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Belarus

• 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

  Image fromwww.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.

• UPDATE: New Life Church

  Image fromwww.newlife.by

  For several months, The Voice of the Martyrs has been following the plight of the New Life Church in Minsk.  According to the church's website (www.newlife.by) the city is again attempting to prevent the church from using a converted cow shed for a church.  The city council is intending to insist that the building be used by the church for its original purpose, breeding cattle.  However, commercial breeding of animals, however, is forbidden within the city limits of Minsk, thus causing a dilemma for the city council.  The church intends to continue fighting for the right to use the building for meeting.

  For more information on persecution in Belarus, click here.

• Unregistered Priest Has ''Discussions'' with Belarusian Authorities

  A priest with the unregistered Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has had four lengthy "discussions" with Belarusian authorities in just over a week.  The authorities warned him of the possibility of imprisonment or a substantial fine if he holds any services outside his home. 

  The troubles began for Father Leonid Plyats when a commission arrived at his home in the village of Zabolotye near Minsk on May 17.  The commission came under the pretense of conducting a fire inspection as they searched for indications that the house was used for "illegal religious activity."  Following the inspection, Plyats, his wife and parishioners faced interrogation on three other occasions.

  When Forum 18 was informed of the situation, they contacted authorities to ascertain the reasons for these discussions.  The local police chief, Valentin Nikolaenok, refused to speak with them.  Aleksandr Kozmin of the Smolevichi district Ideology Department was part of the initial commission investigating Plyats.  Speaking with Forum 18 on June 6, Kozmin said, "Plyats is innocent. No court has found him guilty. The warning was just an explanation of the law."  Kozmin denies that any pressure was put on Plyats.

  Pray for Father Plyats and the many other leaders of unregistered religious communities in Belarus who are facing threats, fines and interrogations because of their faith.  Pray that the Belarusian leaders will recognize the need for freedom of religious expression in their country.  Belarus has the harshest religious controls of any European country. Despite international human rights commitments, the government has declared all unregistered religious activity illegal and has cracked down on any religious community who has not been registered.  For more information on the situation in Belarus,click here.  A video report from Belarus is also available in the Video section of our multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.

• Church Leader in Belarus Faces More Charges

  The church administrator for the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus faces additional charges of repeatedly organising "illegal" worship, says a May 19 report from Forum 18.  The administrator, Vasily Yurevich, has previously faced fines of 3.2 million rubles ($1900 CDN or 150 times the minimum monthly wage in Belarus).  On May 15, ten police officers came to the church service and demanded that Yurevich come to the police station the next day.  He refused until he received a written summons, which was given to him on May 18.

  The Minsk church also received its third warning on April 28 to cease meeting.  According to Belarusian law, a church can be officially dissolved after two such warnings.

  Pray for the church leaders as they deal with the implications of these latest developments.  Pray for wisdom in dealing with the Belarusian authorities.  Pray for the continued ministry of the New Life Church and other churches spreading the Gospel in Belarus.

  Police arrive at New Life Church Images fromwww.newlife.by

  For more information on the New Life Church and other difficulties facing Christians in Belarus,click here.Log on to VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com, to view a recent video report on the challenges Belarusian evangelicals experience.

• Church Faces Liquidation

  Image fromwww.newlife.by

  On December 30, 2004, the pastor of the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus, received an official warning from the Minsk City Executive Council that he was holding unauthorized worship services without properly notifying authorities.  According to Belarusian law, after two such notices, the church can be legally liquidated.  According to the church's website, the pastor received the second notice on April 5.

  The New Life Church has been facing difficulties for several months.  They have been refused permission to rent a facility.  City planners say that a new house of prayer does not fit into the development plans for the area, despite plans to build an Orthodox church there.  Consequently, the church began meeting in a former cowshed.  The city officials claim that this is illegal, since a cowshed is not an approved facility for a church meeting.  In March, Pastor Slava Goncharenko was fined 720,000 Belarusian roubles ($406 CDN): equivalent to thirty months' wages.

  Pray that the ministry of the New Life Church will be able to continue despite the ongoing opposition.  Pray for peace and comfort for Pastor Goncharenko and the members of the church.

  For more information on the trials facing Christians in Belarus,click here.  VOM has recently released a video documentary on the Belarus in the Video section of our multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.  Free registration is required to access the website.

• New Life Pastor Fined

  Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko and his family Photo fromwww.newlife.by

  Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko of New Life Church in Minsk has been fined the equivalent of 30 times the minimum monthly wage in Belarus for organising religious services without state permission.  According to a March 23 Forum 18 report, Pastor Goncharenko was contacted on Monday, March 21 with instructions to appear in court the following day where he was found guilty of "violating the established procedure for holding religious events" (Article 167, Part 1 of the Belarusian Administrative Violations Code) and fined 720,000 Belarusian roubles ($406 CDN).  The church has announced that it plans to appeal the fine and prepare formal complaints to the Belarusian Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding irregular court procedure and police behaviour respectively.  Police reportedly treated church members who accompanied their pastor to the court roughly and tried to force them to leave the courthouse. 

  More details on this case can be found on VOM's website (click here).  Last week, The Voice of the Martyrs released a 7-minute video report on the situation facing Christians in Belarus.   You can view it in the Video room of www.vomcanada.com. 

  Continue to pray for the New Life Church and their leadership as they continue their legal struggle with the Belarusian government.  Pray for all those throughout the country who are facing fines and harassment because of Belarus' harsh religious laws.

