Imagine the building that housed your church for 30 years is suddenly destroyed in a mudslide. That is what happened during recent torrential rains in Bolivia as the Luz y Verdad Presbyterian Church building, which also was the pastor’s home, collapsed.
In addition to the church, numerous homes in the area were also damaged by mudslides. The tragedy had a positive impact, however, in that it helped bring the community together. Instead of lamenting, the congregation gathered to give thanks for those who opened their homes and for food and assistance that came from various places. According to a blog post by Brad Kent with the Presbyterian Hunger Program, the church affirmed that “God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.”
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Concern for decreases in religions liberty is growing as eight nations violate religious liberties commitments. That is according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in a recent Baptist Press report.
The countries—Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Azerbaijan–are all members of the Organization of Security and Cooperation. Participation in the organization obligates its members to guarantee all citizens the freedom to worship, “including the right to private religious education and training; freedom to build centers for worship; cultural preservation; and publication of religious materials.” According to the report, religious groups in these countries have not only faced discrimination but also acts of violence.
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As more missions agencies and denominations recognize the importance of resourcing national or indigenous leaders to reach their own countries, the International Mission Board reports on the success one such leader in Turkey. Hamit Kaya, as he is called in the report, is a medical doctor and church planter seeking to the reach his own people, the Zaza, in eastern Turkey.
While Kaya does minister to both the physical and spiritual needs of the region, what has endeared him to the people there is his emphasis on relationships. Before diving into his work, he spends time catching up with people as he moves around the region. As one of them who knows the culture and the importance of relationship building, Kaya has earned the respect of leaders, professionals and everyday people who have been responsive as he plants a church. The next closest church is 100 miles away in another province.
Southern Baptists resource Kaya with the medicine and food used in his ministry. Without Kaya or national church planters like him, there would be little chance that the 2-3 million Zaza living in Turkey would have a chance to hear the gospel message.