Indonesia: Indonesian Christians Seek to Return to their Villages, Cuba: Cuban House Churches Confiscated by Authorities, Page 3

Indonesian Christians Seek to Return to their Villages

     Indonesia's population is about 80% Muslim and 16%Christian. Indonesia has been the setting for violent attacks on Christian believers since 1999 as over 10,000 people have been killed and over 500,000 have been displaced. Jihad warriors burned down or confiscated countless homes and destroyed numerous churches. Many captured believers were forced to convert to Islam or die. Those that were rescued from the jihad warriors through ICC's efforts or were able to escape on their own then went to live in refugee camps. The Christians are so grateful to at last be safe from Islamic terrorists and to have fellowship with other believers. However, life in refugee camps is hard because of a shortage of housing and food, lack of privacy and dealing with the emotional trauma of seeing the brutal death of family members and the burning/destruction of homes, churches and communities. With much anticipation, these Christians are eager to reestablish a normal pattern of life. They yearn for the privacy of their own home, and tools and skills which will give them the ability to support themselves again. They want to rebuild their communities and churches that have been demolished.

     Since the Laskar Jihad has officially disbanded and their leader Jafar Umar Thalib was arrested, most believers feel it is now safe to return to their villages and start to rebuild their lives. However, on Jan. 30, 2003 the decision of the District Court of East Jakarta was to acquit Jafar Umar Thalib of all charges that he insulted President Megawati and that he instigated the people to acts of violence and tried to incite hostility during a speech on April 26, 2002. As of this writing, the decision has not been appealed. Regardless of the court's decision, believers are zealous to return home.

     ICC is supporting efforts to resettle these refugees by providing for the following basic needs for a typical family: (a) A simple 2 bedroom house including basic cooking, sleeping, and health needs costing $850 per family (b) Basic needs for work/empowerment- farming and fishing utensils, seed or canoe and nets, or tools of trade all costing about $150 for a farming family and $250 for a fishing family (c) Basic food needs- rice and vegetables to survive for 6 months while awaiting crops with a cost of $250 for farming families and $150 for fishing families, as they can produce income more quickly. (d) Transportation costs at about $50 per family. The total cost per family is about $1300 covering transportation, accommodation, food and tools for empowerment.

     There is a total of 18,700 Christians (3,550 families) who currently live in Manado and Tentena refugee camps who need to be resettled. Please help make the hearts of these Christians sing as they are able to return to their original communities of Maluku and Poso. Remember there is no place like home!

     Please assist these efforts by making a contribution to Operation Rescue Indonesia. Gifts to Operation Rescue Indonesia will be used to allow these Christians to return to their original communities or be resettled in other Christian communities in Indonesia. Please make a gift to help if you can.

(Click here for more information on Indonesia.)

Cuban House Churches Confiscated by Authorities

     In recent years there has been a growing revival in Cuba, with more and more people coming to know the Lord. This revival is largely a result of the house church movement. House churches generally meet in private homes in which half of the home is dedicated to the church and the other half is for personal living space. However, an increased number of house churches has resulted in a growing mistrust from the country's Communist government. During late 2002 two Cuban house churches were confiscated by the authorities. The Banao Assembly of God Church in Santi Spiritus and the Tamaringo Assembly of God in Ciego de Ávila were forcibly closed on October 24 and December 6 respectively. Details about the Banao church are provided below. For further information on the Tamaringo house church closure, please contact the ICC office.

Banao Assembly of God Church

     The Banao house church was purchased in April 2002. Pastor Leonel Domínguez Vega and his family moved into the house a month later. The house was a legal purchase under accepted Cuban practice and more than 30 other houses in the area that were purchased in the same manner have remained undisturbed.

     On September 12 the pastor was cited by the Provincial Government of Santi Spiritus, stating that the house had been purchased illegally.

     On the evening of October 23, 2002, the police came into the area near the church and went door to door, confiscating cameras and cutting telephone lines. People in the village knew something was going to happen, but were not expecting the closing of the church.

     On October 24 at 5: 00 a. m. ten uniformed police and six or eight plainclothes policemen arrived and surrounded the house. They took the pastor to the police station where he met housing authority members and the police chief. He was informed that they were going to remove his family from the house that day and asked for his cooperation. Outside the police station were eight police cars, an ambulance, a flat bed truck, and several vehicles from the Santi Spiritus housing authority. The police chief told him that the vehicles were outside for the purpose of removing his family from the premises. Pastor Domínguez was then dismissed and went back to his house.

     While it was still dark, an official of the housing authority arrived with four movers. Pastor Rodríguez told them that it was too early to wake up his two young children, but to keep peace, he allowed them to enter the house. They immediately started removing furniture from the house. They threw the furniture on the flat bed truck, breaking most of it in the process. The pastor's wife was scared and took the baby and their 8-year-old son, Neorbis, into a back room and locked and barricaded the doors.

     At this time neighbors and members of the church started to gather outside the house where police prevented them from interfering in the confiscation.

(Click here for more information on Cuba.)

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POSTED:  February 26, 2003