On June 22nd, believers from the village of Tahae gathered at the home of Pastor Mum for a time of prayer in preparation for their Sunday worship service the next day. While the followers of Jesus were praying, the village chief – along with four other community officials – suddenly entered the home before arresting the pastor and five believers because of their Christian faith.
Those arrested along with Pastor Mum have been identified as two men named Liang and Pa, and three women named Laen, Lan and Khoon. At last report, these Christians were imprisoned in the Xaibouathong district prison.
Pastor Mum came to faith in Christ during 2019 and, since then, Christians have gathered freely in his home for prayer and worship. Until recent months, they were able to meet without interference from village officials, and the number of believers gathering on a regular basis had grown to more than 40. However, since the election of the new village chief (whose name is Lang) took place this past May, a crackdown on Christian belief and practices was instituted in the area.
As a Communist country with close ties to Vietnam and China, the Laotian government endeavours to exercise control over all churches within the nation. Further opposition against Christianity arises because of disapproving Buddhist influences throughout society. To learn more about Christian persecution in Laos, go to our country report.
Pray for the recently arrested church members, as well as the other Christians in this village who are now experiencing opposition from local leaders because of their faith in Jesus. May each one of these Christian brothers and sisters look to Christ as their ultimate source of unwavering hope, strength and perseverance. In addition, pray that Pastor Mum and the five other detained believers will soon be released from custody without any further repercussions from the authorities.
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