people.
Our economy is destroyed. Inflation is over 40%. Devaluation of the Pakistani rupee has brought great stress upon our lives. Our income has reduced by more than half while prices have increased 200-300%. Political instability is a major factor, along with the natural calamity. Please pray for my family and our sustainability.
Pray also for my ministry with the Pak Mission Society, a Christian faith-based NGO I joined last year. Pak Mission Society is responding to flooded areas in four provinces of Pakistan. We are extremely busy raising funds and reaching the unreached in the most difficult and worst-hit areas. You are welcome to donate and join our campaign by inviting others to donate. I am more than happy to send detailed information, but kindly do visit the website.
God bless,
Maqsood Kamil