Vietnam (MNN) — Churches in Saigon, Vietnam are spilling over. Far East Broadcasting Company is helping new believers stay connected.
Last year Mr. Tuong, whose name has been changed for security purposes, realized that the hundreds of young workers in his manufacturing plant were lonely. Many between the ages of 18 and 25 had left their families to get better paying jobs.
Mr. Tuong wanted to help these young adults any way he could, and he wondered if they knew the Lord. He imagined their lives would be improved if they could get involved in a church.
Mr. Tuong invited a pastor he knew to come talk to the workers on the job. Many of the workers accepted Christ after hearing what Jesus had done for them. To nurture their growing faith, many of the new believers were connected with mentors through Mr. Tuong. In the process, Mr. Tuong inspired a fellow businessman from his church to do the same for his workers.
As more and more of the workers turned to Christ, it became evident that they needed spiritual nourishment. That's when Pastor Nguyen, a broadcaster from FEBC, heard about what was
happening. Upon meeting the men, Nguyen offered to get them radios to distribute to the workers. The radios would allow new believers to listen to Christian broadcasts and therefore grow in their faith, and this would hopefully help them to be less lonely in the process. It was
especially exciting to know that when the workers returned home, they could keep the radios with them and listen to the broadcasts from there as well.
FEBC reports that churches that were once sparse began growing. When a church member invited factory workers to attend the 2006 Christmas Eve church service, she was pleasantly surprised when 400 workers showed up. As more business people reach out to workers, the results are showing up in numbers. After a census in nine churches last year, statistics stated that 3,443 people had accepted Christ and attended church regularly.
Pastor Nguyen says nothing like this has ever happened. "God is on the move, and it's so exciting to see Him at work in the hearts of the next generation."
