May 27, 2011
Church buildings are often a target for opposition in South Asia.

A group of people from a fanatical religious group shut down a church construction project in Delhi, India, on May 20.

The building was near completion with only a few finishing touches remaining when the leader of the anti-Christian group arrived on the site and said, "You cannot build any church building in this village. You are only allowed to construct a house to live in, not a church."

Because of this instigation, construction has stopped. Gospel for Asia-supported missionary Satyankar Gedam, pastor of the congregation planning to meet in the building, faces discouragement.

"He has asked everyone to pray that God will remove all the obstacles and help them complete the building without any further problems," reports a GFA field correspondent.

Satyankar's ministry in the area has flourished under God's care. Many people are coming to know the Lord, and they know this new church building would be a testament to God's faithfulness.

In many parts of South Asia, having a permanent building to worship in represents the permanency of the religion. It also establishes credibility among the community. For Christian believers it also means having a safe place to freely worship the Lord.

The area where this construction project is taking place has a complicated land ownership process. It is not uncommon for outside groups to question the legality of any construction process. This causes frequent delays in all kinds of building projects, including churches.


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Oracio