Missions Catalyst

1. Editor’s Note: The Last Supper, First Hymn, and Surprising Origins of Basketball
2. Nigeria: Christians Offer Eid Greetings and Plead for Unity 
3. Morocco: The Completion of the Moroccan Arabic Bible Marks a Milestone
4. Pakistan: Muslim Man’s Custody of Christian Girl Upheld
5. China: Are Bibles Banned in China? It’s Complicated.

Greetings!

Every time I sleuth for news, I learn something that has escaped me all these decades. This time, it was the origins of basketball—invented for a mission purpose (Christian Post). Missionaries later carried their love of basketball, along with the gospel, to the nations. Did you know? Believers are still using basketball to build relational bridges today, as we reported some years ago in a story about the first national Christian basketball team of Pakistan (United Bible Societies).

I also never knew why we call this day Maundy Thursday. Here’s a hint: I just might wash my husband’s feet today. This special day reminds us of the Last Supper. By the way, the 2025 movie of that name, produced by Chris Tomlin, is now available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Chris Tomlin has been busy. You might also be interested in a documentary he was part of.  I missed last week’s premiere of The First Hymn but pre-ordered the DVD due out in May. I love hymn stories, and this one is powerful. Watch the movie trailer and see the video below for a performance of the hymn—a perfect song for this Holy Week.

He is risen indeed!
Pat

Source: International Christian Concern, March 23, 2026

The message of unity came as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) encouraged Nigerians to use Eid-el-Fitr as a moment for national renewal despite insecurity and financial hardship.

CAN President Daniel Okoh extended Eid greetings to the Muslim community, urging citizens to uphold values observed during Ramadan, including care for vulnerable people and peaceful coexistence.

“From insecurity to economic hardship, the challenges before us are real, but so too is our shared strength,” Okoh said, calling on Nigerians to prioritize dialogue and unity across religious and ethnic lines.

The plea for unity comes amid continued violence affecting Christian communities in Nigeria’s northeastern and Middle Belt regions.

Despite these conditions, Christian and Muslim residents in several communities continued customary Eid visits, sharing meals and exchanging greetings in mixed neighborhoods, even as some families remained displaced or avoided travel due to safety concerns.

Read the full story and Dozens Killed During Palm Sunday Attacks in Nigeria. Find such news overwhelming? Responding to the Palm Sunday attacks, Global Christian Concern has a short but powerful article on five ways to pray that might be applied to other situations like this one. 

ICC also reports that thousands of Christian families are being evicted from their homes in Pakistan.

Source: United Bible Societies, March 15, 2026

After nearly three decades of perseverance, prayer, and quiet faithfulness, a historic milestone was reached. In January 2026, the first complete Bible in Moroccan Arabic was officially launched in both print and audio formats.

More than a publishing achievement, the launch represents the culmination of sustained local commitment, global partnership, and long-term investment in making Scripture accessible in the everyday language spoken by millions of Moroccans.

The completion of the Moroccan Arabic Bible represents many years of faithful work by a committed team and the steady support of partners who believed in the vision of making Scripture accessible in the language people use in daily life.

Throughout the years, progress was often gradual and required patience and resilience. Yet the shared commitment remained strong, that people should be able to read and hear God’s Word in language that feels natural and familiar.

With the Bible now available, attention turns to helping people access it and engage with its message. Efforts will focus on ensuring that the Scriptures can reach readers and listeners in meaningful ways, both in print and through digital platforms.

Read the full story. 

See also God’s Word for All People: Scripture Brought to Life (Wycliffe Bible Translators).

Source: Morning Star News, March 26, 2026

A court in Pakistan on Wednesday (March 25) upheld the marriage of a forcibly converted 13-year-old Christian girl to the Muslim man accused of kidnapping her, sending a wave of anguish and alarm through the Christian community.

Christian rights advocates and civil society groups strongly condemned the verdict by the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), which granted custody of young Maria Shahbaz to Shehryar Ahmad, a 30-year-old Muslim alleged to have forcibly converted and married her.

Maria was abducted on July 29, and since then, her family has repeatedly sought judicial intervention to recover her, without success.

Read the full story. Pray for Maria and others like her in diverse contexts.

Another teenager who could use your prayers is 16-year-old Jonathan Muir Burgos, arrested with his father, a pastor in Cuba who was later released. We found multiple articles about their arrest but no reports that the son, who has significant health issues, was released from custody.

Source: Mission Network News, March 31, 2026

Kurt Rovenstine, of Bibles for China, disagrees with recent claims that China is one of the countries leading a trend of banning the Bible, as reported in a recent article.

“The way these articles are framed and the statements that they make, I think you have to be able to dig a little bit deeper to find out what is really the issue,” says Rovenstine.

So what is true?

In the article referenced, China is mentioned alongside Saudi Arabia and North Korea as some of the most dangerous countries to possess a Bible—Rovenstine notes this misrepresents the reality. China is not in the top three for limited access, but it is on the list of countries where access to the Bible is most restricted.

The article also claims the Chinese government is “removing the Bible from online retailers and replacing it with a ‘sanitized’ version.”

“We’ve not seen any of that,” says Rovenstine. “Nobody who’s claiming that has ever shown us that or actually produced one of these compromised Bibles.”

Read the full article for more perspective and some ways to pray.

You might also be interested in a recent article about the unique challenges Chinese missionaries face (China Source).