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 (2019)
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.
On March 6th, a large mob forced their way into the Mercy Gate Chapel in Amalgama, Sri Lanka, demanding that all religious activities cease immediately. Thankfully, police were able to disperse the crowd without further incident, though Buddhist monks continued to declare that the place
Ask God to make His comforting presence known to Sri Lankan believers. Photo: VOMC
In the late afternoon of Sunday, March 6th, a large mob consisting of approximately 600 people, including about 60 Buddhist monks, forced their way into the Mercy Gate Chapel in Amalgama, Sri Lanka. The mob demanded t
Ask God to grant believers opportunities to safely join in the fellowship of prayer.
On the afternoon of November 20th, the pastor of the Gospel Tabernacle Church in Polgolla, Sri Lanka, went to visit a Christian family with another member of his congregation for a time of prayer. As they were conclu
Ask God to give Sri Lankan Christians wisdom and favour when dealing with opposing community members.
After a member of the Grama Missionary Church in Karukkamunai, Sri Lanka, passed away, the family arranged for a funeral to be held at the public cemetery on September 27th. However, a local public
Population
