ADVERTISING
 
Sunday, April 28   Sign in or Register
 
Evangelical Focus
 
Flecha
 
ADVERTISING
 
 
FOLLOW US ON
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google +
  • Instagram
  • Soundcloud
 

Newsletter
Newsletter, sign up to receive all our News by email.
 
 

POLL
The future of Europe
Should Christians vote in the European Parliament election in May 2019?



SEE MORE POLLS
 

 
TOP 10 MOST VIEWED



Sri Lanka
 

Pastor of the bombed evangelical church in Sri Lanka forgives attackers

The suicide bomber killed 14 children and 12 adults in the evangelical Zion Church of Batticaloa. “We will continue to fulfil the mission the Lord has given us”, the senior pastor said.

SOURCES Daily Mirror Sri Lanka, EAUK AUTHOR Evangelical Focus BATTICALOA 26 APRIL 2019 17:25 h GMT+1
The evangelical Zion Church of Batticaloa. / Photo: Daily Mirror Sri Lanka

On Easter Sunday, suicide bombers killed and injured hundreds at churches and luxury hotels across Sri Lanka.



Although the official death toll had reached 359 by Thursday, the Sri Lankan government later revised that figure down to 253.



One of the churches attacked was the evangelical Zion Church of Batticaloa, where 14 children (7 girls and 7 boys) and 12 adults were killed, while around 130 have been treated in Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, and seven of them are still in a critical condition.



The 14-year-old second son of Zion Church’s pastor, Ganeshamoorthy Kumaran, was among the children who died in the explosion.



 



“WE FORGIVE YOU BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST”



“We are hurt. We are angry also, but still, as the senior pastor of Zion Church Batticaloa, the whole congregation and every family affected, we say to the suicide bomber, and also to the group that sent the suicide bomber, that we love you and we forgive you, no matter what you have done to us, we love you, because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ”, Roshan Mahesen, senior pastor of Zion Church said in an interview.



Mahesen pointed out that “Jesus Christ on the cross said father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. We also, who follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ, ask the Lord to forgive these people”.



 



“WE WILL CONTINUE WITH THE MISSION THE LORD HAS GIVEN US”



“I want to take this opportunity to thank every church around the world, every believer, every person known and unknown to me who has contacted me, calling me, sending messages of condolences, and words of encouragement”, he added



The pastor stressed that they “will stand and continue what the lord has purposed in our life, we are ready, and we will continue to fulfil the mission the Lord has given us”.



 



A worship service at the evangelical Zion Church of Batticaloa. / Facebook Zion Church.



 



BOMBER APPARENTLY WANTED TO TARGET A CATHOLIC CHURCH



The attack took place around 9 am, local time, just as the Easter Sunday worship service was about to begin. Zion Church is located in Batticaloa, the major city in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, the only location outside the capital that was hit.



According to the residents, a suspicious character went first to St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, and asked about the mass there, but they told him that it had begun earlier than usual. The almost 1000 people who attended, had left by 8.30 am.



It was then when the suspect made his way to the smaller evangelical Zion Church, about 50 metres down the road, and asked Pastor Kumaran “details about the church”.



 



WORSHIPPER DIED PREVENTING A BIGGER TRAGEDY



“I invited him into the church, as I thought he was like the many new people who come to our church. So I didn’t have any doubts or suspicions about him, local Pastor Kumaran said.



Pastor Kumaran then left with his wife and youngest daughter for a service in another church, and the suspect continued walking alone around the church, carrying a large backpack.



One of the worshippers sensed something was wrong, so that challenged him about why he was coming to church. The man claimed his backpack had a video camera to film the service, but the member of the church informed him that he needed a permission and forced him to leave.



Barred from entering the church, the man reportedly detonated the bomb and blew himself just outside the church, when the children were having their Sunday school breakfast.



The worshipper also died, preventing a bigger tragedy inside the church, where 500 people waited for the service to start.


 

 


0
COMMENTS

    If you want to comment, or

 



 
 
YOUR ARE AT: - - Pastor of the bombed evangelical church in Sri Lanka forgives attackers
 
ADVERTISING
 
 
 
AUDIOS Audios
 
Julia Doxat-Purser: 25 years of EEA office in Brussels Julia Doxat-Purser: 25 years of EEA office in Brussels

An interview with the socio-political representative of the European Evangelical Alliance about how evangelical Christians work at the heart of the European Union.

