Christian Persecution – Americas

Alvaro Uribe won May’s presidential election on a promise to step up the war against the country’s Marxist rebels, but at least one of Colombia’s mission leaders doesn’t think it will make much difference.

AUSTIN, Texas, May 16 (Compass) — Guerrillas snatched Juan Carlos Villegas on his way back from a baptismal service near Medellin, Colombia, on April 28. A few days later, they sent a demand to Family Christian Church: hand over $25,000 or their assistant pastor would be killed.

Guerrillas snatched Juan Carlos Villegas on his way back from a baptismal service near Medellin, Colombia, on April 28. A few days later, they sent a demand to Family Christian Church: hand over $25,000 or their assistant pastor would be killed.

Guerrillas manning a roadblock near Medellin kidnapped an associate church pastor as he returned with a group of church members on Sunday, April 28, from an afternoon baptismal service, reported the head of that city’s pastoral alliance.

In mid April, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) forced 11 evangelical Protestant churches in Arauquita, a town near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, to suspend public worship services.

Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva, a blind human rights activist who was arrested and imprisoned on March 4th, is demanding proper medical attention.

A blind Christian human rights activist has been beaten and imprisoned in Cuba following a crackdown on pro-democracy and human rights workers.

“The work of the Lord is growing beautifully in the midst of a ferocious and diabolical war that affects our country,” reports a Colombian missionary leader.

Last May, evangelical pastor Juan Carlos Villegas was kidnapped and held for 12 days by the National Liberation Army in war-torn Colombia. They forced him to walk for many hours each day so that neither the Colombian Army nor the paramilitaries could find them. Several times they threatened him with death.

(COMPASS) — In the past two weeks, the civil war in Colombia has claimed the lives of two adult children of evangelical ministers. Church leaders say the deaths may indicate a sinister policy trend among guerrilla groups and paramilitary units to eliminate successful Christian evangelists, especially those attracting youth to Christ.

Alvaro Uribe won May’s presidential election on a promise to step up the war against the country’s Marxist rebels, but at least one of Colombia’s mission leaders doesn’t think it will make much difference.

Open Doors with Brother Andrew is urging Christians around the globe to join together for an international day of prayer and fasting for Colombia on July 29, 2001.

Open Doors with Brother Andrew, the ministry begun more than four decades ago by Brother Andrew, the Dutch-born author of “God’s Smuggler,” is urging Christians worldwide to join their “Wage Peace Upon Colombia” campaign and pray for peace in that trouble-torn country and also for persecuted Christians there.

March 25 was a special Sunday for the 18,000 evangelical Christians who attend the Bethesda Missionary Center church in Bogota, Colombia. It marked the fortieth day of captivity for their pastor, Jorge Enrique Gomez, kidnapped on Valentine’s Day by a band of heavily armed men.

Jorge Enrique Gómez Montealegre has prayed for years for Colombia’s guerrillas to lay down their arms and surrender to Christ. His family believes that now he’s preaching to them.

As a result of continued escalating violence, Open Doors USA President and CEO, Terry Madison, is urging Christians around the world to join in the “Wage Peace Upon Colombia” prayer campaign on July 28.

Armed men have captured a prominent Colombian pastor who operates a string of Christian radio stations around Colombia.