{"id":34353,"date":"2021-01-05T14:23:32","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T05:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=34353"},"modified":"2021-01-05T15:50:29","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T06:50:29","slug":"vomk-report-137","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2021\/01\/05\/vomk-report-137\/","title":{"rendered":"THE MOTORBIKE IS A \u201cMOBILE CHURCH\u201d FOR PASTORS IN VIETNAM"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”34348″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Christianity is growing even amidst persecution in Communist Vietnam, but according to pastors in the places where the church is growing the fastest, the growth is not due to an increase in church buildings but to an increase in the number of motorbikes available for church planters.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” el_class=”headline”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/span>New religious laws enacted in 2018\u00a0<\/span><\/span>have\u00a0<\/span><\/span>reinforced\u00a0<\/span><\/span>religious restrictions for Vietnamese Christians,\u201d says Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Representative Dr<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Hyun Sook Foley. \u201cP<\/span><\/span>ersecution of Christians is very strong in the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>n<\/span><\/span>orth of Vietnam, especially in church planting among the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>34\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ethnic minority groups<\/span><\/span>\u00a0which are still mostly unreached<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>But despite the<\/span><\/span>\u00a0strong persecution,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>difficult hill<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>narrow roads<\/span><\/span>, and the extreme remoteness,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>that is where the church is growing the fastest<\/span><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”34367″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley notes that pastors working in the area often pastor literally hundreds of tiny house churches, and they rely on motorbikes\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to take them from congregation to congregation.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cM<\/span><\/span>ore than 300,000\u00a0<\/span><\/span>people from the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Hmong\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ethnic group alone\u00a0<\/span><\/span>have converted to Christianity since the 1980s<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0but that doesn\u2019t mean\u00a0<\/span><\/span>there are\u00a0<\/span><\/span>large churches,<\/span><\/span>\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span><\/span>It means\u00a0<\/span><\/span>there are literally\u00a0<\/span><\/span>hundreds of thousands of tiny groups\u00a0<\/span><\/span>of Christians\u00a0<\/span><\/span>meeting in home<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>gatherings that are officially illegal. Even today, a<\/span><\/span>n estimated 10,000 Hmong and Montagnard Christians in the Central Highlands\u00a0<\/span><\/span>of Vietnam are\u00a0<\/span><\/span>stateless because local authorities have refused to issue\u00a0<\/span><\/span>them\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ID cards, in many instances in retaliation for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>their conversion to Christianity. In a setting like this, erecting church buildings is not only impractical but illegal. That\u2019s why Vietnamese pastors rely on motorbikes as\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a kind of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mobile church<\/span><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Pastor\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>\u0110\u00f4ng<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0(name changed for security reasons) is typical.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>A<\/span><\/span>\u00a0pastor<\/span><\/span>\u00a0from the Dao ethnic group in the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Cao Bang province<\/span><\/span>, he\u00a0<\/span><\/span>bec<\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>m<\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span>\u00a0a Christian in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>1998\u00a0<\/span><\/span>at the age of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>16\u00a0<\/span><\/span>when he was miraculously healed from a disease which caused him to faint frequently.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Since 2003, God called me into His ministry<\/span><\/span>,\u201d says Pastor\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u0110\u00f4ng<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>At present, I am pastoring a church of 150 members. By God\u2019s grace, he called me into the leadership team of Cao Bang province to provide spiritual support to more than 200\u00a0<\/span><\/span>house\u00a0<\/span><\/span>churches\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>four\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Dao villages<\/span><\/span>. Even though I am very busy with leadership, I still prioritize sharing\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>g<\/span><\/span>ospel with the lost. I have witnessed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>200\u00a0<\/span><\/span>non-Christians\u00a0<\/span><\/span>so far in 2020,<\/span><\/span>\u00a060 of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>whom\u00a0<\/span><\/span>received Jesus Christ<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I also spend time visiting these new believers, especially those who are the only ones in their areas to believe in Jesus. These people are the target of cursing, physical punishment<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>abuse,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>mental threatening<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>because of their new faith.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Pastor\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u0110\u00f4ng<\/span><\/span>\u00a0was one of ten pastors\u00a0<\/span><\/span>for<\/span><\/span>\u00a0whom Voice of the Martyrs Korea and its sister missions in Australia and the Netherlands\u00a0<\/span><\/span>purchased m<\/span><\/span>otorbikes in 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Representative Foley notes that the motorbikes are attracting ethnic minority pastors to return to serve their villages after completing Bible school<\/span><\/span>s in the cities, because the motorbikes\u00a0<\/span><\/span>make an otherwise impossible ministry feasible<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and even attractive<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”34350″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”For Vietnamese church planters, a motorbike is a mobile church” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0a0a|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the pastors who received a motorbike\u00a0<\/span><\/span>this year\u00a0<\/span><\/span>graduat<\/span><\/span>ed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>from a Bible school a year ago<\/span><\/span>. H<\/span><\/span>e was offered a position as a pastor\u00a0<\/span><\/span>at a city\u00a0<\/span><\/span>church. However, he refused and returned to his hometown\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>one of the ethnic minority areas<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0The motorbike gave him a vision for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ministry among his own people that was more rewarding to him than the idea of serving\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0more prestigious city church.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Voice of the Martyrs Korea classifies\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Vietnam\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>s one of five remaining Communist nations in the world,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>also\u00a0<\/span><\/span>including<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>China, North Korea, Laos, and Cuba.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201cEach of these nations<\/span><\/span>, including Vietnam,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>maintains\u00a0<\/span><\/span>strict laws against\u00a0<\/span><\/span>religion,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cChristian persecution is not a thing of the past in the Communist world.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that the cost to provide a\u00a0<\/span>motorbike to a pastor in Vietnam is\u00a0<\/span>1<\/span>,<\/span>300<\/span>,000<\/span>\u00a0KRW.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>D<\/span>onations<\/span>\u00a0given\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>\u201cCommunism is Not Dead\u201d (CIND) fund\u00a0<\/span>in January\u00a0<\/span>will be\u00a0<\/span>designated for the Vietnam motorbike project<\/span>. Interested individuals can give at www.vomkorea.com\/donation<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0or via electronic transfer to\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\uad6d\ubbfc\uc740\ud589<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(KB Bank)<\/span>\u00a0463501-01-243303<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\uc608\uae08\uc8fc<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>(Account Holder)<\/span>: (<\/span>\uc0ac<\/span>)<\/span>\uc21c\uad50\uc790\uc758\uc18c\ub9ac<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please include the name \u201c<\/span>CIND<\/span>\u201d on the donation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”34348″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Christianity is growing even amidst persecution in Communist Vietnam, but according to pastors in the places where the church is growing the fastest, the growth is not …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":34345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[857,235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russian-special","category-special-column","category-china-special","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}