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Authorities in southern Laos recently interrupted a Sunday service at Souvannee’s* house church, ordering her to cease fellowship and threatening eviction if she continued gathering. Despite this, Souvannee refused to comply, boldly continuing her worship services with support from the believers. The authorities had previously issued warnings to Souvannee and other local Christians, claiming her house church lacked proper authorization. In a separate incident, another Christian community in the region faced a similar order to halt their fellowship due to the church’s unapproved construction. Local partners and Souvannee remain determined, continuing their faith-based activities despite the risks of further persecution.
Souvannee lives in southern Laos. She was expelled from her husband’s house by her mother-in-law because of her faith in Jesus. With the help of Open Doors through our local partners, a new house was built for her in just one day on the farm where the house church is located. After moving into her own home, Souvannee transformed it into a house church, allowing more than ten families to gather for worship. She is highly driven in sharing the word of God, which has led to rapid conversions and many new people joining the church. Unfortunately, on Sunday morning, March 24, 2024, authorities arrived at her house while believers were holding their Sunday service. The service was abruptly stopped, and the believers were left in shock and fear due to the unexpected visit from the authorities.
The local authorities approached Souvannee and said, “You are not allowed to gather for worship, and this fellowship must stop.” Despite what the officer had said to Souvannee, she refused and boldly continued gathering. The believers stood by her and remained steadfast in their faith.
However, before the local authorities left, they asked her to sign an order document, but she refused to sign it. This angered the officers, as well as the other believers. The house church leader faced many threats of eviction during the conversation and on other occasions. “If you continue your fellowship in this house church without permission, next time, it will not just be a warning. We will arrest your members,” the officers commanded before they left.
Malee*, a local partner in the South testified, “Souvannee continues her fellowship with other believers from nearby areas. This is not the first warning she and the believers have received; she has already faced several in the past.” Despite the risks, Malee now leads the community in place of Souvannee. Please keep this Christian community in your prayers, that they may remain steadfast in the face of trials.
The struggle for legal authorization in religious buildings
In the same region in Southern Laos, a Christian community was also ordered to cease holding fellowship inside their church. The local authorities justified their action by claiming that the church had been built without authorization.
On June 26, 2024, a group of ten local authorities visited a Christian community. Four church leaders were summoned to meet with the authorities inside the church. The authorities asked several questions regarding the church’s construction and the sources of its funding.
“Where is the permit documents for this church?” an officer asked. Leaders confidently replied, “There is no official document for this building. We built it as a place to worship the Lord.” The officers were taken aback by the believers’ confident response. “Since you do not have the necessary authorization, this church is no longer allowed to be used and must be temporarily closed until you obtain the proper legal document from the relevant authorities. Only then it can reopen," the officer declared.
The objective of the investigation is to shut down the church and halt the fellowship. Apart from these directives, there were no other statements from the officers.
After the meeting that day, the leader went to speak with the relevant departments. However, obtaining the proper documentation was not easy. The requirements for the church’s legal use included various regulations, such as land size, membership of believers, and quality of the building. In addition, authorities demanded a large sum of money to issue the document.
Despite the order to cease using the church, our local partner shared that, “This community continues their services inside the church.” They are not afraid to worship the Lord in the place they built for Him.
*Names changed for security reasons.
