Lithuania

Lithuania is the last country to be Christianized. The nation has religious freedom and therefore there is an open door for the gospel to be preached and also possible for evangelical churches to have an influence on the society. With this freedom the nation has also experienced challenges with increased materialism, hedonism and nihilism. 

Catholicism has had a great influence in Lithuanea because of strong Polish influence before the Soviet occupation. Catholicism still has a crucial role in the society and about 73 % of the Lithuanian people belong to Catholic Church, but very few of them attend church weekly. Pray that  the Catholic church will be a church that draws people to Christ and pray for a more godly influence on the society. Pray that fellowship and acceptance of other Christian groups also will improve. 

The other confessions of Christianity also face many challenges. In a society where Catholicism is so strong, evangelical churches are often considered as sects. Most denominations are struggling to maintain members of their churches. Newer Pentecostal and charismatic churches grew quickly in the last decade and continue to grow, but there is a need for quality discipleship of new believers. For a greater impact on the nation more unity between the evangelical churches needs to grow. 

Pray for:

• Thank God for the religious freedom and pray that gospel will be more clear for the people in the Lithuanian society 
• Pray for an awakening in the Catholic Church. Pray that it will be a church that leads people to Christ.
• Pray that all prejudices against evangelical churches will be broken and that people will be open for the gospel. 
• Pray that all believers will be firmly rooted in Christ and that they will know their true identity as Christians. 
• Pray for a greater unity in the body of Christ in Lithuania. 

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