Brian Dennett with AMG International says, “So many students are probably not ever going to go back to their education. Many took jobs to help support their families during this time and have now tasted an income. And those families have come to rely on that.”

Impact of a 2-year closure

Many schools won’t even reopen for financial reasons. Thousands of teachers have turned to other work to support themselves, and won’t come back to teaching.

The situation looks even worse for girls who became pregnant while schools remained shut. The long closure may undo decades of educational progress in the East African nation. Under 50 percent of students participated in any remote learning programs.

Future closures

And the schools may not even stay open. Dennett says, “The government has already indicated that if this next wave continues to take off, then they could reconsider the schools being open.”

Uganda does not have a high number of reported COVID-19 infections and hasn’t since the beginning of the pandemic. But Dennett says unreliable reporting most likely hides the true case numbers.

AMG schools

AMG operates several different schools in Uganda, including a nursing school. Dennett says, “Through some provisions for medical study, we were able to keep that open.”

The strategy looked different for primary through high schools, Dennett says. “We were able to send teachers out to communities and assist with their homeschooling.”

Pray many would find hope in Jesus through AMG’s ministry. Dennett says, “As we educate in our schools, we’re not just teaching. We’re also sharing the only hope we have, and that’s the hope found in Jesus. And it’s really the greatest thing we can do.”

Want to support these schools? Visit amghelps.org.

Header photo courtesy of AMG International.

Church Closures

Since 2006, all religious groups must register their places of worship with the Algerian government. The only religion not required to follow this ordinance is the majority religion of Islam. However, the government often uses strict requirements for places of worship, resulting in the denial of applications.

(Photo by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay )

The USCIRF emphasized the need to protect places of worship during a recent hearing. USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins says the right to religious freedom is a right all people should maintain, including the right to access their places of worship. Christians who attempt living into this right put themselves at risk in Algeria.

“We don’t hear a lot about Algeria, but it’s extremely dangerous for believers to live there,” Patrick Murphy says, with I Found the Truth.

The USCIRF’s Vice Chair Gayle Manchin has called on the Algerian government to reopen the closed churches and to stop harassing the Christian community in the country. If history is any indicator, it is unlikely the Algerian government will heed this call.

Persecution in Algeria

(Photo by James L.W on Unsplash)

The World Watch List ranks Algeria #22 of the hardest countries to live in as a Christian. Open Doors USA, publishers of the World Watch List, says the persecution level of Christians is very high in the country.

“We have seen pictures and even videos of police coming in and closing down churches; believers being in prayer meetings, and they’re forcibly dragged out, and the doors are locked for good. And so, I mean this is a bad thing. Of course, it’s a terrible thing, and these pictures and videos are going around the Middle East, and now around the West,” Murphy says.

Next Steps

But the circulation of these images and videos is generating prayer. Pray for the protection and encouragement of the Algerian Church. Pray for their ability to meet and worship, too. And pray for God’s Word to impact and transform the people in Algeria.

“God’s going to use it to spread the Gospel. That’s always the result of persecution. So, in the end, it’s difficult, but God turns it to good.”

Header photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash.

Church Closure

Often, church closures on the island are sudden and without explanation. FMI’s Executive International Director Bruce Allen says it’s a disturbing trend impacting FMI partners in the area.

Indonesia, July 2019 (Photo courtesy of FMI)

“Just a couple weeks ago, late August, I received a very disturbing video in which Indonesian authorities in uniform; so, it looked like police, there could have possibly also been military personnel there at the at the congregation site. But they interrupted the Christian church’s worship service, and forced its closure,” Allen explains.

Congregation members recorded the incident on their cell phones. Allen says in the seven-minute clip he was sent, a woman fell at the feet of the officers, begging them to allow the church service to continue. Based on his research, Allen believes neighbors may have called the authorities demanding the closure of the church.

Reasons for Closures

As it turns out, citizens can indeed demand church closures, especially if it violates one of four regulations. One of the regulations for a church establishment is a membership numbering of at least 90 people. Another regulation requires the church to have the approval of 60 non-Christians in their village.

Indonesia, July 2019 (Photo courtesy of FMI)

If these regulations were not restrictive enough, churches must also obtain a permit for the construction of a church as well as the approval from a community forum for religious harmony. Keep in mind, Indonesia is one of the world’s largest Muslim-dominate nations. Per the Joshua Project, only 3.18 percent of Indonesia’s population are Christians.

In an email, Allen comments, “Similar regulations do exist for the construction of mosques, so the radical Muslims claim there is equality. And yet, when 90% of the population is Muslim, it is much easier to reach the minimum quota, and the Christian neighbors, trying to live at peace with all men, give their permission for mosques to be built for the communities. So, the truth is, it is much easier for a mosque to be established than a church.”

Challenges Regulations Pose

In the beginning stages of church planting, churches often meet at a congregation member’s home. However, a house can only hold so many people. At this point, Allen says smaller churches are in danger of closure if they gather outside under a tarp or pursue a structure for meeting without the minimum 90-member regulation.

Indonesia, July 2019 (Photo courtesy of FMI)

It is this regulation Allen believes provided the legal avenue for this church’s closure. Allen’s contact on the ground reports this particular church only has about 80-members.

“In all practicality, that’s a very difficult minimum number for a church to reach. Many of the churches that FMI works with, with our indigenous church planting partners, they may number 35 to 50. Sometimes it will be a little bit larger, sometimes it is as high as 100 or 120. But that’s rare,” Allen explains.

Essentially, to build churches, church planters need local support and good relations with the majority-Muslim population in the neighborhoods and villages they work. But in areas where radical Islam is prevalent, doing this is difficult.

Respond with Prayer

Pray for Christians and FMI’s partners in Indonesia as they do ministry and try to build church bodies and buildings. Pray for good relationships, perseverance, and creativity in their work. Also pray for these Christian congregations to reflect Christ in their communities, even when their communities are against them.

(Photo by Michael Heuss on Unsplash)

Another way to support Christians in Indonesia is by providing financial support for local pastors and church planters. Learn more about how to do this and ways to give here. 

“There are people who are willing to be the hands and feet of Christ. There are men who want to be church planters, and yet, they just lack the support that would propel them into these villages,” Allen says.

There are about a dozen FMI church planters lacking support in Indonesia. Will help provide the resources they need to share the Gospel in their country?

Header photo courtesy of FMI.