Arrests During House Church Construction
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Arrests During House Church Construction

People are in and around a small building under construction.
 
 

On June 13th, the pastor of God's Kingdom Gospel Church in Kandapola, Sri Lanka, was constructing a house church building, together with the support of other pastors and church leaders, when he was approached by a junior manager. The pastor was questioned by the manager as to whether or not the Christians had permission to build a church.

Shortly after leaving the construction site, the manager returned with several police officers, local Buddhist leaders, and some individuals from another village. Police hurled abusive language at the Christians who were present and physically assaulted the pastor's 14-year-old son. In addition, others who had come to oppose the church building project assaulted some of the pastors who were helping with the construction build. Despite the attack having been perpetrated by members of the opposing group, five pastors and two church workers were arrested instead.

While all the arrested Christians had been released on bail that day, they were then ordered to appear in court the following day. Upon arriving at the courthouse, these same believers had once again been taken into custody; this time, their detainment lasted until June 18th. Although they have since been released, a subsequent court date was scheduled for October 4th. To learn more about the persecution of Christians in Sri Lanka, visit our country report.

Pray that the case involving the accused Christian workers will be quickly resolved and that opportunities would arise to peaceably settle this disagreement between them and those in opposition to the church building project. May the believers involved be able to proceed with the construction of the worship facility without any further interference. As they continue to await the outcome of the court hearing in October, pray that the Lord would guide, equip and empower them so they will wisely discern how to best deal with the situation.

  • 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
    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.

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.