In 2002, the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus, purchased a cowshed on the outskirts of the city in order to convert the building into a suitable place of worship for the congregation of 600 members. Since that time, the government's religious affairs department has opposed their use of the building. For more than 18 years, The Voice of the Martyrs Canada has been following the plight of this church, calling for prayer as the believers continually sought to find ways to meet for services in the face of opposition.
When the Christians' use of the building was denied, any request to rent another location was also rejected. Since the church was not meeting in an approved facility, their registration, which they had held for ten years, was revoked. Despite this, the worshippers continued to meet in the building, but experienced repeated harassment over the years until the doors were finally sealed in February 2021. Unwilling to give in, the members convened each Sunday in the parking lot until their outdoor gatherings were also banned and the pastors received fines. To review our previously posted reports describing the numerous challenges this church has encountered, visit our country report.
In a final act of opposition against the church, government officials arranged for heavy equipment to be transported to the church's location on June 20th and, as a result, the purchased building was reduced to rubble. Pastor Goncharenko has expressed his outrage in an open letter to the government. Looking to the future, he is uncertain about the direction that can be taken. "No one will sell us a religious building, and religious communities are not allowed to have regular religious meetings in a non-religious building," he lamented.
Pastor Goncharenko points out that, with the proposed changes to the religion law, any possibility of re-registering the church will be much more difficult. If passed into law, the draft legislation would impose numerous new restrictions and conditions on registration for religious communities, along with increased powers of censorship and monitoring by the government.
Please pray for peace, direction and comfort on behalf of Pastor Goncharenko and the members of New Life Church. May God miraculously intervene in this situation, making it possible for our Christian brothers and sisters in Belarus to find a suitable place in which they can honour Him by worshipping corporately together as a body of believers. Thank you for continuing to present this matter before God's throne in prayer, especially as governing officials now contemplate the proposed revisions to their religion law. Ask the Lord to work mightily in the hearts and minds of the decision-makers, so there will be no further restrictions placed upon these faithful believers and others who are residing in this Eastern European nation.
