SRI-LANKA

With an anti-conversion law being considered by the country's Parliament, Christians are facing renewed violence and intimidation. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the Assemblies of God (AG) Church in Ambalangoda, located in the Galle district, south of Colombo, was attacked with rocks, stones and bottles filled with sand on June 5th. The next morning, a crowd of about 100 people shouting threats surrounded the church. Armed with iron rods, shovels, swords and other weapons, the mob brutally assaulted the pastor and two church members. One person was seriously injured, and all three are now in a hospital being treated for their injuries. There are fears that the mob may return to attack the church again. Elsewhere, on May 29th, a crowd of about 100 people and a local Buddhist monk disrupted a prayer meeting at Kithu Sevana Church, located in the Kurunegala district, northeast of Colombo. Christian villagers were threatened and warned to stop their meetings. Due to concern over another attack, the next prayer meeting, scheduled for June 5th, was canceled.

Pray the Lord will heal those who were injured in this attack. Ask God to use their witness of faith and love to bring their enemies to Christ. Pray God will give Sri Lankan Christians a spirit of boldness and zeal to proclaim the Good News, knowing their suffering is not in vain. Pray all Christians will lift up heartfelt cries for their brothers and sisters who suffer for Christ, whose name they bear.

_________________
"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.

A 55-year-old Christian widow who has been leading prayer meetings in her home is being harassed by Buddhists. She lives with her two children in an area that is 99 percent Buddhist. A local Buddhist organization has come to her house and warned that she can't have any prayers or meetings there and cannot have any outsiders visit her, especially her pastor. One day a policeman took her to the station and threatened her, saying that he learned from the Buddhist monks that she was trying to convert Buddhist people of that area. He told her that, if she wants to survive, she must stop all Christian activities. Her situation remains precarious, as do those of many Christians in Sri Lanka. The island country has seen a sharp rise in persecution in recent years. Attacks on churches and individuals by mobs of angry citizens, often spurred on by radical Buddhist monks, are becoming increasingly common.

Pray the Christians who live in this area will remain Christlike in their behavior toward their Buddhist neighbors. Pray Buddhist youth will question the difference between Buddha's teachings and the actions of their leaders. Pray the light of Christ will overcome the spiritual darkness in Sri Lanka.

_________________
"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.

New Attacks on Christians - VOM Canada
On October 23, a church worker and his family at Vineyard Community Church in Gonawela, Sri Lanka, were attacked by five men claiming to be police officers. According to a November 3rd report from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEAL), the family was guarding the church building when five men approached at approximately midnight. The five men threatened the family, beat the man with clubs and aggressively shook a child. They also stole a woman's gold necklace, damaged the building's electricity supply and smashed pots and vases. The beaten man sustained serious injuries. A week later the church was again attacked, this time by a group of 10 men. They unsuccessfully tried to set the building on fire. No one was injured in this attack. In another attack on October 30, the pastor of Calvary Chapel of Lanka in Polhena was accosted by a group of local men at approximately 9 a.m. Two or three men beat him while the others looked on. He has been hospitalized for arm injuries. Pray God will strengthen all who were attacked and they will be witnesses of Christ's love. Psalm 50:15

_________________
"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.

Mobs Attack Churches - Compass Direct
Buddhist militants attacked two church services in Sri Lanka on November 12 and hit Christian workers returning from a funeral. In the first attack, a mob of some 100 people, including four Buddhist monks, pasted anti-Christian posters in the neighborhood of an Assembly of God church in Yakkala, Gampaha district, and blocked the road leading to the church. Four days later, as a young Christian woman arrived at the pastor's house asking for prayer, a man doused her with a container of burnt oil. In another attack, a mob of about 35 people - including 12 Buddhist monks and a local government official - walked into the Sunday service of a prayer ministry in Kandy district, demanding that the service cease immediately. "We were threatened that if we gathered together for worship again, the building would be flattened," the local pastor said. Pray God will protect the Christians as they continue to follow Jesus. Ephesians 6:10-13

_________________
"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.

Christians Beaten for their "Loud Worship" - VOM Canada
Reports of attacks on churches continue. On November 12, four members of the Prayer Tower church in Anamaduwa were returning from a funeral service when they were attacked by several men. The Christians were beaten and had stones thrown at them. When the pastor of the church reported the incident to the police, the attackers accused the church of disturbing the neighbors with their loud worship. Pray for healing of the Christians who were attacked and for courage in the face of violence. Luke 4:18

_________________
"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.

Pastor and Three Others Missing - VOM Sources / National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka
According to a March 6 report from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, a pastor of the Gospel Missionary Church in Vavuniya and three other men have been missing since March 2. Pastor Victor Emmanuel Yogarajan disappeared while on a trip with his two sons Daniel and David, and another young man. All four were last seen leaving a house in Negombo for a bus stop en route to Colombo. The deaths and disappearances of Sri Lankan church leaders have been increasing at an alarming rate following the renewed outbreak of civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil rebels. Pray for the families of these missing Christians. Ask God to bring peace to this troubled country and protect believers as they boldly proclaim the gospel. Pray those who persecute will come to repentance and see the truth and mercy of God. 1 Peter 5:1-4

_________________
"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.