7th May, 2015
Pastor Jose Dilson, a Brazilian missionary who has worked in West Africa for 25 years, faces a possible prison term over the conversion of a militant Muslim leader’s son, well-informed Christian sources say.
The pastor founded school ‘ABC’ to offer educational support and support hundreds of families in the region.
Pastor Dilson and his colleague Zeneide were detained in late 2012 when one of the children’s fathers complained that his son wanted to become a Christian, said Voice Of the Martyrs advocacy group.
"The angry father allegedly claimed that his son was refusing to participate in Islamic rituals. The accused pastor spent five months in a Senegalese prison before being released in April of 2013, pending a final resolution of his case."
Christians said that during his imprisonment Pastor Dilson managed to distribute 350 Bibles and that he spoke about his faith in Christ with "many" fellow prisoners.
Trial observers said a final ruling on Pastor Dilson’s case was expected soon.
VOM said it had urged it supporters to "join Pastor Dilson and his family in prayer, specifically asking that they not be fearful but rather in a position to give a good testimony of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."
The group said it hopes that final ruling would allow Pastor Dilson to remain free from prison and continue his mission work.
"Finally, we ask that you intercede for the salvation of the many young students who attended the ABC school, as well as their families, so they will discover the reality of Jesus as their own personal Saviour and Lord," VOM wrote its supporters.
