Indonesia
Triumph in the Midst of Persecution

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In this Muslim-dominated country, where extremists sometimes violently attack Christians, local believers continue to face opposition on several islands.

In late August, three churches were forced to close by angry mobs who threatened believers with violence. On August 29, a church building was vandalized and partially destroyed. These attacks came a month and a half after five gunmen burst into a church service in July, killing the pastor and injuring four others.

A native missionary working on the island of Java recently reported to Christian Aid that on September 6th, 16 churches were closed in Bandung City. An additional 4 were closed a week later in Ciparay. He points to pressure from Muslim radicals as the cause of the closures.

These events come at a sensitive time for Indonesia, with the September 9th bombing of the Australian embassy by a militant Islamic group causing many to fear future attacks. The newly-elected president is in a tenuous position on the issue, warily expressing opposition to terrorism while fearing to alienate a predominantly Muslim population.

In this environment of uncertainty, Christ is still being preached by indigenous missionaries. One who is working among a tribal group on Java reports, "We praise God that more than 1000 souls recently came to Christ from this tribal people that are less than 1% Christian." Most of them follow a mixture of Islam and ancient animist traditions.

Please pray that missionaries' work would continue to produce fruit despite Muslim opposition. For more information on indigenous missions in Indonesia, write insider@christianaid.org and put MI-527 750-MSF on the subject line.