Armed Guards Protect Latest Attacked Church Building

28 January 2004 0 minutes read


^{Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga}

The Sri Lankan government has posted armed guards around the Church of Our Mother Most Pure in the village of Mattegoda located east of Colombo after a mob of approximately twenty men vandalized the church building on January 26. The attack came only three days after Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga said that tougher action would be taken against those initiating the anti-Christian violence.

There were no injuries in the attack, but religious statues were smashed with clubs and Bibles and hymnals were set on fire, destroying much of the building. Srahi Bonso, a church director, told Associated Press, "This church has been standing for the last 14 years ... now all that remains is the roof and walls."

Pray that the escalation of violence against Sri Lankan Christians will stop and that believers will be free to worship without fear. Pray that the authorities will take action, despite pressure from a strong Buddhist lobby.

For more information on persecution in Sri Lanka, go to www.vomcanada.com/srilanka.htm.

Sri Lanka

Current Ministry Projects
VOMC supports persecuted Christians in Sri Lanka as they witness for Christ in hostile environments through Biblical training, legal aid, and advocacy, as well as rehabilitation and emergency assistance.

Project Funds: Equipping the Saints, Legal Defence, Relief & Development, Families of Martyrs
Country Information
Population
23,326,272 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Sinhalese (74.9), Sri Lankan Tamil (11.2), Sri Lankan Moors (9.2), Indian Tamil (4.2), other (0.5)

Religion (%)
Buddhism (70.2), Hinduism (12.6), Islam (9.7), Roman Catholic (6.1), Evangelical Christianity (2.0)

Leader
Ranil Wickremesinghe (July 2022)

Government type
Presidential republic

Legal system
Mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and Jaffna Tamil customary law

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Sri Lanka
Let's unite our hearts in prayer for those in Sri Lanka who are being persecuted for their faith, thanking God for what He is accomplishing despite the opposition. Ask that His people will be encouraged, strengthened and equipped by the promises of the Bible – the Sword of the Spirit – knowing that He is watching over His Word to perform it (Ephesians 6:17; Jeremiah 1:12). May they not only overcome the strategies of the enemy, but also serve as effective witnesses to those in need of eternal salvation and deliverance from spiritual captivity.