Protest Demands End to Worship

Sri Lanka landscape - Photo: Pixabay

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.

    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
    President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (Sept 2024)

    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.

Sri Lanka News

  • Acts of Vandalism Disrupt Pastors' Convention
    The inside of a church building shows crosses at the back of the stage, two flower arrangements and chairs arranged, ready for a gathering.
    A church building in Sri Lanka.
    Photo: VOMC

    Pastors from the Foursquare Church recently gathered at their denominational campground in the Puttalam District of Sri Lanka for an annual convention. At around 1 a.m. on January 25th, a group of unidentified individuals entered the camp and began vandalizing the property.