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Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka
Photo: Flickr / César González Palomo (cc)

On July 16th, while Sunday School classes were in progress, 12 members of the Young Men's Buddhist Association arrived at a church to proclaim that the children should not be taught Christianity in a Buddhist village. They also claimed that the pastor and his ministry workers were unethically and forcibly converting the residents of the village.

While the worship service was in progress, about 30 villagers and two Buddhist monks gathered around the church premises. A few members of the group joined the monks as they entered the church and falsely accused the pastor of unethically converting people. They demanded that the pastor and his congregation stop their worship activities immediately and leave the village. They also threatened violence if the pastor and members of the church did not comply.

Following the incident, the pastor and a ministry worker went to the area police station to present a complaint. At this point, they were initially refused but were asked to return when the officer-in-charge was present. The next morning, when two pastors and a ministry worker arrived at the police station for an inquiry with a sub-inspector, the senior Buddhist monk from the village temple and two other villagers were also present. The monk said Christians should not be allowed to practice their faith in the village, including reading their Bibles and praying in their own homes.

In an unexpected act of freedom and enforcement of current laws, the sub-inspector stated that all citizens are guaranteed the right to religious freedom in the constitution. Let us praise the Lord for the sub-inspector's diplomatic stance and for granting these Christians the freedom to worship!

Current Ministry Projects

VOMC supports persecuted Christians who are serving as faithful witnesses for Christ among hostile environments through the provision of Biblical training, legal aid and advocacy, as well as rehabilitation and emergency assistance.

Project Funds: Relief and Development, Legal Defence

Country Information

Population
23,044,123 (July 2021 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.

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Sri Lanka News

  • Church Under Investigation for Worship Services
    Monks walking along a tree covered road.
    Roughly 70 percent of Sri Lankans follow Buddhism.

    The Pentecostal Assembly congregation in Dodangoda, Sri Lanka, is made up of about seven families who regularly meet in the home of their pastor. On February 12th, while the Sunday worship service was in progress, approximately seven police officers

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    Scenic view of Anuradhapura District; lake in the foreground, town in the distance
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    Interior of a small church.
    A church in Sri Lanka.
    Photo: VOM Canada

    In two separate instances, churches in Sri Lanka received demands to close on the pretence that their activities were offensive to their communities. In both cases, legal action has been threatened if they fail to comply.

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    Flowers surrounding a poster saying, ''Pray for Sri Lanka''
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Andreas Schwarzkopf (cc)

    As the nation of Sri Lanka faces its worst political and economic crisis in recent years, life for the common people has been severely impacted. Anti-government protests have led to a crackdown by authorities, introducing restrictive measures to

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