 
Lars Dahle: Nominal Christianity, a mission field for the church Lars Dahle: Nominal Christianity, a mission field for the church

An interview with Lars Dahle, of the Steering Committee of the Lausanne Movement Global Consultation on Nominal Christianity held in Rome.

 
Arie de Pater: Refugees deserve a fair and efficient process Arie de Pater: Refugees deserve a fair and efficient process

The Brussels representative of the European Evangelical Alliance offers a Christian perspective on the crisis: “We can’t reduce people to just a number that needs to be controlled”.

 
Michael Ramsden: Communicating the Gospel in today’s societies Michael Ramsden: Communicating the Gospel in today’s societies

RZIM International Director Michael Ramsden responds to questions about the secularisation of Europe, the role of Christians in public leadership and the new ‘culture of victimism’.

 
Ruth Valerio: A lifestyle that cares about creation Ruth Valerio: A lifestyle that cares about creation

Are Christians called to make a difference in environmental care? What has creation care to do with "loving our neighbours"? An interview with the Global Advocacy and Influencing Director of Tearfund.

 
PICTURES Pictures
 
AEA Plaza opens to serve African evangelicals AEA Plaza opens to serve African evangelicals

After many years of labour, the Association of Evangelicals in Africa officially opened its new centre in Nairobi, Kenya. “Africa, your time has come!”, said the World Evangelical Alliance Secretary General Efraim Tendero.

 
‘Small churches, big potential for transformation’ ‘Small churches, big potential for transformation’

Photos of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance’s annual gathering “Idea 2019”, in Murcia. Politicians and church leaders discussed about the role of minorities in society.

 
Bulgaria: Evangelicals ask government to protect religious minorities Bulgaria: Evangelicals ask government to protect religious minorities

Christians rallied in Sofia on November 18 to defend their rights. It is the second Sunday of peaceful demonstrations against a new religion draft law that could severely restrict religious freedom and rights of minority faith confessions.

 
Rallies in Bulgaria: “New bill on religion brings us back to Communism!” Rallies in Bulgaria: “New bill on religion brings us back to Communism!”

Bulgarian evangelicals protested peacefully on November 11 against a draft law which could severely restrict religious freedom of faith minorities. Churches rallied in Sofia and other cities after the Sunday worship services.

 
Photos: #WalkForFreedom Photos: #WalkForFreedom

Abolitionists marched through 400 cities in 51 countries. Pictures from Valencia (Spain), October 20.

 
Photos: Reaching people with disabilities Photos: Reaching people with disabilities

Seminars, an arts exhibition, discussion and testimonies. The European Disability Network met in Tallinn.

 
VIDEO Video
 
What can we learn from copying errors about the transmission of the biblical text? What can we learn from copying errors about the transmission of the biblical text?

“There is no evidence whatsoever of any systematic revision from the text from the begining to the end”, says researcher Dirk Jongkind.

 
Romania: God’s Word among Roma people Romania: God’s Word among Roma people

Gypsies are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in Romania. According to 2013 estimates, the Roma groups make up 10% of the country's population, accounting for about 1.5 million people.

 
Latin American leaders unite to fight against imposition of gender ideology Latin American leaders unite to fight against imposition of gender ideology

Christian leaders from all over Latin America are concerned about the progress of gender ideology agendas in the region. Many are joining together in public demonstrations and training events.

 
How do fake news spread? How do fake news spread?

Tony Watkins, Coordinator of the Lausanne Media Engagement Network.

 
Lindsay Brown: The encouraging advance of the gospel in Spain Lindsay Brown: The encouraging advance of the gospel in Spain

Church planting, the amount of books authored by Spanish evangelicals and the growth of the Christian student movement in the last decades, are some of the marks underlined by Lindsay Brown.

 
Church planting in Strasbourg Church planting in Strasbourg

A video on how evangelicals are planting churches in Strasbourg (France).

 
 
Follow us on Soundcloud
Follow us on YouTube
 
 
WE RECOMMEND
 
PARTNERS
 

 
AEE
EVANGELICAL FOCUS belongs to Areópago Protestante, linked to the Spanish Evangelical Alliance (AEE). AEE is member of the European
Evangelical Alliance and World Evangelical Alliance.
 

Opinions expressed are those of their respective contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of Evangelical Focus.