越南

「他從灰塵裡抬舉窮人；他從糞堆中提拔窮人，使他們與王子同坐，承受尊貴的寶座。

（撒母耳記上 2:8 和合本）

越南政府近期實施第95號法令，當地基督教會面臨更大壓力。

第 95 號法令於 12 月 29 日公佈，並於 3 月 30 日生效。透過擴大 2016 年《宗教與民間信仰法》（LRB）中概述的一些條款和措施，它實際上允許政府因一系列模糊指定的違法行為而關閉宗教團體。

內政部副部長兼政府宗教事務委員會主席武戰勝 (Vu Chien Thang) 堅稱，這項先前的立法需要強有力的執行措施。

本質上，新法律要求所有宗教團體向政府登記，並增加了有關解散宗教組織和宗教教育機構的措施，以及接受和報告外國援助的詳細程序。一旦發現違反法律，任何人均可能被送往義務教育或康復中心，或被臨時拘留，甚至監禁。

雖然憲法保障信仰和宗教自由的權利，但政府要求教會必須存在五年才能申請登記。許多家庭教會即使登記，也被拒絕，還有一些教會則要等待數年而沒有任何進展。

由於這些監管負擔，許多地方基督教家庭教會乾脆選擇不登記，這使它們的處境更加危險。由於缺乏合法地位，當地教會無法開設銀行帳戶，所有交易都必須使用現金。

此外，過去30年來，越南家庭教會高度依賴國際組織的經濟援助。新法令將使籌集和接受外國捐款變得更加困難，為這些教會的持續運作帶來更多挑戰。

目前越南有11個合法註冊的福音派教會和許多未註冊的家庭教會。雖然居住在大城市和與當地政府官員關係較密切的基督徒往往能夠自由地進行禮拜，但少數民族和農村地區的信徒的生活更加困難，他們仍然面臨社會排斥、歧視和攻擊。

儘管新法令帶來挑戰，但越南全球參與研究所 (IGE) 計畫經理 Hien Vu 表示，牧師和教會領袖決心繼續他們的事工。

“他們已經習慣了這些限制，”武評論道，並將他們的態度描述為“到時候我們會處理，但我們會按照上帝的要求去做任何事。”

在此之前，許多與宗教活動有關的法律並未嚴格執行。然而，隨著第 95 號法令的出台，越南基督徒自由地實踐信仰和一起禮拜的能力可能會變得更具挑戰性。

越南的基督徒佔總人口的 9.7%，在「敞開的門」全球觀察名單中，這個共產主義國家目前位列對基督徒最難信教的國家第 35 位。

 

家庭小組禱告

親愛的主，

我們為越南虔誠的基督徒祈禱，特別是家庭教會的成員。我們祈禱，儘管他們面臨限制和挑戰，他們仍然能夠繼續運作和發展，並在那裡的人們中傳播你的聖言。

賦予教會領袖與當局打交道的智慧，並為他們提供服務會眾所需的資源。保護所有信任你的人免受迫害和歧視。

奉耶穌的名禱告。
阿門。

“You are the salt of the earth. …  You are the light of the world. … let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:13, 14, 16 NIV)

It’s easy these days to gloss over or ignore any news reports you read about Covid-related crises, especially as the entire world has been dealing with the pandemic for almost two years now. However, in Vietnam, a real and urgent Covid-19 crisis has been unfolding in the last few months, triggered by the highly contagious Delta variant that has hit the country particularly hard.

This recent Covid crisis has come as a surprise and caught people off-guard in a country that was applauded and admired last year for its success in keeping the virus under control through aggressive contact tracing and quarantine measures. Average daily cases of Covid-19 hovered around 200 at the start of June but surged to more than 12,000 a day last month. As of mid-October, daily cases are almost at 4,000. In total, there have been almost 850,000 infections and more than 20,000 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began.

In May, the Revival Ekklesia Mission house church in Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon) was publicly singled out by authorities and blamed for an outbreak in June. They were threatened with criminal investigation and permanent closure despite numerous other outbreak sources left unmentioned by the government or reported in the media.

The government has since made a desperate bid to stem the sharp surge and spread of Covid-19.  In the outbreak epicentre of Ho Chi Minh City and 18 other provinces, the government imposed a strict lockdown that prevented citizens from leaving their homes, not even to buy food. Soldiers were deployed to enforce the restrictions by patrolling the streets. These lockdown restrictions were eased in early October.

The government has now abandoned the “Zero Covid” strategy that had been so successful before the Delta variant, but the impact of the lockdown has been widespread, with many of the poorest and those who have lost jobs going hungry without access to daily food and basic necessities.

