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Indonesia

• Christians bombed

  A Christian's home and a church building were targeted with bomb blasts this month in Indonesia. Explosives were detonated outside a Christian's home and, about an hour later, a bomb exploded outside the Imanuel Church building in nearby Taripa, Pamona Timur. Police said the house targeted in the first attack was that of Okrifil Mamuaya, a Christian working for the local government. No one was injured in the blasts, but the attacks have created fear among Christians who have long endured violence in a region considered a hotbed for Islamist militancy.

  Groups such as Laskar Jihad carried out jihad or holy war against Christian communities in the Moluccas and Central Sulawesi between 1999 and 2002. Although a government-brokered truce in 2002 brought tentative peace, sporadic attacks have continued.

  Please pray that such violence against Christians will cease in Indonesia. Pray that believers will stand firm in their faith as a testament to God's ability to supply courage in all circumstances (Psalm 27:1). Pray that militant groups in Indonesia would come to faith in Jesus Christ.

  Go to the Indonesia Country Report for more on persecution in Indonesia.

• Islamist mob hurls urine, rotten food at Christians

  Pastor Palty’s church was sealed shut with this concrete wall. Behind Pastor Palty, you can see a government closure notice.

  About 600 Muslims threw bags of urine and filthy water at 100 members of a church in Indonesia and threatened to kill the pastor. No arrests have been made. The mob, which included the chairman of the Bekasi chapter of the extremist Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), attacked members of the Philadelphia Batak Christian Protestant Church while police looked on.

  The Christians were peacefully worshipping on the street of a community in Bekasi, near Jakarta, on May 17 when they were accosted. The angry throng began to throw urine, ditchwater, rotten eggs, stones and dirt when Pastor Palty Panjaitan came to speak to his congregation. The congregants were forced to disperse. Pastor Palty received a death threat and filed a police complaint.

  The church had been denied a permit to construct a church five years ago, and the local administration asked it to shut down in December 2009 (for more, click here). The Supreme Court overruled the administration's decision in July last year, saying the church was eligible for a permit, but due to pressure from Islamist groups, officials insist the congregation meet elsewhere.

  Please pray that members of this church will soon be able to freely worship the one true God. Please pray for the protection of Pastor Palty. Pray that those who oppose this church will come to know salvation through Jesus Christ. Pray that these believers will rejoice in the opportunity to grow in Christlikeness through the ongoing opposition they face (James 1:2-4).

  Go to the Indonesia Country Report for more on persecution in Indonesia.

• Churches sealed shut

  An increasing number of churches are being closed in Indonesia. Photo: Compass Direct News

  Seventeen churches have been forcibly closed in Indonesia's Aceh province following last month's election of a hard-line Islamic governor.

  Emboldened by the April election of Zaini Abdullah of the staunchly Islamic Aceh Party, hundreds of Islamic demonstrators gathered and demanded that church buildings be demolished and not just closed.

  Officials said grounds for the closures included improper permits and a more than a decade-old agreement that stated that only one church and four small houses that function as churches could be built in the entire district. About 12,000 people in the district are Christian -- accounting for about one-sixth of the population, and the number of churches in the area had grown to 22.

  Please pray that the decisions to close these places of worship will be overturned. Pray that the number of believers in Aceh will continue to multiply. Please pray that Zaini Abdullah and other authorities in Aceh will come to know and love Christ. Pray that believers will be encouraged to continue to meet together despite opposition (Hebrews 10:23-25).

  Go to the Indonesia Country Report for more on persecution in Indonesia.

• Anti-Christian incidents nearly doubled in 2011

  Reports against Christians in Indonesia increased in 2011, such as the officials sealing this church in Bogor, West Java. Photo: Compass Direct News

  Acts of violence and intolerance against Christians in Indonesia almost doubled in 2011. The Indonesian Protestant Church Union counted 54 acts of violence and other violations against Christians in 2011, up from 30 in 2010. The number of such incidents against religious minorities in general also grew, from 198 in 2010 to 276 in 2011. The worst is perhaps yet to come if authorities continue to overlook the threat of extremism, said a representative from the Jakarta-based Wahid Institute, a Muslim organization that promotes tolerance.

