The Persecution & Prayer Alert The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada http://www.persecution.net Wednesday, July 30, 2003

A summary of news concerning the Persecuted Church and how you can respond. *********************************** Contents: 1. Church Faces Destruction Once Again (Vietnam) 2. House Church Raided; Church Leaders Arrested (China) 3. Fined for Street Evangelism (Tajikistan) 4. Bishop Calls For End of Violence Against Evangelicals (Mexico) 5. Teenager Kidnapped: Forced Conversion and Marriage Threatened (Egypt) 6. Question of the Week *********************************** 1. Church Faces Destruction Once Again (Vietnam)

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 http://www.persecution.net/pnparchive/arch3.htm and http://www.persecution.net/pnparchive/arch2.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. *********************************** 2. House Church Raided; Church Leaders Arrested (China)

While believers met to pray very early in the morning of July 13, officers of the Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) raided a house church in Xiao Shan City in Zhejiang Province, assaulting the Christians and arresting at least three leaders. One of those arrested was Shao Cheng Shen, who helped found the church twenty-five years earlier. Shen is now eighty years old. Also arrested were Wei Min Xu and Chong Dao Gao. Another Christian, Huiliang Wong, is wanted by the PSB but managed to escape through a church window and now remains in hiding. According to a report received by The Voice of the Martyrs, the police produced no arrest warrants of any other documentation. The three men are being held in an undisclosed location and no one has been allowed to see them.

In the past twenty-five years, the church building has been destroyed three times and each time they rebuilt without government approval. During the recent SARS scare, the government ordered them to stop meeting, claiming it was to stop the spread of the disease. Repeatedly the Religious Affairs Bureau has called on the church to register and join the official church, but they have refused, since it would put them under government control in areas such as doctrine and polity.

We would encourage you to register a polite protest with the Chinese embassy in your country. We also encourage you to contact your own government officials, urging them to express their disapproval with this action. For contact information for Canada, the United States, and the UN, go to our website at http://www.persecution.net/links.htm. If you speak Mandarin, you may also contact the PSB office in Xiao Shan City at 011-86-571-82622514. We encourage you to read our guidelines on contacting government officials at http://www.persecution.net/howto/writegov.htm.

Please pray for these leaders and others who are forced to serve the Lord in hiding, aware of the constant danger that they face. Pray that they might have a spirit of confidence in the grace and strength of Christ. *********************************** 3. Fined for Street Evangelism (Tajikistan)

A Baptist Christian in Tajikistan, Andrei Reimer, has been fined the equivalent of $11.00 CDN, five times the minimum wage, for conducting religious meetings in a courtyard and for “talking to passers-by about God.” Reimer lives in the suburbs of Khudzhand, the principal town in the northern region of Sogdi. According to a July 29 report from Forum 18, he was fined by the Chkalovsk district court when he refused to provide a written assurance that he would not repeat his preaching. If he does not pay the fine, he may face confiscation of property.

Tajik law does not forbid street meetings or meeting in private homes. In spite of this, many people have faced charges for unregistered religious gatherings.

Pray that Reimer and other Christians in Tajikistan will stand boldly for the Lord, in spite of this opposition, saying with Peter and John, “we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20 NASB). *********************************** 4. Bishop Calls For End of Violence Against Evangelicals (Mexico)

Earlier this month, the Catholic bishop of San Christobal de las Casas in Mexico’s southernmost state of Chiapas called on “traditionalist” Catholics to end their persecution of evangelical Christians. According to a report from Open Doors, Bishop Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel asked that there be no more “destruction nor house-burnings, nor skirmishes, nor the shedding of blood due to religious, political, cultural or economic differences.”

For many years, evangelical Christians in Chiapas have faced severe opposition. Despite this pressure, evangelical Christianity has continued to rapidly grow, now reaching thirty-five percent of the state’s population.

Pray that the words of the bishop will be heeded and that the persecution of evangelicals will cease. Pray for the continued spread of the Gospel in this troubled region of Mexico. *********************************** 5. Teenager Kidnapped: Forced Conversion and Marriage Threatened (Egypt)

According to the Canadian Coptic Association, on June 30 seventeen-year-old Nermine was kidnapped in front of the Isis Secondary School in Alexandria, Egypt. Shortly afterwards, her father, Samaan Sadek Stephanos, received a phone call, saying that his daughter had been kidnapped and was being forced to change her religion to Islam. Her abductors then planned to have her married to a Muslim man.

The case has been reported to the police. Her father has sent telegrams and faxes to numerous authorities. No one has responded, however. He has not been allowed to advertise the issue in any Egyptian newspaper or on the local television channel. The police are refusing to call this “kidnapping,” saying it is an “absence case.”

The abduction and forcible conversion and marriage of Christian girls is not uncommon in Egypt. Sadly, the press and authorities generally ignore it when it happens. Please pray for Nermine and her family. Pray that she will be returned to her home unharmed. Pray for the many other Christian girls in similar situations in Egypt. Pray that the Egyptian authorities will take this horrible practice more seriously and prosecute those guilty of these crimes. *********************************** 6. Question of the Week

I used to think that if you did the right thing, you wouldn’t suffer for it. The experience of Vietnamese Pastor Nganh reminds us that this is not always so. Our question of the week is: “Have you ever had the experience where someone used your confession or apology as a weapon against you?” How did you feel about it? Were you tempted never to apologize again?

To participate in our poll and discussion, go to http://www.persecution.net and click on “Discussion Forum.” If you have not registered on our forum in the past, click on “Register” and select a username and password. *********************************** The Persecution & Prayer Alert is a ministry of The Voice of the Martyrs, Canada. (Mailing address: P.O. Box 117, Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario L5G 4L5) Tel. (905) 670.9721. Fax: (905) 670.7642 Website: http://www.persecution.net *********************************** Contact Person: Glenn Penner, Communications Director.

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