• Pray for Middle East Region

Each week throughout 2025, Salvationists around the world are uniting in prayer for a particular territory or region of The Salvation Army.

The focus territory/region shares prayer requests to help us pray with precision and power for one another.

This week (17-23 November), we pray for the Middle East Region.

The countries that make up the Middle East Region are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and United Arab Emirates.

The Middle East Region has four officers (all active), nine corps, 400 senior soldiers, 43 junior soldiers and four employees.

The Salvation Army in the Middle East provides a home for expatriate Salvationists in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. We provide care and support to vulnerable and abused domestic workers, as well as those trafficked or tricked into the region.

Majors Douglas and Janet Newman lead the region.

The Newmans have shared some points to guide us as we pray:

For the region:

·  We pray that God would continue to empower our faithful witness as we seek to grow saints throughout the Middle East. We praise God for the continued support of our partners in mission and for all those whose gifts help sustain The Salvation Army’s ministry throughout Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

·  As regional conflicts flare, we pray for reconciliation and peace.

·  We pray for the safety of the officers and soldiers who live and work in this area of the world and hold sacred our Christian calling to be peacemakers and reconcilers.

·  We continue to pray for official recognition and registration of The Salvation Army within the countries of the Middle East, specifically for registration in the country of Bahrain where our regional headquarters is located.

·  We pray for wisdom and perseverance in addressing the many challenges of operating within the context of the Middle East. And that our work would be sustainable and that we might leave a legacy of faith, hope, and love.

For Bahrain:

Registration of The Salvation Army here in Bahrain slowly continues its course. Nothing happens quickly here but we are in regular contact with our government contact and we are assured that everything is progressing. We have two corps here in Bahrain, a Tamil Corps and an International Corps. The International Corps attendees are mainly from north Africa and are the victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, having paid money on the promise of work, which doesn’t eventuate when they arrive. This ministry is heartbreaking and when we obtain registration, we feel we will be able to significantly speak into this situation.

Please pray:

• That the registration of The Salvation Army in Bahrain continues its course and will be processed soon, and that as a result, Bahrain can stand as a new country officially flying the Salvation Army flag as an independent Christian church.

• We pray that compassion and understanding would prevail as authorities deal with those tricked and trafficked into both Bahrain and the Gulf region as a whole.

For Kuwait:

Whilst Christian worship within the church compound that we are in can happen with relative freedom, outside those walls is a different story. The authorities are very strict around gatherings and any form of fellowship that might be considered a Christian activity. Any form of public celebration of Christian events such as Christmas or Easter is very quickly attended, resulting in severe consequences such as arrest, imprisonment and deportation.

Please pray:

• We pray that Christians would not be persecuted for expressing their faith and worship of Jesus.

• That peace, and the true meaning of tolerance would prevail as people of faith work and worship in the same country.

For Oman:

God has been good to The Salvation Army in Oman which is led by passionate and capable soldiers. We thank God for raising up leaders to continue the mission in Oman.

We praise God for the interdenominational support and cooperation that we experience within the church compounds in Oman. We are blessed to see an increase in children’s ministry and the number of children and youth in our corps who love to learn about Jesus and use their gifts and talents to praise him.

Please pray:

• We pray for the corporate leaders in Oman, that God would renew their strength as they serve faithfully in the name of Jesus. We also pray for more leaders and helpers, and as the demands of the ministry increase, the burdens of each leader would grow lighter by the miracle of God’s grace and provision.

• We pray for the resources to continue to disciple and grow the youth, as there is a specific need for Christian education material in both Tamil and English.

For The United Arab Emirates: 

Please pray:

• We thank God for the grace which allows us to continue our ministry in the UAE. We praise God that Salvationists from around the world can come to this country and benefit from the many opportunities available to them, and that there is a place for them to serve and worship here in The Salvation Army.

• We pray for a worship space in Abu Dhabi, specifically for a chapel to be available, and for approval to be able to worship there soon. We pray that the congregation in Abu Dhabi would grow and flourish as a space to worship opens.

• We pray that the ministry in the UAE would be sustainable, and for freedom and resources to continue serving the soldiers who are living and working here.

To find out more about the Middle East Region, click here.

To find out more about The Salvation Army’s prayer focus, click here.

To download the 2025 International Prayer Focus schedule, click here.