  Indonesia's hot-bed of extremism is West Java, the most populous province that includes the nation's capital city of Jakarta. This province alone witnessed 160 incidents against religious minorities. Churches in West Java, where there are approximately 520,000 Christians, also suffered the most last year. On Christmas Day, two churches in West Java's Bogor city bore the brunt of growing extremism. "Islamist vigilantes screamed and yelled at us and threatened us, as we sought to hold a Christmas service," a leader of the Gereja Kristen Indonesia told Compass.

  Pray believers will be encouraged to continue to meet together despite opposition (Hebrews 10:23-25). Ask the Lord to continue to grow His church in number, wisdom, understanding and faithfulness. Pray for those who oppose the gospel in Indonesia.

  Go to the Indonesia Country Report for more on persecution in Indonesia.

• Church closed and pastor arrested

  At least 30 churches have been closed or burned in Indonesia this year alone.

  The pastor of an Indonesian church established almost a quarter of a century ago has been arrested for allegedly forcing people to attend church. He faces up to three months in prison for the charges against him. His church has also been closed. Officials allege that the Indonesia Pentecostal Church (GPdI) in Sumedang was using an illegal building permit. Officials had previously asked the church to cease conducting Christian worship and had also requested that the church move its services into a building belonging to the Institute of Public Administration (IPND). An Indonesian Christian organization said the IPND cannot accommodate the congregations of any more closed churches, since about 14 churches have already been relocated to the building. At least 30 churches have been closed or burned in Indonesia this year alone, according to Jakarta Christian Communication Forum.

  Please pray that Christian brothers and sisters in Indonesia would continue to find the means to worship despite church building closures and the arrest of church leaders. Please pray that God would multiply the faith and love of His followers in Indonesia in the face of persecution. Please pray that this church would be reopened and its pastor freed.

  To learn more about the persecuted Church in Indonesia, please visit the Indonesia Country Report.

• Church bombed in Central Java

  Government sent bulldozers to destroy church buildings in Indonesia’s Tangerang county in 2005.

  On Sunday, September 25, a suicide bomber detonated eight pipe bombs by the main door of the Bethel Full Gospel Church in Solo, Central Java as worshippers were leaving the morning service. Over 20 believers were injured, one of whom later died in hospital. The bomber was reportedly a member of an Islamist militant cell in Cirebon, West Java. Security has been heightened and police will now screen all church visitors. The following day, police found a similar bomb outside the Maranatha Church in Ambon city, on the island of Ambon.

  With a lack of will on the part of the government, extremism has constantly grown in Indonesia since the fall of the authoritarian President Suharto in 1999, who kept radical groups under control.

  Please pray for healing for those injured. Pray for God's comfort for those grieving. Pray the Lord will give wisdom to the church leaders to know how to comfort their church members. Pray against further unrest in this nation.

  To learn more about the persecuted Church in Indonesia, go to the Indonesia Country Report.

• Mission training school attacked

  A training school like this one was recently attacked.

  A mission training school was recently attacked by a mob of Muslims following a prayer meeting in Jonggol, West Java, Indonesia. Approximately 85 Muslims rushed into the school and raided each class and dorm room, removing pictures of Jesus. They told the staff that the school must be closed. No students were on the premises, as school was not in session that day. Several police officers and soldiers accompanied the mob from a nearby military base and neighbours did not recognize them as locals. The school, which was established in 1999 with the purpose of training evangelists in Indonesia, has reportedly always maintained a good relationship with its neighbours. At last report, mission leaders said that they were attempting to follow up on the incident in the hopes of helping to prevent further violence. The leaders also urged Indonesian Christians not to retaliate, but to remain calm and to pray.

  Pray that God will touch the hearts of the attackers, leading them to repent and recognize Christ as Lord. Pray that a spirit of trust and peace will govern the hearts of Indonesian Christians and guard them against fear. Pray that Christians in Indonesia will be a bold testimony of Christ's love to those around them.

  To learn more about the trials facing Indonesia's Christians, go to theIndonesia Country Report.

