A three-storey church in Moscow, Russia, was destroyed recently with heavy equipment in a matter of hours. The Holy Trinity Pentecostal Church, located on the eastern outskirts of the city, was destroyed in the early morning hours of September 6.
Those responsible for the destruction broke into the building and took the church's female caretaker to the police station, where she was held for three hours, and removed the church's valuables. While the destruction was underway, men in plain clothes, who called themselves civil volunteers, patrolled the site.
The church, which was established 36 years ago, was registered by the government in the late 1970s. The city authorities, however, forced it out of its first building in 1995. In 2010, the public prosecutor demanded that the church vacate their replacement site -- a decision upheld by Russia's Supreme Court. Last October, the Moscow Arbitration Court ruled that the church must pay the city's Land Resources Department damages of 4,888,271 Roubles (approximately $150,000 CAD) for unlawful land use.
Please pray that the commitment of these believers to praise God in all circumstances will be an encouragement to all believers (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Please pray that the Lord will provide these Christians with a location to gather together to worship Him. Pray that God will soften the hearts of those opposed to this church.
For more information on our persecuted family in Russia, go to the Russia Country Report.
