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After pastoring his church in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, for more than a decade, Pastor “Matias” was recently ordered to stop leading worship services.
The order came from a new imam at a mosque that sits just 55 yards from the church. More than 40 people attend the services, which are held in a structure next to Matias’s home.
The imam claimed that the services were disturbing villagers. Anger toward Matias stems from an event that occurred four years ago, which has
since angered the Muslim community. It was then that a Muslim woman visited Matias’s church, explaining that Jesus had appeared to her in her dreams. She came to the church to give her life to Christ and be baptized.
After news of the woman’s conversion and baptism spread and anger toward Matias boiled over, several Muslim men visited the pastor. They accused him of trying to convert the entire village to Christianity.
The woman later told the men that Pastor Matias wasn’t the one who baptized her and didn’t pressure her to leave Islam. She said she put her trust in Christ on her own volition.
After the imam prohibited Matias from leading worship, word spread that a group of Muslim men would prevent the church from hosting services. After hearing this, members of the Dayak tribe, an indigenous group to which Pastor Matias belongs, attempted to meet with the imam but were unable to locate him.
Despite being animists, the Dayak tribe visited the church and stayed the night to help guard it. Fortunately, the group of Muslim men did not show up.
After learning of the situation, an International Christian Concern (ICC) staff member in Indonesia traveled a few hours to support Pastor Matias. ICC is maintaining communication with the pastor to learn how we can further help him and his church.
“The local Christians hope and want the government and the media to pay attention,” the staffer said. “For now, Matias is worshipping elsewhere. The Dayak tribe intends to fight for recognition of Matias’s place of worship. If Matias rents another place to worship, it would conflict with the Dayak tribal alliance that has dared to stand up to the church’s opponents.”
The order came from a new imam at a mosque that sits just 55 yards from the church. More than 40 people attend the services, which are held in a structure next to Matias’s home.
The imam claimed that the services were disturbing villagers. Anger toward Matias stems from an event that occurred four years ago, which has
since angered the Muslim community. It was then that a Muslim woman visited Matias’s church, explaining that Jesus had appeared to her in her dreams. She came to the church to give her life to Christ and be baptized.
After news of the woman’s conversion and baptism spread and anger toward Matias boiled over, several Muslim men visited the pastor. They accused him of trying to convert the entire village to Christianity.
The woman later told the men that Pastor Matias wasn’t the one who baptized her and didn’t pressure her to leave Islam. She said she put her trust in Christ on her own volition.
After the imam prohibited Matias from leading worship, word spread that a group of Muslim men would prevent the church from hosting services. After hearing this, members of the Dayak tribe, an indigenous group to which Pastor Matias belongs, attempted to meet with the imam but were unable to locate him.
Despite being animists, the Dayak tribe visited the church and stayed the night to help guard it. Fortunately, the group of Muslim men did not show up.
After learning of the situation, an International Christian Concern (ICC) staff member in Indonesia traveled a few hours to support Pastor Matias. ICC is maintaining communication with the pastor to learn how we can further help him and his church.
“The local Christians hope and want the government and the media to pay attention,” the staffer said. “For now, Matias is worshipping elsewhere. The Dayak tribe intends to fight for recognition of Matias’s place of worship. If Matias rents another place to worship, it would conflict with the Dayak tribal alliance that has dared to stand up to the church’s opponents.”
