Persecuted Church News

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Drunken Attack on Russian Protestant Pastor and His Assistant to Be ‘Examined In Detail’ By Interreligious Group

By Victoria Uzunova of the Christian Telegraph (www.christiantelegraph.com)
Special to ASSIST News Service

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA (ANS) -- A recent vicious attack on a Russian pastor and his assistant, is now to be investigated in detail by an interreligious group.

Illustration from www.invictory.org

Sergey Konstantinov, pastor of the Mission Good News affiliated church, and his assistant were attacked in the Leningrad Region in Russia on Saturday, June, 30, 2012, according to Dimitri Shatrov Jr., the church’s Senior Pastor.

The incident occurred early in the morning when morning prayers were being said in the church, he says.

According to a report received by The Christian Telegraph (www.christiantelegraph.com), two cars drove up to the church building and “more than ten drunken young men tried to enter and were shouting outrages against its ministers and activities.”

The report went on to say, “They then began to beat the leaders of the congregation. After the pastor and his assistant had sheltered themselves in the church building and locked the doors, the hooligans began to smash windows and pastor’s car.”

According to Mr. Shatrov, the young hooligans demanded the cessation of church activities and he said that the out-of-control group, broke one of the pastor’s ribs and also a collarbone.

Dan Wooding speaking some years ago at Dimitri Shatrov's church in St. Petersburg

The Church of Evangelical Christians in the Spirit of the Apostles opened in 1914 in St. Petersburg. Because of repression, the church did not hold services from 1932 to 1953. In 1990 it was renamed as the Mission Good News Church.

Now I have learned that the attack will be discussed by the Presidential Council on the Interaction with Religious Associations’ Commission on Harmonization of Interethnic and Interreligious Relationships.

“We follow the state of interreligious relationships in the country, and this wild incident that happened will be examined in detail,” said Sergey Ryahovsky, the Supervisory Bishop of the Union. “Obviously the fomentation of religious discord took place but not in the form of simple hooliganism.”

Mr. Ryahovsky underlined that law system reacted efficiently: the claims were taken, the victims were removed, and several suspected were already questioned.

Victoria Uzunova is a correspondent for the Christian Telegraph (www.christiantelegraph.com ), a unique Christian news service partnering with the largest Christian News Agency in Russian language InVictory News (www.invictory.org/news) which is one of few news gateways of what is happening in Christianity in such former USSR countries as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia and others.

Bomb Threat ‘Disturbs’ Kiev Conference on Healing

However, the pastor leading the conference says that despite the incident, the ‘Holy Spirit touched all participants’

By Victoria Uzunova of the Christian Telegraph (www.christiantelegraph.com)
Special to ASSIST News Service

KIEV, UKRAINE (ANS) -- A conference on healing and the “demolition of ancestral damnation” was disturbed recently after information about a bomb threat, had been received.

Scene inside the packed hall where the bomb threat was received

The conference, attended by 14,000 people and led by Pastor Vladimir Muntyan from the Revival Spiritual Center, was being held on Saturday, July 7, 2012, in the Palace of Sports, the largest hall in Ukraine, when eyewitnesses reported that shortly after the event had begun, the sound was cutting out in the hall.

Managers at The Palace of Sports then told the conference organizers that a phone call had been received about a bomb threat.

A spokesperson for gathering said, “In connection with [the threat], the sound systems were turned off and the service continued through the stage monitors. Then, after the monitors were also turned off, Vladimir Muntyan preached and prayed for people with the help of megaphone.

“At 7:30 pm the pastor then asked people to leave the hall. They also prayed for the person who informed them about the bomb threat,” noted the press center.”

After a search, the local police reported that they did not find any bombs in the hall.

Victor Matveev, a minister at the Revival Spiritual Center, underlined that he felt that this was a “planned action”.

Worshippers at The Revival Spiritual Center in Dnepropetrovsk

He added, “There are people who don’t like Pastor Muntyan and our church, and I believe they made an effort to disturb the conference.”

