At Least Fourteen Attacks During Christmas Week

07 January 2004

The Christmas season was a time of prayerful concern in Sri Lanka this year. VOM has received reports of at least fourteen separate attacks on Christians during the week of December 23-29. Several church buildings and the homes of several Christians around Sri Lanka were vandalized. In one such incident on December 27, twenty people attacked a Christian home, destroying the door and windows, and seriously damaging a three-wheeled taxi belonging to the family. Two young children who were in the house when the attack occurred were seriously traumatized and the family has been warned to renounce Christianity or they will be forced out of the village.

^{Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero}

Following the funeral of a revered Buddhist monk, as reported last week (for more information, see lk-2003-12-31.htm), hundreds of churches cancelled their traditional Christmas Eve midnight service, with the exception of a few larger churches where there were armed police guards. Some churches remained closed on Christmas day. Many Christian left their homes to spend Christmas in safe houses or with friends because of the danger they faced.

On three consecutive nights (December 24-26), the King's Revival Church in Maharagama was pelted with stones. Then, on the afternoon of December 28, a mob converged the church. Police were called and some of the attackers were arrested. After an agreement was reached with a monk from the Vajiraghnana temple that there would be no more trouble, those arrested were released.

^{Sri Lankan Buddhist Temple}

The Aroma Children's Home in Buruthakele, Chilaw is a government registered children's home run by Christians. On the night of December 29, they received a threat that the children would be taken away by force. The next morning, part of the building was set on fire. Thankfully no children were in that area of the building, but all the children's clothing, school books and other school equipment was burned.

These are only a few of many recent incidents of threats and violence against Christians in Sri Lanka. Many details cannot be publicized for security reasons. Pray for protection for Christians as they seek to serve Christ and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in their nation. Pray for church leaders in Sri Lanka as they continue to minister in an increasingly hostile religious environment.

For more information on Sri Lanka, go to www.vomcanada.com/srilanka.htm.

Sri Lanka

Current Ministry Projects
VOMC supports persecuted Christians in Sri Lanka as they witness for Christ in hostile environments through Biblical training, legal aid, and advocacy, as well as rehabilitation and emergency assistance.

Project Funds: Equipping the Saints, Legal Defence, Relief & Development, Families of Martyrs
Country Information
Population
23,326,272 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Sinhalese (74.9), Sri Lankan Tamil (11.2), Sri Lankan Moors (9.2), Indian Tamil (4.2), other (0.5)

Religion (%)
Buddhism (70.2), Hinduism (12.6), Islam (9.7), Roman Catholic (6.1), Evangelical Christianity (2.0)

Leader
Ranil Wickremesinghe (July 2022)

Government type
Presidential republic

Legal system
Mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and Jaffna Tamil customary law

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Sri Lanka
Let's unite our hearts in prayer for those in Sri Lanka who are being persecuted for their faith, thanking God for what He is accomplishing despite the opposition. Ask that His people will be encouraged, strengthened and equipped by the promises of the Bible – the Sword of the Spirit – knowing that He is watching over His Word to perform it (Ephesians 6:17; Jeremiah 1:12). May they not only overcome the strategies of the enemy, but also serve as effective witnesses to those in need of eternal salvation and deliverance from spiritual captivity.