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

• Authorities Step Up Harassment of New Life Church

  Vyacheslav Goncharenko Pastor of the New Life Church

  Belarussian authorities have stepped up their harassment of the New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus by cutting off electricity to the renovated cowshed that the 600-strong congregation has been meeting in since 2002.  Since late last year, authorities have made a series of hostile moves against the church, including fining church administrator Vasily Yurevich 150 times the minimum monthly wage for organizing religious worship without state permission. In early February, senior pastor, Vyacheslav Goncharenko, learned that he would be facing similar charges. On March 14, the church received a letter from Minsk city administration denying the church re-registration under Belarus' religion law. According to a March 16 report from Forum 18, the letter claimed that re-registration was not possible because the church building is designated as a cowshed, the church has allegedly given insufficient information about the election procedure of the church council chairman, and the basic forms of church activity are allegedly not given in line with the requirements of the 2002 religion law.

  Continue to uphold this congregation and its leadership in your prayers as they continue to fight for their right to worship freely.  The Voice of the Martyrs has just released a new seven-minute video report on the situation facing Christians in Belarus.  It can be viewed in the Video section of VOM's multimedia website https://www.vomcanada.com/. While it is necessary to register in order to gain access to this website, registration is free and gives you access to a number of resources not found anywhere else on the Internet.

  For more information on religious liberty in Europe's most restrictive nation,click here.   We encourage you to write to Belarussian authorities, protesting this continuing harassment of the New Life Church.  You can write to:

  The President of Belarus
  A.H. Lukashenko
  Republic of Belarus
  pl. Nezavisimosti
  220010, Minsk
  Belarus

  Her Excellency Nina Mazai
  Ambassador 
  Embassy of the Republic of Belarus
  130 Albert Street, Suite 600
  Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4
  Tel: (613) 233-9994/232-0255 (24h) Fax: (613) 233-8500

• Pastor Faces Charges for Illegal Worship  recent months, the Persecution and Prayer Alert has been reporting on the difficulties facing the New Life Church near Minsk, Belarus.  In late December, the church administrator, Vasily Yurevich, was fined 3,200,000 rubles ($1800.00 CDN), about 150 times the average monthly wage in Belarus (click here for details).  

  In the latest development, Forum 18 reported on February 21 that senior pastor, Vyacheslav Goncharenko, now faces the same charges for organizing illegal worship. The initial hearing was held on February 10 and a second hearing is planned for March 1.

  The 600-member congregation has been seeking permission to convert an old cowshedinto a place of worship; a proposal approved by all government agencies except the religious affairs department, which claims that a new suburb is planned for the area.  Unable to obtain this necessary approval, New Life Church was refused re-registration at the address of the cowshed when the religion law's November 16, 2004 deadline for compulsory re-registration expired.  This past December, the church received a first official warning based upon Yurevich's prosecution. Under the 2002 religion law, a second warning would be sufficient to ban the church.

  Pray for Pastor Goncharenko and the other members of this church, as they deal with the difficulties from the authorities, as well as the charges being brought against the leadership.  Pray that the Lord will provide a place and an opportunity for His people to continue to meet in worship.

  Representatives from The Voice of the Martyrs visited Belarus in late 2004.  You can listen to an on-site interview with Glenn Penner, VOM's Communications Director, in the Audio section of VOM's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.  It costs nothing to become a member of PersecutionTV, but membership gives you access to many resources that cannot be found anywhere else on the Internet.

  The March edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter features the situation facing Christians in the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Belarus.  To receive your free year's subscription, click here.

  For more information on persecution in Belarus,click here.

• Registration Problems for Full Gospel Churches

  Vyacheslav Goncharenko pastor of New Life Church

  Three churches from the Full Gospel Association are being denied government registration and may face liquidation.  Early this month, the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on the huge fine handed down to an administrator from the New Life Church near Minsk.  This six hundred member congregation has been meeting in a cow shed since September.  After the church purchased the building in 2002, they had been given approval to change the designated land usage in order to renovate the shed as a church by every government department except the religious affairs department of the Minsk city administration.  The church was ordered to cease any renovations.  Then, on Sunday, January 23, a representative from the district administration appeared during the worship service with twelve police officers.  He demanded confirmation that the church had permission to meet there and then filmed the service.  If the church receives a second warning, they could be forcibly closed down. Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko of the church remarked to Forum 18 News Service on January 17 that "They issued this warning even before we received acknowledgement that our appeal against the fine had been lodged."  In his opinion, the government is trying to rush the process.

  Another church being refused re-registration is the Word of Truth Church, which is meeting in homes in Dzerzhinsk (Minsk region) since they lost the use of the facility they were using on October 5.  A third church, the Church of Jesus Christ in Kozenki village in the Gomel region has experienced difficulties in registering for the first time, having faced numerous delays.

  Pray for these and other believers facing bureaucratic challenges, along with more overt opposition from authorities as they endeavour to meet together for worship, prayer and encouragement.  Pray for a steadfast resilience and a heart of courage.

  We urge you to write a letter to the president of Belarus , politely asking him to allow unregistered churches to meet freely and to practice their faith without hindrance.  You can write to:

  President Lukashenko

  The President of Belarus
  A.H. Lukashenko
  Republic of Belarus
  pl. Nezavisimosti
  220010, Minsk
  Belarus

  Or you can leave a message on his personal website (click here).

  For help in knowing how to write letters to government officials, please go to our website.

  Representatives from The Voice of the Martyrs recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Belarus.  Their report will be featured in the March edition of our free monthly newsletter in an article entitled, "Communism's Lingering Legacy."  To subscribe, click here.

  For more information on persecution in Belarus,click here.