Cyprus

• Pray for Christ-led forgiveness and peace between Turkish and Greek Cypriots.

• Pray for the Jesus film and Christian radio to bear much fruit among Turkish Cypriots.

• Pray for increased faith and bold proclamation from the few believers.

SUMMARY

For thousands of years, the fertile plains and arid mountains of Cyprus have born witness to the rise and fall of numerous empires.  Located just south of Turkey, this third-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea has been ruled by no less than eleven world powers over the past three millennia.  Cyprus is mentioned numerous times in the Bible, and Barnabas, one of the earliest Christian missionaries, was a  Cypriot.  He  traveled and preached across the island almost 2,000 years ago.

Having gained independence from Britain in 1960, Cyprus struggled to achieve stability, and a 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of the north has divided the island to this day, creating as many as 230,000 refugees.  The Republic of Cyprus, claiming authority over the whole island, is recognized internationally as the official state, while only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which encompasses one-third of the island.  With a greater degree of interaction over the past two decades, deep divisions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots began to soften until a failed summit in 2017 soured relations. Unfortunately, Cyprus also finds itself in dire economic straits, with heavy exposure to bad foreign debt and an economy largely dependent on tourism and financial services -  both of which saw significant declines during the global financial crisis at the beginning of the century.

The Orthodox Church is a key element of Greek Cypriot culture and identity.  While Cyprus is one of the more religious countries in the European Union, and roughly two-thirds of the population consider themselves Orthodox, those who do attend church are increasingly rural and older.  Negative prejudices against Evangelical and other Protestant churches are easing but continue to be a stumbling block to many.  The strongest recent advancement of the Gospel has been among minority communities, including Russians, Sri Lankans, Filipinos, and Iranians.  While freedom of religion exists, proselytism by these ethnic minorities is closely monitored.  Small numbers of Turkish Cypriots, over 99% of whom are Muslim, have become followers of Jesus.

If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.  - John 14:14

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