• Angry Muslim crowd attacks churches

  

  More than 1,000 Muslim protesters stormed a courthouse and burned churches in central Java, Indonesia, on February 8. The attacks in Temanggung happened after Antonius Richmond Bawengan, a Christian man, was sentenced to five years in jail for distributing leaflets deemed insulting to Islam. BBC News reported that Indonesian police said the crowd considered the sentence too lenient and were demanding the death penalty. A police spokesperson told BBC that the angry crowd began attacking the court building after the verdict was read.

  At least three church buildings were vandalised. Indonesia Bethel Church was set ablaze. Part of the school building inside the church's property was burned, along with six motorbikes. Arsonists also burned Temanggung Pentecost Church. The extent of the damage has not yet been reported. Santo Petrus Catholic Church and Santo Paulus Catholic Church received damage to their doors and windows as the mob threw stones at them.

  In early October 2010, Antionius handed out books and tracts with writings that are considered an insult to Muslims. He was arrested on October 26. He was found guilty of violating the Criminal Code on insulting Islam and received the maximum sentence for the offense -- five years in jail.

  Pray for the Lord's protection to be upon this Christian man while he is in prison. Thank the Lord for his efforts in spreading the gospel. Pray he will have opportunities to be a witness for Christ even while in prison. Pray the Christian population in Indonesia continues to grow and unite in their love for Christ.

  Learn more about the trials facing Christians in Indonesia at theIndonesia Country Report.

• Police, Islamists put up obstacles to worship

  Police try to restrain protestors at a GKI Yamin Christmas night service in Bogor, West Java Photo from Compass Direct

  During the Christmas season, government officials in West Java province, Indonesia, blocked church members from worshipping in one church, and Islamic groups pressured authorities to seize the property of another.

  The Bogor Regency Administrative Leadership Council was unsuccessful in keeping Gereja Kristen Indonesia (Indonesian Christian Church, or GKI) in Bogor's Taman Yasmin area from holding a December 25 service, but authorities did prevent its regular Sunday service on December 26.

  GKI spokesperson Bona Sigalingging said police telephoned church leaders to forbid Christmas services that were to begin at 7 p.m. on December 25. The church worshipped anyway, with nearby demonstrators screaming, "Allahu akbar [God is greater]!" and "Break it up!" However, authorities blocked church members from worshipping the next morning.

  Islamic demonstrators in Rancaekek, Bandung, got police to remove items such as pews from a Huria Kristan Batak Protestant church building on December 19. That church had already been sealed.

  Thank the Lord for the faithfulness of Indonesian Christians who continue to meet together in spite of severe opposition. Pray they will be greatly encouraged by seeing the Lord's hand at work in continuing to strengthen the church and add to its numbers.

  You can read more about the persecution Christians face in Indonesia by visiting theIndonesia Country Report.

• House churches forcibly closed

  Seven house churches were forcibly closed down in West Java, Indonesia, due to local Muslims' objections to the buildings being used for "illegal church meetings."

  On December 12, between 200 and 300 Muslim militants from hardliner groups such as the Islam Protector Front (FPI), Moslem Forum (FUI) and the Islamic Reformation Movement (Garis) gathered outside seven houses and performed sudden inspections of the buildings.

  The house churches were being used by members of the Protestant Batak Christian Huria Church. The militants said the buildings could not be used for Christian worship services and told the congregation to meet elsewhere.

  The police high commissioner adjutant, Hendro Pandowo, denied the news, saying the Muslim fundamentalists raided some churches. The security troops of Bandung city were following up on that report by sealing the seven house churches.

  The owners of the houses were told they could remain in their homes but were forbidden from opening their homes for Christian worship services.

  Ask God to use this ordeal to strengthen the members of this church. Pray that they will demonstrate Christ's love to those who oppose them and that their faith will be a light which helps lead others to the Lord. Pray that Indonesian Christians suffering for Christ will keep their eyes on Jesus, persevere in their faith and not grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 10:32-39; 12:1-3).

  You can find out more about the trials facing Indonesian followers of Christ at theIndonesia Country Report.