The minister also said that, in spite of the incident, “a lot of people received healing and some even rose from wheelchairs.”

“I am glad that the Ukrainian people have a huge spiritual thirst for God’s presence,” noted Vladimir Muntyan. “I saw how the hall was full of people an hour before the conference began. Despite someone’s plan to disturb the meeting, God revealed His glory.”

He went on to say, that “Holy Spirit touched all participants, and added, “The situation shows me the importance of the work that we are doing in Ukraine. Satan opposes us, but his end is predicted. After this incident, I want to do more crusades, more miracle services. God’s Name will be glorified in Ukraine!”

The Revival Spiritual Center was opened in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, in 2002. There are many affiliated churches across all Ukraine. In 2012 they opened church in Kiev, the capital city.

Partial Curfew in Plateau State after Two Politicians Among Those Killed in Nigerian Weekend Violence

By Michael Ireland
Senior International Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA (ANS) -- The government of Plateau State placed four local government areas under curfew yesterday following a gun attack that left two prominent politicians dead in Nigeria.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) www.csw.org.uk reports Senator for Plateau State North Gyang Dalyop Datong and the Honourable Gyang James Fulani, Majority Leader in the Plateau State House of Assembly, died during an attack on the mass burial of victims of armed raids on a number of villages over the weekend by Fulani tribesmen.

In a media update, CSW said an estimated 12 villages in Riyom and Barkin Ladi, situated on the outskirts of the state capital Jos, were attacked simultaneously on Saturday, July 7 by hundreds of heavily armed gunmen wearing military camouflage and bullet proof vests, in raids reminiscent of the 2010 attacks on Dogo Nahauwa, Zot and Ratsat villages in Jos South, which claimed an estimated 400 lives.

According to CSW, early news reports suggest that at least 25 people are confirmed dead, five have been hospitalized and approximately 150 displaced people have sought refuge in churches. The majority of victims were women, children and the elderly. Reports also indicate that around 19 gunmen were later killed and one was taken alive during an exchange of fire with the Joint Task Force (JTF).

The CSW report stated that a mass burial was hastily organized the next day, and as mourners proceeded to the site they are reported to have discovered the burned remains of around 50 more victims who had fled from the villages to shelter in a Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) church in Matse Village, Riyom Local Government Area (LGA).

Later, the mourners themselves were ambushed in the armed attack which claimed the lives of Senator Gyang Dalyop Datong, and Honourable Gyang James Fulani amongst others, and from which a member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Simon Madwakom, narrowly escaped.

CSW explained there are conflicting reports indicating the two politicians either died of gunshot wounds or from shock. Following their deaths, angry youths took to the streets, mounting roadblocks in the area. Local people had allegedly reported the existence of a camp belonging to Fulani militants responsible for village raids, but say no action was taken by the security services.

In a comment to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the Anglican Archbishop of Jos, the Most Reverend Benjamin Kwashi condemned the “detestable” attack on funeral goers and expressed anxiety for the future if the targeting of villages continues unchecked.

Kwashi said: “This kind of unprovoked, deliberate attempt to overrun a population cannot succeed in the long run, whether or not the government takes action to stem it.

“Unfortunately, there is now an army of jobless young people aged 20 and under, who no longer attend church and for whom countering the violence is now a matter of survival. They do not listen to what you say, but watch what you do.”

He added: “They are seeing Boko Haram succeed using violent methods and if we are not careful, they themselves will soon be adopting Boko Haram’s methods. We urgently need to engage them and provide direction. The only legacy we should leave for them is the legacy of working for peace.”

CSW reported the latest estimates of the weekend’s death toll currently stand at 104, including the dead militants.

Speaking in a news release, CSW’s Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston said: “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims of these horrific attacks. The raids were systematic and organized, and eyewitnesses report that the gunmen were heavily armed and well equipped.

