{"id":47982,"date":"2023-09-26T14:00:27","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T05:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=47982"},"modified":"2023-09-26T13:30:04","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T04:30:04","slug":"vomk-report-272","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2023\/09\/26\/vomk-report-272\/","title":{"rendered":"OCCUPIED UKRAINE: AUTHORITIES CONFISCATE SEVENTH REGISTERED BAPTIST CHURCH BUILDING"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47976″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Another church building operated by a Registered Baptist congregation was seized by force by occupying authorities in Eastern Ukraine earlier this month, with authorities allegedly claiming that a mine had been planted there. According to persecution ministry Voice of the Martyrs Korea, that brings to seven the number of church buildings of the Registered Baptists seized by either administration or military in the occupied territories. ” 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]Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr<\/span>.<\/span> Hyun Sook Foley says the congregations have not lost heart. \u201c<\/span>The churches are continuing to meet for worship in the <\/span>ho<\/span>mes of <\/span>church members<\/span>,\u201d says Dr Foley. \u201cThe<\/span> pastor of the church whose building was seized earlier this month told us, \u2018We are <\/span>praying for those who have moved into the House of Prayer.<\/span>\u2019\u201d<\/span> She said the church has been banned from holding its worship services in the <\/span>building,<\/span> but authorities permitted church members to enter it in order to retrieve their communion<\/span> supplies<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, s<\/span>ix of the <\/span>Registered Baptist <\/span>churches whose buildings were seized <\/span>are located in<\/span> the south<\/span>ern <\/span>Donetsk region and one <\/span>is <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>Zaporizhzhia region border<\/span>ing<\/span> Donetsk<\/span>. She said <\/span>her ministry is not <\/span>disclosing<\/span> the names or locations of the churches <\/span>or pastors <\/span>for security reasons but <\/span>wants to call attention to the <\/span>pattern of <\/span>special <\/span>persecution against Registered Baptists in the occupied territory.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cRegistered Baptist churches are <\/span>of course <\/span>not the only churches being persecuted in the occupied territories, but they <\/span>are regularly the focus of suspicion and negative attention <\/span>from the occupying authorities because <\/span>the<\/span>y are registered <\/span>in the <\/span>Ukrainian <\/span>state register<\/span>,\u201d said Representative Foley. <\/span>She says there is a \u201cguilty until proven innocent\u201d attitude toward the Registered Baptist churches by authorities.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47978″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The<\/span> Registered Baptist churches are not targeted because they have done anything wrong <\/span>or are even suspected of wrongdoing <\/span>but rather because<\/span> occupying authorities <\/span>demand that they <\/span>prove their <\/span>loyalty and submission<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]She <\/span>says m<\/span>any <\/span>Registered Baptist <\/span>ministers <\/span>have been <\/span>forced to leave <\/span>the occupied territories <\/span>due to hostilities<\/span> against them and their churches.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cThese days, <\/span>Registered Baptist churches are <\/span>frequently <\/span>refused contracts <\/span>for<\/span> maintenance and utilities<\/span> because <\/span>those in <\/span>the general public are worried about guilt by association,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>The <\/span>occupying <\/span>authorities demand <\/span>that churches <\/span>re-regist<\/span>er <\/span>under the<\/span> new occupying<\/span> government<\/span>, even though they are aware that such demands <\/span>violat<\/span>e<\/span> international law<\/span>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley shared a message <\/span>received by a local Voice of the Martyrs Korea contact <\/span>from the pastor of one of the Registered Baptist Church congregations whose building was recently seized. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Greetings. <\/span>At the moment, the military has occupied the House of Prayer and are living there.<\/span> The reason is explained by the fact that the higher authorities did not allow the worship service to be held [in the building].<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that the situation facing Christians in the neighboring so-called Luhansk Peoples Republic is also difficult. \u201c<\/span>Residents of the occupied territories are forced to accept Russian citizenship, otherwise they will be deprived of pensions and benefits and are threatened with the seizure of housing <\/span>and property<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>The <\/span>Christians<\/span>, especially the pastors<\/span>,<\/span> are<\/span> forced with impossible choices<\/span>. They <\/span>don’t<\/span> want to obtain Russian citizenship, but <\/span>if they refuse the citizenship they could be <\/span>deprived of work<\/span> or <\/span>forcibly evicted to the territory of the Russian Federation.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”47981″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”(file photo) A Baptist Church in Melitopol, confiscated by authorities in September 2022, is turned into an administrative building for occupying forces. (Credit: 7×70 \u041d\u041e\u0412\u041e\u0421\u0422\u0418 Telegram Channel.)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|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]Representative Foley says that Voice of the Martyrs Korea is calling for prayers for the seven Registered Baptist <\/span>c<\/span>hurches who have had their buildings confiscated, as well as other pastors and Christians in the occupied territories who are facing persecution from the occupying authorities.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cPray that these seven churches can be a witness to Christ even as the authorities subject them to illegal pressures and persecution,\u201d she said. \u201cPray that as church buildings are confiscated, the Lord will use these circumstances to spread the gospel into homes, surrounding communities, and into the countryside. Pray that as the occupying authorities demand these pastors and Christians to change to Russian citizenship, the Lord will make their heavenly citizenship in the kingdom of God especially real to them.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Those who are interested in <\/span>Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s ministry in partnership with Christians in Russia and Ukraine can learn more at <\/span><\/span>https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/project\/russia-ministry\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/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=”47976″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Another church building operated by a Registered Baptist congregation was seized by force by occupying authorities in Eastern Ukraine earlier this month, with authorities allegedly claiming that …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":47977,"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-47982","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":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47982","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=47982"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47987,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47982\/revisions\/47987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}