Remember them in Vietnam

In June, we have been focusing on the plight of persecuted Christians in Vietnam.

Vietnam is one of the most tightly controlled nations in the world. Although its constitution grants freedom of worship, the reality for Vietnam’s religious minorities contradicts this right. Registration is required for all religious organizations and churches that do register are tightly controlled by the government. Those who do not register face the possibility of imprisonment, torture, and death. Churches and other buildings used by Christians are frequently dismantled by authorities in Vietnam.

Persecution is most intense for the ethnic minorities, especially the Montagnards from the hill country. Many of these people have attempted to flee to neighbouring Cambodia. However, under an agreement with the Vietnamese government, Cambodian authorities have been returning the refugees to collect a bounty. Those who are returned are imprisoned, tortured or killed. Despite the persecution, the church in Vietnam is growing and becoming stronger. Christians now make up almost 10 percent of the population.

How can you remember them in Vietnam?

STAND OUT
Show your support for the church in Vietnam and worldwide by displaying a Voice of the Martyrs prayer map in your office, dorm room, or any place where others might ask notice it and want to learn more about its significance. You can order a free map by calling our office at 1.888.298.6423.

CRY OUT
Please especially remember to pray for our Vietnamese brothers and sisters mentioned in the June edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter. For helpful suggestions on how you can pray more effectively for them and other persecuted believers around the world, request a free copy of our prayer guide Cry Out to the Lord by calling our office at 1.888.298.6423. You can also receive up-to-date prayer requests and news on the Persecuted Church by subscribing to VOMC’s weekly email service, The Persecution and Prayer Alert. Subscribe today!

SPEAK OUT
Nguyen Van Dai, a Protestant church leader and lawyer, was sentenced to five years in prison followed by four years of house arrest. Nguyen was accused of a wide range of crimes, including “conspiring with terrorists, in their efforts to promote human rights efforts, including religious rights and democracy.” He was also accused of compiling “evidence of Vietnam’s suppression of the Protestant religion and providing it to the U.S.-based Committee for Religious Freedom in Vietnam and the U.S. embassy.” Join us in standing in solidarity with Nguyen Van Dai. Write a polite letter to the Vietnamese ambassador, urging his government to release Nguyen Van Dai. Please do not mention The Voice of the Martyrs in your letter.  Letters may be sent to the following address:

His Excellency Duc Hing Nguyen, Ambassador
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
470 Wilbrod Street
Ottawa, ON
K1N 6M8

HELP OUT
While much of our most significant work in Vietnam cannot be publicized, your donations help The Voice of the Martyrs provide encouragement, pastoral care, biblical training, and practical support to persecuted Vietnamese Christians. Your gifts also allow us to advocate on their behalf in Ottawa and worldwide, documenting and publicizing cases of persecution and lobbying political leaders to act on behalf of persecuted believers in Vietnam.

Donations to all of our projects can be made securely online by clicking on the icon on the right or sent by mail to:

The Voice of the Martyrs
P.O. Box 117, Port Credit
Mississauga, ON
L5G 4L5

REACH OUT
Read of the trials of the Cu Hat Church, the shocking story of a congregation in Vietnam under fire from government authorities. You can provide a word of encouragement to these courageous Christians. Take a picture of yourself and/or your family. Get the picture printed and then simply write the Vietnamese phrase  on the back of the picture. Then mail your picture to us (see above) and we will forward it on.

(translation: When one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers)