At 24 years old, Pastor Leider Molina was known for his passion and enthusiasm. He actively served his community and church in Caucasia, a village located roughly 167 miles north of Medellín – Colombia’s second-largest city and known drug trafficking hub.

Pastor Molina isn’t the first Christian leader targeted for violence. Two pastors were killed in September 2018.  A three-year-old peace accord between Colombia’s government and FARC – the country’s largest armed group – offers little protection.

“There are some elements of the peace process that have worked,” notes Greg Musselman from Voice of the Martyrs Canada, “but when you consider that these FARC guerillas have been involved in this for many years… they’re refusing to go along with the peace process.

“They’re a communist group that are trying to bring equality to the people, but they’re using very violent and illegal means to do that.”

Targeted killing and the Christian community

(Map courtesy of VOM Canada)

This in-depth 2018 article by violence researchers Fabio Andres Diaz and Magda Jiménez highlights the trend of targeted killings in rural communities. While the article does not make specific reference to Christian leaders, they could be included under the umbrella terms of “social leaders” and “community organizers.”

As Open Doors USA notes in its latest Colombia dossier:

“Church leaders are often the only form of authority present in an area; by being the first to reject the presence of these criminal groups, they often become the first to be threatened by them.”

Armed groups view Christian leaders as obstacles, Musselman explains.

“Pastors are preaching to their young men and young women and saying, ‘Look, don’t join these groups. They’re dangerous. It goes against the teachings of the Bible’,” he says.

“These groups [are] trying to shut them up from talking to these young people.”

When a pastor is assassinated, Musselman continues, congregations tend to break apart or grow stronger – depending on what they’ve been taught. Pray the Lord will strengthen believers and help them stay unified in the face of persecution.

Voice of the Martyrs Canada advocates for persecuted Christians around the world and supports them through various initiatives. Learn more about their work in Colombia here.

Header image by Flavia Carpio via Unsplash.

(Photo courtesy Compassion International)

Ecuador (CMP/MNN) — The 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)–the largest guerrilla group in Colombia–attacked a section of the Trans-Andean Oil Pipeline with explosives, days after the Colombian government and rebels agreed to a truce.

Compassion Ecuador says when the guerrilla group attacked the Trans-Andean crude oil pipeline in Colombia, they broke it and caused an oil spill in the Mira River, contaminating the Tumaco aqueduct. The Mira River feeds the aqueduct near the border with Ecuador. Water service to thousands of residents was affected.

Although the attack was 7 weeks ago, the government estimated the environmental damage in the country may be the worst in a decade. The surrounding ecosystem will likely never fully recover.

As cleanup began, Compassion temporarily suspended activities at the Student Center and said 390 sponsored children needed clean water. Disaster funds were used to purchase large water storage tanks to provide water for their kids’ families.

A teacher, adult woman wearing a staff shirt and jeans, stands in front of her class, leading her students, classroom children, boys and girls, sitting and standing in wooden rows of desks, in fun and educational classroom learning activities and singing.
(Photo courtesy Compassion International)

Compassion Child development centers provide sponsored children with a place to learn, grow, and study. Those whose families have never been able to offer them clean water, healthcare, or an education now have access to these necessities. Compassion-assisted children attend health classes, tutoring sessions, and Bible studies at the center. They also spend time writing to and praying for their sponsors.

In partnership with the Peace and Hope Foundation, centers are also working to address the legal, spiritual, and psychological issues related to family violence and sexual abuse. Center staff also participate in awareness workshops that help keep them alert and ready to respond to situations of abuse that arise.

Please pray for the kids and families affected by this situation. Compassion Ecuador will post updates when they have more details.

(Photo courtesy @10yorelirincon via Twitter)

Colombia (MNN) — Earlier this week, Colombia’s women’s soccer team had fans on the edge of their seats as they secured another chance at the 2015 Women’s World Cup qualifiers with only eight minutes remaining in the game.

Their next chance at victory comes Saturday, when Colombia battles France for a chance to advance even further. Colombia fell to the U.S. yesterday in men’s World Cup qualifiers.

Colombians may be cheering on the women’s soccer team, but they’re booing the government.

Support for peace talks aimed at ending 50 years of civil war has dropped 17% since February. According to ColombiaReports.com, 932 days (31 months) have passed since peace talks began.

And yet, there’s hope amid frustration, according to Open Doors USA. People of every class, from tribesmen to guerilla fighters, are coming to know the Lord because Colombian Christians won’t let fear hold them back.

Colombia’s fear

(Photo courtesy Open Doors)

Many Colombian Christians suffer from a complex battle between the government and illegally armed groups, Open Doors reports.

More than five million people have been displaced over the years, and thousands have been killed. A third of the country is controlled by illegal armed groups, like FARC.

In April 2014, the rebel group forced a dozen churches to close their doors.

Christians are persecuted because the message of the Gospel stands against the practices of rebels. Peace and freedom are available through Christ, but rebel groups want to keep Colombians under their control.

Colombia’s hope

Despite severe persecution and threats, God’s Kingdom is advancing in Colombia. Open Doors shares the story of “Sebastian” — a former guerrilla fighter — below:

Sebastian, who used to be a strong persecutor of the Church, became a Christian after God called him and changed his life. He decided to continue living in the same region, but now his goal is to spread the Gospel. “One night, I was preaching and some guerrillas came to me,” said Sebastian.

(Photo courtesy Open Doors)

“They wanted to kill me because I was preaching, but God protected me and I left alive.”

Open Doors supports persecuted Colombian Christians in multiple ways:

• Biblical training and distribution of Christian literature
• Income-generating projects
• Safe homes for teenagers and children who, due to persecution, cannot live at home
• Trauma recovery program for widows

By clicking here, you can financially support Open Doors’ efforts in Colombia. Or, click here to write a letter of encouragement to the children of persecuted believers.

Recent media reports indicate the numbers have dropped dramatically. From what was an estimated 20,000 soldiers,
the number now seems closer to 8,000, which means loss of control over populated
territory.

That doesn't lessen the threat of disruption,
though. The FARC guerrilla group prevented
an evangelist with the Voice Of the Martyrs, "Rolo," from entering La Macarena region in
Colombia with radios, Bibles and Christian books, a report confirmed by both
Voice of the Martyrs offices in the U.S. and Canada.

A VOM worker in the area reported that
members of the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization are
closing the churches and burning the buses of those attempting to enter the
area.

Add in efforts to raise funds that
keep both the leftist guerrillas and the right-wing paramilitary groups functioning,
and the result is drug trafficking, ransom kidnapping and general lawlessness.

Most
of the trouble comes from the alliances that exist between non-Christian
indigenous population and paramilitaries. Christians who openly oppose their activities are viewed as a threat.   

According
to the religious rights watchdogs, last year these groups killed at least five
Christians, but the real numbers are likely higher. The pressure isn't lessening, either. Last month, because of a successful
evangelistic work, rebels murdered a pastor and two of his relatives.

Yet these cases prove the church is
flourishing. In 1933, there were
estimates of 15,000 evangelical Christians in Colombia, but by 2011, that number
hovered between 3.5 and 5 million with some churches growing 1,000-fold over
the last two decades.

Please pray that Rolo's evangelistic
efforts will not be thwarted. Pray for protection for pastors seeking to
share the Gospel in their communities. 

Colombia
is #47 on the Open Doors World Watch List, which ranks 50 countries according
to the intensity of persecution Christians face for their faith.