{"id":38877,"date":"2021-10-12T14:29:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T05:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=38877"},"modified":"2021-10-12T15:00:39","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T06:00:39","slug":"vomk-report-174","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2021\/10\/12\/vomk-report-174\/","title":{"rendered":"INDIA: PASTORS \u201cPAYING THE PRICE\u201d FOR RAPID GROWTH OF CHRISTIANITY AMONG SAURA PEOPLE"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”38879″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”According to researchers, the number of Christians among the Saura tribe of eastern India has increased from 2,000 30 years ago to more than 200,000 today, an estimated 60% of the Saura population. Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley says that growth has led to resentment and violence against the Saura pastors who live in the majority-Hindu Saura villages in India\u2019s Odisha State. She says Voice of the Martyrs Korea is \u201cadopting\u201d 18 of these pastors in a project designed to help meet their basic needs while also training them to face potentially worse persecution in the future.” 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][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>While many of the\u00a0<\/span>Saura<\/span>\u00a0villages in eastern India are Christian, there are\u00a0<\/span>Saura<\/span>\u00a0Christians who live\u00a0<\/span>as a very small minority of the population in Hindu villages,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201cIt\u2019s the\u00a0<\/span>Christians living in these villages\u00a0<\/span>who\u00a0<\/span>face persecution\u00a0<\/span>on a daily basis<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0Pastors<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>are typically\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>most<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>persecuted<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0since<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the Hindu\u00a0<\/span>villagers\u00a0<\/span>see them as\u00a0<\/span>the cause of\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>spread of Christianity.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, persecution of the\u00a0<\/span>Saura<\/span>\u00a0Christians\u00a0<\/span>and pastors\u00a0<\/span>includes<\/span>\u00a0reject<\/span>ion\u00a0<\/span>by\u00a0<\/span>their\u00a0<\/span>families,\u00a0<\/span>being barred from\u00a0<\/span>common wells<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>local shops<\/span>, beatings, and\u00a0<\/span>the burning of church buildings. Representative Foley says that\u00a0<\/span>among the persecuted\u00a0<\/span>pastors\u00a0<\/span>in the majority Hindu villages, on<\/span>ly three have had any formal\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>ible\u00a0<\/span>training<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>She says\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>ible training is needed even\u00a0<\/span>among pastors\u00a0<\/span>in the majority Christian\u00a0<\/span>areas, where whole\u00a0<\/span>Saura<\/span>\u00a0villages were converted in the early 1900s by Canadian Baptist missionaries<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”38886″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Generations have passed and some of these<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Christian villages have become quite nominal\u00a0<\/span>in their faith<\/span>, so they are in great need for sound<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Christian teaching<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0In many ways, it\u2019s as serious a problem as the persecution being experienced in the Hindu villages<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Accessing the villages is a challenge, according to Representative Foley, which means a customized educational model is needed.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cThe\u00a0<\/span>Saura<\/span>\u00a0villages are spread out\u00a0<\/span>across many hills, and it can take hours to get from one village to the next, even in a 4-wheel drive. The 18 pastors we are adopting are all married, each with 2 to 4 children. It can be dangerous for them to leave their families and church buildings unattended.<\/span>\u00a0When you add in the time it takes them to make a living to feed their families, you can see why\u00a0<\/span>taking time away for\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>ible training can seem like an impossible luxury.<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”38869″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Christians living in the Saura villages of eastern India face persecution on a daily basis.” 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_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that arrangements have been made with\u00a0<\/span>the closest\u00a0<\/span>Bible college<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>Raighar<\/span>, northwest of Odisha state<\/span>, to provide a six-month training program to the pastors<\/span>\u00a0which will enable them to continue to care for their families and churches while enrolled<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In order to<\/span>\u00a0enable the<\/span>\u00a0pastors\u2019 participation,\u00a0<\/span>Voice of the Martyrs will be covering their family living expenses for a year.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, the financial assistance is a way that Christians\u00a0outside of\u00a0India can, in her words,\u00a0\u201cshare the cost\u00a0of persecution\u201d. \u201cSo far, these\u00a0pastors\u00a0have been\u00a0\u2018paying\u00a0the\u00a0price\u2019\u00a0personally\u00a0for the\u00a0rapid\u00a0spread of Christianity among their\u00a0whole tribe over the past 30 years,\u201d says Representative Foley.\u00a0\u201cRadical Hindus\u00a0are\u00a0angry that Christianity is spreading, and they are making these\u00a0pastors\u00a0suffer for that.\u00a0Voice of the Martyrs Korea helps\u00a0Christians who\u00a0have decided to\u00a0stay and\u00a0make a faithful witness to Christ in the face of\u00a0persecution. There are many organizations who help Christians flee, and we appreciate that important ministry.\u00a0But our\u00a0own\u00a0purpose is to stand with those whom God has called to stay, like these 18 pastors\u00a0and their families and congregations.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Donations toward this effort can be made until October 31,\u00a0at\u00a0<\/span>www.vomkorea.com\/en\/donation<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0or via electronic transfer to:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

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

Please include the phrase \u201cIndia\u201d on the donation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/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=”38879″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”According to researchers, the number of Christians among the Saura tribe of eastern India has increased from 2,000 30 years ago to more than 200,000 today, an …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":38880,"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-38877","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\/38877","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=38877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}