Photo: New Life Church
Since 2002, the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus, has faced repeated harassment from the country's governing authorities. Though legally recognized by the government, the church has been continually denied a place of worship. After many years of court challenges, the congregation's sanctuary was destroyed in June 2023 (read more).
When the destruction of the facility did not stop the congregation from gathering to worship, government officials made further accusations against the church which resulted in the arrests of the pastors (see this page). In this latest act of opposition, the authorities turned to the courts in their attempts to remove the church's legal status.
Court hearings to deliberate the church's legal status began on October 6th. After dealing with preliminary matters at that hearing, a second date has been set for October 17th. If the congregation's official registration is removed, any activities of the church will be considered illegal, and therefore may result in jail terms of up to two years for those involved.
Governing officials base their latest action upon a claim that the church failed to re-register by 2004, in accordance with revisions to the religion law established in 2002. They also state that the courts can liquidate organizations that conduct "propaganda of war or extremist activities," which they claim can be found on the church's website and social media accounts.
The church's response to these claims is that although they had gone through the process of re-registration in 2004, the application was rejected because of the ongoing controversy over their building. The church further rejects the contention that their teaching is "extremist."
Pray on behalf of Pastor Vyacheslav and the congregants of the New Life Church, asking the Lord to provide them with ongoing encouragement and guidance. May He work mightily in the hearts and minds of the country's governmental and judicial leaders, especially as this latest case is soon to be deliberated in court. Throughout the process, pray that the Gospel message will also reach the unchurched members of the community and those in other areas of Belarus, using this congregation's God-honouring response as a testimony of His grace and love.
