Property To Be Confiscated

New Life ChurchFor several months, the difficulties facing the New Life Church on the outskirts of Minsk, Belarus have been closely followed.  According to a December 7 report from Forum 18, the Economic Court of the City of Minsk has rejected the appeal of the city's plans to confiscate the property.  The church's website also reports that proceedings have begun to confiscate all the property of the church's administrator, Vasilij Yurevich, in order to pay fines levied against him.  Authorities told the news to Yurevich's family while he was at work and forced the family with four children to leave their home with nothing. Yurevich has been told that he must pay the fines totaling 8,000,000 rubles ($4300 CDN) within three weeks or his property will be sold.  The fines amount to more than 25 years' wages at the minimum wage in Belarus.   More information on Belarus is available through a video news report on www.vomcanada.com.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus, click here.

Administrator of Church Faces Enormous Fine

New Life ChurchThe New Life Church in Minsk continues to face harassment and fines in their quest for the freedom to worship. The church administrator, Vasily Yurevich, has recently been handed his third fine in the last year. Even though he insists that he was on leave at the time, police claim to have identified him "by his outward appearance" as being the individual who was leading unauthorized worship on September 4. The October 7 court decision ordered him to pay more than ten times the average monthly wage in Belarus. Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko has stated his determination to continue meeting despite official opposition.

For more information on the persecution of Christian in Belarus, click here.

Church Administrator Faces Huge Fine

New Life ChurchIn recent months, The Voice of the Martyrs has been following the ordeal facing the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus. On September 23, the church administrator, Vasily Yurevich, was fined 4,080,000 rubles ($2250 CDN), for not stopping religious services as ordered.  This is the second fine in less than a year.  This fine is the equivalent of over 13 years' pay at the Belarusian minimum wage.  On September 26, the New Life Church also announced that it will be filing a lawsuit against the Minsk City Executive Council over the decision to confiscate the church's land.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus, click here.

Legal Status Removed

Another church in Minsk, the Belarusian Evangelical Church, had its legal status removed by the city court on September 20.  However the pastor, Ernst Sabilo, has pledged to continue meeting for worship despite the court's ruling.  This court ruling follows a similar ruling against the Belarusian Evangelical Reformed Church on August 22.

Update: New Life Church Building to Be Confiscated

New Life Church
Image from www.newlife.by
Since purchasing a former cow barn in 2002 with the intention of using the building for a church, the New Life Church on the outskirts of Minsk, Belarus has faced constant opposition from city authorities.  The church presently has more than 1000 members and has not been allowed a place to meet.  According to the church's website, the land has now been confiscated by the city and the believers have been ordered to leave the building.  However, as an act of protest, members of the church are staying in the building at all times, demonstrating that they will not give the building away by their own free will.  Other protestant groups have given their support to the New Life Church, along with some Jewish organizations.  The church has invited the Minsk city executive committee chairman Mikhail Pavlov to explain the reasons for the committee's decision.

Pray that this decision will be reversed and that the New Life Church will be able to worship freely.  To learn more about the pressures facing the Church in Belarus, see our audio and video features on https://www.vomcanada.com/.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus, click here.