On June 7, a group of police officers and Hindu militants disrupted a worship service being held in the newly built Indian Apostolic church building in Chennagiri village, Davanagere district in Karnataka state. The police claimed that the church was opened with an illegal license. The pastor explained that he had already obtained the necessary permission from authorities but was told that no churches were allowed in the village since they were engaged in "conversion activities." All of the church members were sent away and the building was locked up.
At approximately 10:00 a.m. on June 8, Pastor Paul Chinnaswamy (50) was attacked by two suspected Hindu militants while he was sitting in front of his church in Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu state. The men approached the pastor on bikes and attacked him, kicking him in the chest and punching him in the jaw so hard his teeth were broken. When villagers noticed the scene, they approached the assailants who then fled. Pastor Chinnaswamy has reportedly been assaulted and threatened several times in recent years.
Pray for healing for Pastor Chinnaswamy. Pray that the members of the Indian Apostolic Church in Karnataka will grow in Christlikeness through the ongoing opposition they face (James 1:2-4).
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here.
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