In 2025, the WEA is going to celebrate our General Assembly as well as elect our new General Secretary. As we have entered in a new season, we give thanks for God’s faithfulness in guiding us through 2024 and for his grace for 2025. As key stakeholders to the WEA, you are important to us. To this end, we are committed to sending you our Unite Newsletter every two months. May God grant us grace to continue our common mission of unity for the sake of gospel transformation. |
| | | Groundbreaking Ceremony for Worship Center in Qatar |
|  | The Evangelical Churches Alliance Qatar (ECAQ) is grateful to have concluded the ground breaking ceremony for their worship center.
Taken place on the 24 January 2025, the worship center will house worship halls, a bookstore, a coffee shop, and spaces for weddings and events to generate revenue. Recognizing the collaborative relationships that enabled this to happen, key guests to this event included Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi from the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, as well as H. E Mariam Nasser Al Hail, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State of Qatar. Rev Samuel Chiang, WEA Deputy Secretary General represented the broader evangelical community in this time of celebration. In the speech of Rev Chiang, he mentioned the ceremony “as a milestone of our collective faith as well as God’s unwavering faithfulness and provision. … The building of the worship center is more than architectural, it is a spiritual act of worship, a manifestation of our faith in the God who calls us to both envision and enact His kingdom on earth.”
This piece of land is found within the religious complex with eight other Christian groups. Initially granted a hectare of land by the Qatari government in 2015 after prayer and lobbying for 7 years prior, it was taken back by the government due to strategic nature of the land. This led to another season of ECAQ appealing for another plot of land which was eventually awarded in 2022 shortly after the visit of the Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This plot of land was twice as big with the new church building costing considerably more.
The ECAQ is a united network of multi-national expatriate communities of evangelical churches in the State of Qatar, called to live and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are a ministry of many tongues and tribes, a diaspora of Christian believers with purposeful work-based migration for the glory of God. The president of ECAQ, Bishop Beda Robles is also a practicing architect.
Since the discovery of oil and natural gas and the subsequent economic boom in Qatar, there has been an influx of international workers to Qatar. According to the 2024 population report, expatriates in Qatar make up approximately 88.4% of the population. Of the expatriate population, about 15.4% are Christians, mainly made up of diverse mix of Asian, European, Africans, North and South American foreign workers.
At ECAQ, there is a growing number of member-congregation, majority of which are Filipinos, it has Africans, Indians, South Africans, Arabic Christians, Sri Lankans, Nepalese, Indonesians and Korean churches, with a combined estimate 17,056 individual believers of the Lord Jesus Christ of September 2024. They are actively fundraising for the worship centre.
In reflecting about this event, Bishop Beda, the chairman and founding member of ECAQ mentioned that his prayer is “May our loving Jesus be glorified and known by the whole world! May Our God of heaven himself prosper and gives us success as we His people (Evangelical) arise and build this project together (John 17:20-21). All for His glory and honor and for the future of the Gospel in furtherance of His Kingdom in the Muslim world.”
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A Global Voice for Evangelical Advocacy: An Interview with Gaetan Roy |
|  | Hi Gaetan, please can you share us a little more about yourself? I’m a Canadian who’s been living in Germany since 1991. My wife is of Asian origin, and we have two almost quadrilingual children. I wear three professional hats: I’m the 1) Permanent Representative of the WEA to the United Nations in Geneva, 2) the Chairman of the German Evangelical Federation network-m as well as Board Member of the Association of Evangelical Missions and the Political Commissioner of both at the German and European Parliaments, and 3) Missions Director of my Evangelical home church. All roles create an ideal confluence of synergies.
As the WEA Permanent Representative, I invest in relationship building with ambassadors, heads of state, ministers, high-ranking political representatives, and religious leaders which lays the foundation for a discreet solution-oriented dialogue (soft diplomacy). I mostly advocate on issues surrounding religious marginalization and persecution of Evangelicals, and invest in peace-building, conflict resolution, and in the promotion of religious tolerance and societal cohesion – which at times invariably saves lives.
Can you give us an example? We recently experienced insurgencies in a country that were fueled by Anti-Blasphemy laws and that resulted in churches burnt down and Christians – mostly Evangelicals – being killed. The national Evangelical Alliance requested the assistance of our office in Geneva. As we already enjoyed a relationship with the Ambassador in Geneva and with the executive Muslim leadership of that country, we could quickly engage. We traveled to that country, and began the planning of initiatives towards reducing extremism, amongst others the creation of Peace Committees and the holding of national Peace Conferences. We are also assisting the Evangelical Alliance in becoming a stronger national advocacy voice to its government and to the national religious leadership.
How can we pray for you? Please pray for wisdom that I find mutually agreeable solutions in highly complex situations and utterly challenging, and at times life-threatening, environments. Point in case: one of my team colleagues was recently targeted for assassination, which was circumvented through the proactive intervention of the intelligence services. Please also pray for our finances, which pose a huge challenge as our work is time as well as travel intensive, and can seldom be disclosed in newsletters without endangering the process as well as the lives of the afflicted.
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| |  | The Gospel for Everyone by 2033
The world is at a crossroads. The rise of secularism, religious pluralism, moral relativism, and increasing persecution threatens to silence the voice of the Church. As followers of Jesus, we are not called to retreat but to advance with courage, faith, and unity.
The WEA General Assembly, taking place in Seoul, South Korea, from October 27-31, 2025, is convening like-minded and like hearted Evangelical leaders. It is a time to reaffirm our faith, unite in prayer, and stand as one body, declaring the absolute truth of God’s Word and the saving power of Jesus Christ.
