Story number 1 for 18 Apr 2001

(Vietnam)–Topping the news, believers in Vietnam are celebrating a momentous occasion. Not since the end of the war in 1975 has the Vietnamese government recognized any church as a legal entity. Christian and Missionary Alliance’s Bob Fetherlin tells us what happened. “The Tin Lanh of Vietnam was given permission to have its first ever general assembly during which it elected its own leaders. The second breakthrough that occurred was official recognition of the church. We are cautiously optimistic that this means greater opportunities for openness for the church.” Fetherlin says in spite of this milestone in the church, there are still believers who face persecution in Vietnam. “There have been pastors and church leaders who have been put in prison. There have also been situations where properties used by the church have been confiscated by the government and used for other purposes. In spite of all those efforts to keep the church under thumb, the church has made remarkable progress.”