Pastor Assaulted in Ampara

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The pastor of a Methodist church was attacked by three members of the Department of Civil Defense in the village of Uhana in Ampara district at approximately 4:40 p.m. on June 23, according to a June 24 report from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka. The men accosted him while he was walking home from a church meeting and asked him to accompany them to a house to speak with people who were interested in Christianity. Sensing it was a trap, the pastor requested that these individuals come to his church and talk with him there. The men then beat him and threatened him against returning to the village. The pastor was hospitalized with serious injuries to his head and nose.

Pray for healing for the injured pastor. Pray that he and other Christians in Ampara will remain faithful to the task that God has given them at all cost (I Peter 5:1-4).

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Sri Lanka, go to the Sri Lanka Country Report.

  • 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.

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