Story number 1 for 22 Jan 2001

(Colombia)–Our newscast begins today in Colombia, where Open Doors is reporting that a Colombian pastor and his family have fled for their lives after terrorist forces killed three members of his congregation. This kind of persecution is not new to believers in the area, according to Open Doors’ Mike Yoder. “There has been a lot of evidence that is credible that indeed, Christians are the specific targets of these types of insurgent groups. The violence against churches is not abating; it’s on the increase. Dozens of pastors have been killed over the previous years, and it’s just a reminder to pray for the body of Christ to hold firm.” Yoder explains why the guerrillas may be targeting Christians. “The churches in areas like this are actively reaching out to guerillas, and to the narco-traffickers. We’re hearing many, many reports of successful efforts in getting guerilla groups to actually respond to the Gospel. Those that are left behind in these guerilla groups don’t like to see the allegiances of their fellow members turned in another way.”