“We urge the federal government to investigate every avenue of inquiry to identify the perpetrators of this crime, their sponsors and training camps, and to end these appalling raids, which appear to have continued unabated since 2010.”

Johnston added: “A curfew is effective in the short term, but longer term security arrangements have to be undertaken to protect innocent civilians and to forestall the very real possibility of people taking the law into their own hands.”

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organization working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.

For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0) 78 2332 9663, emailkiri@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk

** Michael Ireland is the Senior International Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can make a donation online under 'Donate' tab, then look for 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' under 'Donation Category' to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Newswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior International Reporter

Police poised to arrest local church pastor on ‘false’ charges

Phone call saves local church pastor from landing in the lockup

By Shamim Masih
Special to ASSIST News Service

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- It was late evening, when the editor of the “Minority Times” Islamabad called me and requested me to join him quickly at Fatima Church, sector F-8/4, Islamabad, Pakistan.

When I reached there and enquired of the issue, I was told that local church clergyman, Father Rehmat Hakim Michael was about to march to the nearest police station in protest because of what he considered to be false charged he had heard where about to be launched against him.

According to information I received, Fr. Michael had been informed by an official of the Margalla Police Station that police were going to register a First Information Report (FIR) against him on charges of “kidnapping Afghan refugees” and then “killing them on their refusal to convert to Christianity.”

He was given this news by a mysterious phone caller who avoided to disclose his name, although Fr. Michael suspected that he was an official person.

The call, I was told, sent shivers down the spine of the poor priest who could never have imagined of kidnapping people for the purpose of conversion, let alone killing them in a brutal manner.

The nervous priest made frantic calls to friends and community leaders to rescue him from landing in the lockup.

When he and some friends arrived at the police station, they were told that resident of sector I-9 had filed an application against him.

The man had claimed in his application his wife, an Afghan refugee, along with other members of her family, were kidnapped in 2001 by Fr. Rehmat Hakim Michael and his “gang” and, on refusal to become Christians, they were shifted to some unknown place and were most probably killed.

The applicant had sought police help to trace them and register an FIR against Fr. Michael and another person, and investigate them in this regard.

Ironically, the priest was transferred to Lady Fatima Church in 2007, while the kidnapping incident was reported in the application to have taken place during 2001, when he was serving in Gujarat.

Fr. Michael said that he had never met or seen or heard about the persons that were mentioned in the application.

However he said he was ready to face investigation by any agency in order to reach the truth. He said that he was being trapped for some ulterior motives of the distances between the Muslims and the Christians of the city.

“The applicant will never succeed in defaming the church and the Christian community,” he added.

The story behind this affair is that a strong Afghani family in sector G-8 has occupied two church properties since 1999 and, on the demand to vacate them by the church administration, they were propagating this patently untrue story

Father Rehmat has now requested to the Supreme Court and human right commission to interfere in the matter to solve the issue. He also has protested against what he described as “these fake applications” and demanded the authority to take quick action.

Shamim Masih was born in village of Sheikhupora, Pakistan, and passed his Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He has worked in the banking sector for seven years and at the same time has been involved in freelance writing and working for the rights for Christians and other minorities in his country. He can be contacted by e-mail at: ptpislamabad@gmail.com

Eritrea finally slammed for human rights violations

Shipping containers to hold Christians in Eritrea.

Eritrea (MNN) ― The conclusion of the 20th United Nations session on Friday meant a historic victory for human rights in Eritrea. The U.N. Human Rights Council officially adopted a resolution on Eritrea and approved a mandate for a Special Rapporteur to report on the rights situation, according to ASSIST News Service.

This is the first resolution the HRC has adopted on Eritrea despite a muddy past of religious and human rights violations. This resolution may finally be placing Eritrea on the international radar, says Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs.

"It is a small country. It is not an economic power-house by any stretch. So the world has essentially turned a blind eye and not paid attention to the human rights abuses that have gone on in Eritrea," says Nettleton.

