Indonesia (MNN) — As the month of Ramadan draws near, one place where it will be strictly observed is the province of Aceh (pronounced AH-chay) in northern Sumatra. This Indonesian province is nearly 100% Muslim and has been governed in increasing measure under Sharia law since 2001.
That means sharing the good news about Jesus in Aceh is deeply needed but difficult.
Aceh province in red. (Image by Indonesia location map.svg (by Uwe Dedering), CC BY-SA 4.0)
“Aceh has a nickname throughout Indonesia,” says Brian Dennett with AMG International. “They actually refer to it as ‘the second porch of Mecca’. [It’s] a very devout Muslim area, so this is a challenge for AMG, and also provides so much opportunity for the gospel.”
But one Christian man we’ll call Dodi took the people of Aceh’s spiritual state to heart. He travels from village to village to share the gospel and eventually plant churches.
“These brave planters, armed with Bibles and the good news, are facing opposition, persecution and also the joy of seeing their own people come to faith,” Dennett says of Dodi and others like him in Indonesia.
Already through Dodi’s ministry, God has brought one Acehnese family to know Christ!
“We’re very excited about this [family],” Dennett says. “This is part of a larger effort within AMG this year to reach not just Indonesians, but other closed countries as well with the gospel by training [church planters] in Bible schools and then sending out as many [of them] as we can.”
Pray for gospel advance in Indonesia and find your place in the story!
“Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim majority country, and as a result of that, they have nearly 200 million unreached people who desperately need Jesus. [At AMG], we’re looking to do a big push in 2025 at planting churches in Indonesia, which is extremely challenging and also can be extremely rewarding,” Dennett says.
“If you would prayerfully consider supporting this work, you can visit amghelp.org to learn more and to find ways to support these efforts.”
Click to partner with people like Dodi through the Church Planting 2025 initiative!
Header photo of Indonesian home church courtesy of AMG International.
