Tsunami
The
Vietnamese church has always been a mission church.
It may have failed at some times to love their own churches, but
the Vietnamese believers from the beginning have had a heart to
evangelize other people groups. This Spirit of mission still
lives in the Vietnamese church, and because of that, there is
We believe, with the
disaster of the tsunami in neighboring
countries, Vietnamese churches are praying for the people
who are in need of immediate physical shelters and for their
even greater need of an Eternal Home.
Does Northern
Vietnam have religious freedom?
Government
is pressing on with the official churches in Northern Vietnam to
show the world that there is freedom of religion and people are
benefiting from it. Is it a whole picture? We know by experience
and also by reports that the government is also intensifying
intimidation and persecution in an effort to silence those who
are not part of the official churches. Children who came to know
Jesus Christ outside of the official churches have been
threatened in an attempt to make them up their faith. Mennonite
World Conference reports of prison abuse of church leaders…
Released church leaders speak out on
prison abuse
Two Vietnamese
Mennonite church leaders who spent 9 months in prison shared
“about the battering they suffered, both at the hands of
corrections officers and at the hand of other prisoners who
received food and cigarettes as rewards for beating up the young
Mennonites.”…When they were exhausted, “officers brought
documents for them to sign, admitting to crimes or implicating
Pastor Q. They refused, but sometimes their signatures were
forged.” Mennonite World Conference officials has been
requesting the release of the Mennonites church leaders, but
only two of them were released. Four other church leaders tried
on November 12, remain in prison.
–Mennonite World
Conference
Please pray that His
name will be honored and church continue to persevere in spite
of the oppression.
Praise:
- Praise for the way the Holy Spirit uses creative people and
ways to open opportunity for the expansion of His Kingdom in
Vietnam!
- Praise for the boldness of the leaders who stand firm in
their faith!
Pray:
- May the movement of the Holy Spirit overcome the political
and cultural restriction of the government to influence the
people toward the Truth.
- Pray for different house church groups to be able to share
lives and faith to care for each others and challenge others
to build strong basis for the faith Communities!
- The Vietnamese are still very much an unreached people group
with less than 1% Christians. Please pray that creative
doors will continue to open for many more Christian workers.
- Pray for those in prison and who
are persecuted for the sake of their beliefs.
