 Methodist church building in Dehiwela Photo from The Sunday Times |
On the evening of April 5, a gang of unidentified assailants broke into a Methodist church building in the city of Dehiwela, Colombo district. Musical instruments, Bibles, hymn books and church documents, including baptism and marriage records, were stolen.
On April 8, four Buddhist militants gathered outside Pastor Padeep Kumara's home in the town of Weeraketiya, Hambanthota district. They demanded that he come outside and threatened to kill him. Pastor Kumara's wife, who was home with their two children, phoned her husband, but by the time he arrived home the militants had fled. Later that evening, the leader of the militant group phoned the pastor several times and threatened to kill him if he did not leave the village by morning. He then returned to the pastor's house and threatened him with violence. When the police arrived, the leader was arrested. He was released the following day and drew up a petition along with other local Buddhists against Pastor Kumara's church. The Buddhists also threatened the owner of the pastor's home with violence if he did not evict the family. The pastor's children have since been moved to a new location for safety.
Ask God to protect and encourage Pastor Kumara and his family. Pray that the perpetrators of these attacks will come to repentance and salvation. Ask God to enable Sri Lankan Christians to remain steadfast in the face of suffering (Revelation 2:10).
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Sri Lanka, click here.
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