For the past month, The Voice of the Martyrs has been following the plight of the Thu Thiem Evangelical Church in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Their church building was destroyed in 2000 and, when they applied to rebuild it, approval was repeatedly delayed. Finally in June 2003 they began rebuilding without permission. Authorities stopped them and ordered them to destroy what had been built by July 12. After meeting with the officials from the Religious Department, it was mutually agreed that the approval process had been excessive, but that the building should not have begun without approval. It appeared at that point that the approval process would continue. For more details, see https://www.vomcanada.com/vn-2003-07-09.htm and https://www.vomcanada.com/vn-2003-07-16.htm.
This week the church faced opposition from a different front. When the church applied to the city authorities for a house number, water and electricity, they received a rejection because Pastor Nganh had admitted that he had begun to rebuild the church without permission and had not paid the fine. Pastor Nganh and another church leader met with civil authorities on July 25 and were informed that the order to destroy the building remained in force, despite the meetings held with the Religious Department. Christians in Vietnam now believe the concessions made by the Religious Department were intended only to appease international observers and to bring about an admission by Pastor Nganh which could be used against him.
We are calling on Christians around the world to continue praying for the Thu Thiem Church, that these difficulties will be resolved and that, in the midst of these struggles, they might be a testimony to those to whom they speak.
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