Pastor and Church Members Beaten by Militants

Chhattisgarh, IndiaPastor Babula Changra Paik, another church leader and an elderly man were beaten by approximately fifty Hindu militants during a Sunday morning church worship service at a house church in the city of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh on August 5. Church property was damaged and Bibles were torn during the attack. The militants were angered by Pastor Paik's alleged involvement in forcible conversion activities. Pastor Paik denied these accusations and insisted that he only conducts worship services for local Christians.

Pray for healing for these three Christians. Pray that they will trust God to enable them to proclaim the Gospel even while suffering (2 Timothy 4:16-18). Pray that those who accuse Pastor Paik of forcible conversion will be silenced.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to the India Country Report.

India Information

  • Current Ministry Projects

    VOMC assists persecuted Christians with legal support and rehabilitation assistance, and cares for children of martyrs by providing them with a safe place to be nurtured physical and spiritually. VOMC also partners to equip Christians in India with Biblical training and works to strengthen and support marginalized and persecuted Christian women. Additionally, VOMC helps to provide medical assistance to believers who have faced injuries after being attacked.”

    Project Funds: Families of Martyrs, Equipping the Saints, Legal Defense, Relief and Development, Women’s Ministry, Medical Fund

  • Country Information

    Population
    1,399,179,585 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Indo-Aryan (72), Dravidian (25), other (3)

    Religion (%)
    Hinduism (79.8), Muslim (14.2), Christianity (2.3), Sikh (1.7), other (2)

    Leader
    President Droupadi Murmu (2022)

    Government type
    Federal parliamentary republic

    Legal system
    Based on English common law; separate personal law codes apply to Christians, Hindus and Muslims.

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for India

    Despite the intimidation and violence that have taken place in many of India's states, may Christians wisely yet unashamedly preach the Gospel. Pray that indigenous Christians and foreign missionaries will minister in ways that do not hint at fraudulent conversions, unmasking the intentions behind the anti-conversion legislation. Intercede for India's leaders, that they may reign with justice and righteousness.

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India News

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    On November 17th, the leaders of eight villages in Sukma, a district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, passed a joint resolution that prohibits Christians from staying in their communities. As a result of the decision, all Christian residents have been required to renounce their faith or leave. The order impacts around 100 believers, whose fields, properties and belongings were threatened with confiscation if they did not comply. One local chief who supported the decree claimed that the village council supersedes the Indian Constitution, thus negating any arguments about the believers' right to freedom of belief.

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  • Police Watch as Christians Suffer Mob Attack
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    As police officers stood by and watched, hundreds of people attacked 14 Christians in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on October 30th. The violent incident occurred after the victimized followers of Jesus refused to abandon their Christian faith, despite orders from tribal leaders to do so.

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  • Christians Accused of Forcibly Converting Children
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    Recently, 11 female evangelists from the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh travelled from Hyderabad (the capital of Telangana state) to Bhagwanpur (a town located within the northeastern state of Bihar) in order to spread the "Good News" of the Gospel in villages surrounding the area.

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    A church leader in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has been convicted on false charges of forcing Hindus to convert to Christianity. On September 25th, a court in Jhabua sentenced Pastor Vikas Nimach to five years in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of over $1,600 CAD. His legal team intends to appeal the recent verdict, claiming that the trial lawyer mishandled the proceedings.

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