On the morning of June 6th, approximately 50 individuals from the village of Divulapitiya, along with 12 Buddhist monks, gathered outside a village church to demonstrate a protest.
In response to the threat, the pastor called on police to intervene. Instead, the authorities ushered the crowd into the church and, together with the monks, began questioning and threatening the pastor and his wife. The protestors demanded that all worship activities cease immediately. After three hours of deliberation, the mob disbursed, and the police left.
For more information on the difficulties facing Christians in Sri Lanka, as well as the practical and spiritual ways in which The Voice of the Martyrs Canada is providing assistance, go to our country report.
Please lift up this threatened pastor and his wife, along with the members of their church, asking God to intervene on their behalf in the midst of this hostile environment. Pray for the Lord's peace to reign in the situation and for the authorities to dutifully honour their responsibility to provide help and protection to all the various people groups in their country, regardless of religion.
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.
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 President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
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.
Pray with Sri Lankan believers as they seek to faithfully worship God.
Churches in Sri Lanka have frequently faced harassment from community members, Buddhist religious leaders and civil authorities. To read previously published reports on some of these cases, go to our country report. The followin
As a Sunday prayer service was concluding on October 18th, six police officers arrived at the Assemblies of God church in Bakamuna. The pastor and one of his congregation members were taken to the police station where eight Buddhist monks were awaiting them. The O
Join Sri Lankan believers in prayer. Photo: Facebook / Daniel A. Brown
Mob demonstrations are a common way to disrupt and protest Christianity in the nation of Sri Lanka. Although opposition often comes from the dominant Buddhist community, two recent incidents in the Batticaloa District appear to h
Watch this video to gain a better understanding of the reasons behind the persecution in Sri Lanka.
As believers gathered for worship in the village of Ihala Yakkura on the morning of February 2nd, a mob of around 150 people, led by Buddhist monks, arrived and disrupted the service by questioning th
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