Mennonite Church in Vietnam
Encyclopedia
The Mennonite Church in Vietnam is a Protestant denomination of Christianity
in Vietnam
. It has about 10,000 members. Substantial part of the Mennonite house church
members are montagnards
living in Central and Southern Highlands of Vietnam.
The Mennonite Central Committee
, which is the social service branch of the Mennonite Church, was one of the few Western charitable organizations to continue work in Vietnam after the Northern regime communist victory in 1975 and the subsequent reunification of the country.
The Church general secretary, vice president (and also a chairman of the Legal Committee of the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship
) Nguyen Hong Quang
and his wife were several times arrested by the Vietnamese government. By some sources, it already took place on August 1, 2001 in Ho Chi Minh City
. Last time Quang was arrested in 2004 for alleged practicing a non-sanctioned religion under Vietnam's 2004 Ordinance on Religion and Belief. He was sentenced to three years in jail, but released in 2005, after an international campaign to secure his release.
Before his arrest pastor
Nguyen Hong Quang sent a message to a friend alluding to his concerns, "The Church is now on stormy seas but the boat still goes out. The Lord enables us to row together. Be at peace. I ask you and the Church to pray for us."
Another five members of the church, called, along with Quang, the "Mennonite Six," were arrested under the same laws. The house church is not recognized as an official Protestant state church, and has therefore been a target of persecution by Vietnamese authorities.
"Mennonite Six" are:
In July 2005, Vietnamese government officials destroyed the home of the pastor Nguyen Hong Quang, while he was in detention, including the room where his congregation held worship
services.
Mennonite movement (together with Baptist one) was officially recognized by Hanoi in October, 2007, which was estimated as some improvement of religious freedom in the country. Pastor Nguyen Quang Trung, provisional president of the Vietnam Mennonite Church, taking part in the official ceremony of the above authorisation, quoted his Church’s motto: "Living the Gospel, worshipping God, and serving the nation."
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. It has about 10,000 members. Substantial part of the Mennonite house church
House church
House church, or "home church", is used to describe an independent assembly of Christians who gather in a home. Sometimes this occurs because the group is small, and a home is the most appropriate place to gather, as in the beginning phase of the British New Church Movement...
members are montagnards
Degar
The Degar are the indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The term Montagnard means "mountain people" in French and is a carryover from the French colonial period in Vietnam. In Vietnamese, they are known by the term thượng - this term can also be applied to other minority ethnic...
living in Central and Southern Highlands of Vietnam.
The Mennonite Central Committee
Mennonite Central Committee
The Mennonite Central Committee is a relief, service, and peace agency representing 15 Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba.-History:...
, which is the social service branch of the Mennonite Church, was one of the few Western charitable organizations to continue work in Vietnam after the Northern regime communist victory in 1975 and the subsequent reunification of the country.
The Church general secretary, vice president (and also a chairman of the Legal Committee of the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship
Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship
The Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship is a banned fundamentalist Christian group in Vietnam, led by Phạm Đình Nhân. As of 2007, it is not listed as a national member of the World Evangelical Alliance , but appears to be based on their philosophy.Their legal committee was headed by Nguyen Hong Quang,...
) Nguyen Hong Quang
Nguyen Hong Quang
Nguyễn Hồng Quang is the Vietnamese pastor and lawyer, general secretary and vice-president of the Mennonite Church in Vietnam, chairman of the Legal Committee of the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship....
and his wife were several times arrested by the Vietnamese government. By some sources, it already took place on August 1, 2001 in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
. Last time Quang was arrested in 2004 for alleged practicing a non-sanctioned religion under Vietnam's 2004 Ordinance on Religion and Belief. He was sentenced to three years in jail, but released in 2005, after an international campaign to secure his release.
Before his arrest pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
Nguyen Hong Quang sent a message to a friend alluding to his concerns, "The Church is now on stormy seas but the boat still goes out. The Lord enables us to row together. Be at peace. I ask you and the Church to pray for us."
Another five members of the church, called, along with Quang, the "Mennonite Six," were arrested under the same laws. The house church is not recognized as an official Protestant state church, and has therefore been a target of persecution by Vietnamese authorities.
"Mennonite Six" are:
- Pastor & Human Rights Activist: Rev. Nguyen Hong Quang (male)
- Evangelist Pham Ngoc Thach (male)
- Nguyen Thanh Phuong (male)
- Nguyen Thanh Nhan (male)
- Church elder Nguyen Huu Nghia (male)
- Children's worker: Le Thi Hong LienLe Thi Hong LienLe Lien is a Christian teacher from Vietnam. She taught forthe Mennonite Church in Vietnam. She was arrested in June 2004 along with other members of her church.She was released from Bien Hoa Mental Hospital on April 28, 2005.- External links :*...
(female)
In July 2005, Vietnamese government officials destroyed the home of the pastor Nguyen Hong Quang, while he was in detention, including the room where his congregation held worship
Worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
services.
Mennonite movement (together with Baptist one) was officially recognized by Hanoi in October, 2007, which was estimated as some improvement of religious freedom in the country. Pastor Nguyen Quang Trung, provisional president of the Vietnam Mennonite Church, taking part in the official ceremony of the above authorisation, quoted his Church’s motto: "Living the Gospel, worshipping God, and serving the nation."