{"id":50455,"date":"2024-06-26T15:52:36","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T06:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=50455"},"modified":"2024-06-26T16:06:34","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T07:06:34","slug":"vomk-report-307","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2024\/06\/26\/vomk-report-307\/","title":{"rendered":"CENTRAL ASIAN PASTOR HONORED FOR INTERNATIONAL MARTYRS DAY"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”50461″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”A Central Asian pastor remembered as a peaceful witness for Jesus Christ is this year\u2019s Voice of the Martyrs Korea International Martyrs Day honoree. ” 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]The ministry<\/span> h<\/span>e<\/span>ld a press conference <\/span>this week<\/span> at its <\/span>J<\/span>eo<\/span>ngneung<\/span> office <\/span>to<\/span> honor martyred pastor Serge<\/span>i<\/span> Bessarab<\/span> with <\/span>a plaque <\/span>on its Martyrs Timeline and a <\/span>video <\/span>available for use by churches<\/span>, small <\/span>groups<\/span>,<\/span> and families to commemorate this year\u2019s <\/span>International Martyrs Day<\/span>. <\/span>The video is available at <\/span><\/span>www.vomkorea.com\/en\/dotcm<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to church tradition, June 29 marks the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul, so Christians around the world take time th<\/span>is<\/span> week to honor the legacy of those who have sacrificed their lives for the advancement of the gospel<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> sa<\/span>id<\/span> Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr<\/span>.<\/span> Hyun Sook Foley.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley sa<\/span>id<\/span> that this year her organization <\/span>is honoring <\/span>Pastor <\/span>Sergei <\/span>Bessarab<\/span>, <\/span>who was martyred in <\/span>Central Asia <\/span>on <\/span>January <\/span>12<\/span>, 2004.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cFive years before his death, Sergei <\/span>Bessarab<\/span> had gone to prison five times, but not for his faith in Christ,\u201d said Representative Foley. She says that one day a fellow prisoner shared the gospel with <\/span>Bessarab<\/span>, who eventually surrendered his life to the Lord.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”50462″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Pastor Sergei preaching at his church in Central Asia. ” 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 sa<\/span>id<\/span> that one day a <\/span>fellow prisoner shared the gospel with <\/span>Bessarab<\/span>, who <\/span>eventually surrendered his life to the Lord<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>After being released from prison, <\/span>Bessarab<\/span> and his wife Tamara felt called to gospel ministry and began preaching around Central Asia, before settling on a particular city to plant a church in<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> sa<\/span>id<\/span> Representative Foley<\/span>. Th<\/span>e<\/span> city had over 100 mosques but no Christian presence<\/span>, she add<\/span>ed<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Pastor <\/span>Bessarab<\/span> faithfully preached the gospel, and <\/span>his new <\/span>church <\/span>grew <\/span>to almost 60 people<\/span>. But according to Representative Foley<\/span>, some in the city were not happy with <\/span>the pastor<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s <\/span>faithful witness.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>On January 12, 2004, after returning from a prayer meeting, Pastor Sergei came into <\/span>the house that he and Tamara were building for the needs of the church and where they lived<\/span> and <\/span>played his guitar quietly<\/span> by a window<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> sa<\/span>id<\/span> Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Suddenly shots rang out and he fell dead, having been shot at <\/span>point blank<\/span> range<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span> This was less than a year after Sergei and Tamara moved to town.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”50458″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Pastor Sergei\u2019s family surround a picture of Pastor Sergei after his death. ” 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]Almost <\/span>immediately<\/span>, Tamara began to see fruit from Sergei\u2019s life and death.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring Sergei\u2019s funeral,<\/span> my son gave his life to Christ<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> Tamara<\/span> told Voice of the Martyrs<\/span> Korea<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>The fact that Sergei was always <\/span>prepared <\/span>to sacrifice life for his faith, and eventually did that, showed my son that faith in Christ is worth our firm stance, even under the threat of death.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley sa<\/span>id<\/span> that m<\/span>ost people <\/span>expected that <\/span>Pastor <\/span>Bessarab<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s<\/span> de<\/span>ath<\/span> would lead to the closure of the church he had planted. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>On the contrary, his death filled the church, and it became a living witness of God\u2019s faithfulness<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> sa<\/span>id<\/span> Representative Foley.<\/span> She sa<\/span>id<\/span> that <\/span>Bessarab<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s<\/span> wife Tamara continues <\/span>the <\/span>ministry to the present day, despite her own serious health problems.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]A<\/span>ccording to <\/span>Representative Foley, International Martyrs Day is a<\/span>n <\/span>opportunity for churches around the world to learn about Christian<\/span>s facing martyrdom today, particularly in the more than 70 countries where there are restrictions on the practice of the Christian faith<\/span>. <\/span>She sa<\/span>id<\/span> Voice of the Martyrs Korea <\/span>tries to highlight a martyr from a different country or region on International Martyrs Day e<\/span>ach<\/span> year so that Christians can better understand the extent and types of persecution currently being faced by <\/span>other <\/span>Christians around the world. <\/span>Pastor <\/span>Bessarab<\/span> is the first Central Asian martyr Voice of the Martyrs Korea has highlighted<\/span>, according to Representative Foley<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”50465″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”50466″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A short video about Pastor <\/span>Bessarab<\/span> is available at <\/span><\/span>www.vomkorea.com\/en\/dotcm<\/span><\/span><\/a> for individual viewing as well as use by churches and small groups in commemoration of International Martyrs Day, Representative Foleys aid.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>T<\/span>oday, <\/span>many <\/span>l<\/span>ocal believers <\/span>in <\/span>Central Asia <\/span>are facing <\/span>increasing <\/span>restrictions<\/span>, <\/span>persecutions<\/span>, and even martyrdom<\/span> due to <\/span>their <\/span>faithful witness for Christ<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> sa<\/span>id<\/span> Representative Foley. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>But t<\/span>he Lord <\/span>is <\/span>continu<\/span>ing<\/span> to raise up <\/span>bold <\/span>local <\/span>pastors to lead his church<\/span>es there<\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Sadly, many churches around the world still have not yet heard the stories of Central Asian pastors like Pastor <\/span>Bessarab<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span> She sa<\/span>id<\/span> that is why her organization is <\/span>highlighting <\/span>Pastor <\/span>Bessarab<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s<\/span> martyrdom. \u201c<\/span>We <\/span>want believers around the world to be <\/span>encouraged and strengthened by learning <\/span>more about how the Lord is working in the Central Asian <\/span>towns and villages <\/span>that are <\/span>well <\/span>beyond the reach <\/span>of<\/span> foreign missionaries<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> sa<\/span>id<\/span> Representative Foley.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Voice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s p<\/span>revious honorees on <\/span>International Martyrs <\/span>Day<\/span> include <\/span>Colombian<\/span> lay evangelist Rocio Pino, who was martyred on <\/span>March 6, 2011 by the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia<\/span>;<\/span> North Korean underground Christian Cha Deok Sun<\/span>,<\/span> who was martyred between 2005-2010<\/span>;<\/span> and <\/span>Somali evangelist <\/span>Abdiwelli<\/span> Ahmed<\/span>, a convert to Christianity from Islam <\/span>who was martyred in Kenya on February 27, 2013<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ysi-ObINB48 “][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”50461″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”A Central Asian pastor remembered as a peaceful witness for Jesus Christ is this year\u2019s Voice of the Martyrs Korea International Martyrs Day honoree. ” 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” …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":50459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","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\/50455","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=50455"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50469,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50455\/revisions\/50469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}