There have been multiple examples of local churches going above and beyond to respond to this desperate need, even amidst the persecution and threats of prosecution after churches and Christians began to be blamed for spreading Covid due to two house churches that were traced as sources of two early outbreaks in March and April this year.

Church leaders have been delivering hundreds of food packages to the neediest members of their congregation as well as the poorest in their communities, despite the risk of exposure to Covid. One leader shared how there has been an opportunity to show compassion to the soldiers patrolling the streets in the heat and humidity without sufficient hydration, by loading his car with bottles of water and handing them out to the grateful soldiers.

In this dire situation, there have also been opportunities to share the gospel message. One example was a pastor including details of his online church service with food packet deliveries to those in need, many of whom are unchurched. He reported that average Facebook visits for his church exploded from a few hundred to 15,000, prompting him to make his services evangelistic.

While the Covid situation is starting to improve and the authorities are reopening the country, let’s press in to pray for Vietnam, specifically that:

• the spread of Covid-19 and the Delta variant in particular ceases and cases drop significantly to safer and more manageable levels across the country.
• the government secures more supplies of official vaccines, so they can boost the overall vaccination rate across the country which remains low (less than 10 percent of the population were fully vaccinated by the end of September).
• aid, food, necessities and medical supplies reach those most in need, including the poor, unemployed and those suffering from Covid-19 infection.
• those who have lost family members and loved ones during the pandemic have an opportunity to grieve properly, as many of those who died in this latest outbreak were buried industrially and family members were not permitted to hold funerals.
• the local church and Christians in Vietnam are able to take advantage of this unique time and opportunity to share the redemptive message of the gospel to counter the despair and hopelessness during the pandemic and for persecution of the church by the authorities to stop.

 

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV)

The Vietnamese government has accused a pastor couple of causing a major coronavirus outbreak and begun a criminal investigation into the activities of their house church, Revival Ekklesia Mission (REM).

Pastor Phuong Van Tan and his wife Pastor Vo Xuan Loan, and their son, daughter and son-in-law have all been hospitalised with the virus, and are further accused of not reporting their illness.

Health officials alleged that the couple allowed REM church members in Ho Chi Minh City to pray and sing without masks or proper social-distancing restrictions. They claimed they were able to trace a COVID-19 outbreak, which has since led to the city’s lockdown, to the church. This is despite the government banning meetings of more than 20 people since mid-May, the church gathering mostly online, and only seven people present in person at the meeting where the pastors purportedly contracted the virus.

The cluster of cases at REM church has coincided with outbreaks elsewhere in Vietnam and the discovery of a dangerous new variant of the virus that combines traits of the “Delta” and “Alpha” variants.

But the targeting of the church is clear. On 28 May, the Government Committee for Religious Affairs issued a bulletin requesting local authorities to specifically target house churches for inspection and education to do with COVID-19 regulations. On 30 May, REM church’s registration was “temporarily suspended.” Then on 1 June, local security police announced that the church was under criminal investigation for spreading COVID-19.

Christian leaders have responded by asking that the government show compassion to REM church and its members rather than hostility and persecution.

Christians in Vietnam fear that authorities are using the REM outbreak as a reason to impose extra restrictions on all religious bodies, especially house churches. Although authorities in Hanoi found that congregants at REM church’s two Hanoi branches tested negative for COVID-19, all religious gatherings in the capital have been forced to close with immediate effect.

From her hospital bed in Ho Chi Minh City, Pastor Loan has given her own account, which differs from some claims by the health officials. Though she had travelled to Hanoi before the meeting in question, she believes she contracted the virus only after her return from the capital, and was not the source of the cluster. She also denied that the congregation gathered without wearing masks.

“It is not true,” she said. “I am the one who always asked people from my church to wear a mask. I brought masks to all the people of the church and to people in the community.” Pastor Loan added that the church had received a donation of 2,000 masks that she distributed to church members and neighbours.

REM church was founded in the 1990s. As a small church in Vietnam, it joins the many others that have suffered harassment from the government. Vietnam is ranked 19th on the 2021 Open Doors World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

家庭小組禱告 

Heavenly Father, we come before you humble and ready to follow in your way. We are thankful that within this turbulent and challenging time you remain the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Thank you that we can bring our prayers and petitions to you, knowing that you hear us, and you care for each of us and our every need.

Lord! Today, we lift to you our brothers and sisters in Vietnam, and we think especially of Pastor Tan and Pastor Loan. Lord, would you heal them, their family, and church members fully from the virus. Please help them to have the courage to continue with their ministry in spite of the difficulties. We are so thankful for their hearts for you and we pray you encourage them in their work.

We pray also for the health officials and other government bodies. Lord, soften their hearts and turn them towards you. Lord, would you reveal yourself to the people of Vietnam, that they might know your love and your mercy.

阿門。