VOM, on the other hand, has paid very close attention to the violations in Eritrea--and with good reason. In 2002, the Eritrean government called church leaders together to tell them their churches would no longer be permitted to meet. A few larger organizations such as the Catholic church, Orthodox Church, and Islamic mosques were still permitted to meet, but smaller groups of believers were forbidden to gather.

Since then, says Nettleton, "Thousands of Eritrean Christians have been arrested. They've been put into the jail system or the military prison system. Some of them have been held in shipping containers literally without running water, without a bathroom--just locked in a shipping container."

Christians are essentially arrested just for being Christ-followers.

"Not a single Christian has been formally charged with any crime," Nettleton explains. "Not a single Christian has been put on trial, has been allowed to have an attorney. None of that. They simply have disappeared into the prison system."

Some have been released months or years later. Others are never heard from again.

Such severe treatment has placed Eritrea at #11 on the Open Doors World Watch List for nations actively persecuting believers. Christian Solidarity Worldwide's Team Leader for Africa and the Middle East, Khataza Gondwe, calls Eritrea's human rights crimes "among the most severe and under-reported in the world."

This new HRC resolution, however, could help change Eritrea's oppressive tune. It has already drawn extra attention since this is the first time that African countries (Somalia, Nigeria and Djibouti) have submitted a resolution on anther African state.

During the last decade of extreme persecution, the Gospel has been moving forward in Eritrea. Believers have not stopped sharing the Good News. But Nettleton points out, "It is coming at a terrible price." Perhaps this resolution will lessen the cost.

Pray that this resolution would be successful and that it would help create instill a miraculous heart change in the hearts of Eritrean government officials. Continue to pray in the meantime for the thousands of believers who remain in chains for their faith.

You can encourage believers imprisoned in Eritrea with letters.Click here to write.

Government shuts down theological training camp

China (MNN) ― One of Henry Ford’s most famous alleged sayings with the production of the Model T vehicle in 1908 was, “You can have any color as long as it’s black.”

This humorous quote may relate to the trite subject of car color. But is there a similar mindset in China’s treatment of a Christian’s freedom to worship?

The Communist government of China states in Article 36 of its constitution, “Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief.”

However, Greg Musselman through Voice of the Martyrs, Canada’ssource, ChinaAid, says, “Over the next ten years, [China’s government] has made a stated document…that actually shows a three-phase plan to eradicate house churches or unregistered churches and then gett them all together under the three-self patriotic church which then allows the government to control the church.”

Some wonder what the big deal is with registering a house church in China anyway. Musselman explains, “There may be some good things going on within the government-controlled churches [if they are] preaching a salvation message, but really that is frowned upon by the government. So many I have talked to over the years are saying that the control of the government is not really a true church [with] the freedom to preach the whole Bible.”

One recent example of governmental crackdown on unregistered church activity took place two weeks ago, June 26, when Chinese government officials forced a teacher theological training camp for pastors to shut down.

The Chinese Theological Society is registered in Hong Kong, but not with the Chinese government where they held the training in Southern China. “They were doing some training…and near the end of their training time, the religious police came in and shut them down. And again, it’s a part of the intimidation process that the Chinese government often uses to try to force the underground Christians or the house church Christians into registering.”

ChinaAid says that cases of Christian persecution like these in China have increased by 20%.

However, Musselman points out that they don’t always make the headlines, since many of the more serious cases of persecution don’t always happen in the big cities. “China is such a massive country and many places are very rural, and so we don’t often hear the stories until much later, if at all in some cases.”

Yet, Christianity is flourishing and growing, both in the registered and unregistered churches. “The interesting thing is that there are more Christians in China than anywhere in the world,” says Musselman. “Some of the sources we’ve heard say that there are over 100 million, maybe as high as 120 million, who identify themselves as Christians.”

Musselman asks for prayer "that the Lord will give the [church] leaders wisdom and strength not to compromise.”