Pray for Churches under attack by Muslims in Indonesia

God's flock in Indonesia is accustomed to moving hurriedly from one pasture to the next.

A group of 50 believers on the island of Java have had to move their place of worship six times. They have been hit with boards, stabbed, locked out of their church, ordered by 200 policemen to leave their church and had their church building burned to the ground. Yet they remain faithful through every move - the same 50 members moving together.

The most recent attacks, on July 10 and Aug. 8, 2010, occurred while the believers were clearing weeds from a piece of land they had purchased to use as a worship site. A Muslim mob screamed at them, calling them prostitutes and dogs. The believers responded by proclaiming, "Hallelujah!" The video here shows the mob starting their attack.

Pastor Luspida Simanjuntak, who received hospital treatment after she was struck with a wooden plank by suspected Islamic extremists in the Sept. 12 attack, said that the church was ready to stop struggling.

Pastor Luspida hospitalized
after struck with a plank
by Islamic extremists.

“We are tired of being intimidated and terrorized,” Pastor Simanjuntak said. “We will be able to worship quietly and peacefully.”

Church lawyer Saor Siagian said that the church had accepted the temporary move with the understanding that the Bekasi municipal government must fulfill its pledge. The government will build a new church building to replace the structure the church is leaving on a 2,500-square meter lot belonging to PT Timah, the Government Tin Mining Co. in the Mustika Sari area of Bekasi. The lot is zoned for general and social facilities.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, with an estimated 205 million Muslims. The Indonesian island of Java, where these attacks occurred, is also the world's most populous island, with about 136 million people. Church closures and attacks against Christians are occurring with increasing frequency on Java and elsewhere in Indonesia.

Jesus say, "My sheep hear my voice." His sheep in Indonesia remain faithful.

(Voice of the Martyrs, July 2011)
(Church under attack agrees to change venue, Islamization watch, October 5, 2010)

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