Why South Korea? A Nation of Revival and Faith
South Korea has experienced one of the most profound Christian revivals in modern history. It is a nation where the Church is alive, where prayers rise before dawn, and where believers boldly live out their faith. This land has produced some of the world’s most passionate missionaries, sending them to the ends of the earth to proclaim the Gospel.
This revival happened in the face of brokenness. Korea is a divided nation. North Korea remains one of the most persecuted places for Christians, where believers risk their lives for their faith. By holding the General Assembly in Seoul, WEA is sending a message of hope, solidarity, and faith in God’s power to bring transformation even in the darkest places.
A Call to Action: Save the date!
As we finalize details and open up for registration in March, we ask for you to save the date. Our host, the Seoul Organizing Committee as well as our Korean partners, the Korean Evangelical Fellowship are praying for all who will attend and are looking forward to welcoming our hearts in Seoul.
October 27-31, 2025 | Seoul, South Korea
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| | ‘If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.’ 1 Corinthians 12:26. Made up of alliances around the world, we are committed to praying for members of the family. Please find some status update and requests for your attention. |
| | Myanmar faces escalating conflict as ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) control 44% of townships, with active fighting in 24% of the country. Less than one-third remains under junta control, according to the Ministry of Defense-NUG. Resistance has intensified, with 47 junta soldiers killed in Sagaing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) seizing all junta camps in Mansi, and heavy battles for Bhamo ongoing. Junta airstrikes have caused severe civilian casualties, including over 40 deaths in Rakhine’s Kyauk Ni Maw Village and 20 in Kachin’s Tanai Township, prompting calls for international action.
The humanitarian crisis worsens as children die from disease and attacks, plantations burn, and airstrikes continue in civilian areas. Despite this, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing claims international observers will be invited for elections. December saw 596 arrests in Yangon and six publishers targeted for alleged obscene literature. Meanwhile, 5,864 prisoners received amnesty, 26 Myanmar citizens were freed from an Indian detention center, and nearly 10,000 workers went to South Korea in 2024. The Blood Money Campaign urges global companies to stop supplying jet fuel to the junta, increasing pressure on the regime. |
| Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
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| The situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to deteriorate, with intense clashes between the M23 rebels and government forces escalating instability in the region. Amid the crisis, Kenya’s President, William Ruto, who also chairs the East African Community (EAC), has called for an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Reports indicate that both the presidents of DRC and Rwanda have agreed to attend an emergency meeting. Meanwhile, heavy gunfire and explosions have rocked the city of Goma and its neighboring Rwandan counterpart, Gisenyi, leaving civilians in fear as violence spreads.
The humanitarian situation is dire, with over 400,000 people displaced since the beginning of the year. A recent rebel attack on a displaced persons’ camp claimed many lives, forcing survivors to seek shelter in churches and schools or flee across the border. Basic services in Goma, including electricity, water, and internet, have been severely disrupted. The Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) has called for solidarity, urging the global Christian community to stand in prayer and support for the suffering people of the DRC. As Matthew 22:37-40 reminds us, loving God and our neighbors is at the heart of faith—now is the time to act in compassion, unity, and prayer. |
| | In December 2024, the Zhogorku Kenesh(Parliament) in Bishkek approved in the first reading two draft new laws which would continue to restrict freedom of religion or belief. This law was approved in February 2025. This Religion Law bans all unregistered exercise of freedom of religion or belief and makes it impossible for communities with fewer than 500 adult citizen members to gain legal status (up from 200 in the current Law). For the first time it requires places of worship of registered religious organizations to also register and bans sharing faith in public and from door to door. Amendments to the Violations Code sharply increase fines for those who violate provisions of the Religion Law.
At present, Christians are waiting to understand how the law will be implemented. Pray for wisdom, spiritual strength, courage and unity of the churches of Krgyzstan in this time of uncertainty. |
| | In just one week the war in Ukraine will have dragged on for 3 years. On February 24, 2022, Russia once again, violently entered more Ukrainian territory unprovoked and unexplained. The USA and Russia are now having high level talks, determined to bring the war to an end. Time will tell how much Ukraine will be listened to and whether their wishes will be respected. Now, more than ever, is the time to pray.
In solidarity with the European Christians, we lament.
The European Evangelical Alliance laments any and every unjust war that happens in Europe and around the world. We lament that Russian bombs, drones, tanks and troops remain in a territory that does not belong to them.
We lament the damage and destruction that has been inflicted on Ukraine since the beginning of the war and that continues daily, even now. We lament the death of hundreds of thousands of people who never asked for this war nor did anything to provoke it.
We lament the families who have been torn apart, women and children sent away, and for those who had to flee for their lives. We lament for the men, some who were soldiers and many more who were not, who gave their lives to defend their land and families. We lament for many more who are traumatized and mutilated by what they have had to face.
We lament that that there remains more propaganda than truth. We will always stand for the truth and lament whenever it is tossed aside for someone’s agenda.
We deeply lament that the name of God has been used to justify invasion, expansion and constant oppression.
We lament, but we are not without hope. We hold fast to the hope that the Truth will defeat the lies that are told. We have hope that mercy, compassion, and peace will overthrow hatred, anger and violence. |
| |  | | Over two billion Christians in the world today are represented by three world church bodies. The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is one of those, serving more than 600 million evangelicals belonging to churches that are part of 143 national Evangelical Alliances in 9 regions. Launched in London in 1846, the WEA unites evangelicals across denominations for prayer, evangelism, mission, theological education, religious freedom, human rights advocacy, relief, and engagement in a wide range of social issues. It speaks with one voice to United Nations, governments, and media in public or through behind-the-scenes diplomacy on issues of common concern to the Church. For more information, visit worldea.org WEA has been a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability since 1980. WEA is audited annually by an independent public accounting firm. WEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In the United States, your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. |
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