MEETING
REPORTS

Let's Talk: Secret Church

This meeting allowed us to learn something of what it's like for Christians around the world who have to meet in secret due to the persecution that they face. As the young people arrived, they were instructed to enter the darkened hall through the back door. Voices had to be kept low and hymns sung quietly to ensure passers-by wouldn't know that a Christian meeting was happening. Then, just as we were relaxing into the service, we had a simulation of a police raid. One of the leaders was arrested and taken away for further questioning. Thankfully on this occasion Ross was able to come back into the hall but each of us were made aware of the constant fear that Christians must experience in countries where the government wants to prevent Christians meeting together. Robin then showed us a video of a real police raid of a church in a North African country.

Throughout the night, we heard of what's happening at the moment to Christians in countries with high levels of persecution. This included the amazing story of a Christian witnessing within a North Korean prison camp and an encounter with an ISIS commander in Iraq. We finished with learning about how Christians are locked in shipping containers in the country of Eritrea. We laid out the measurements of such a container and Robin told us of what happened to one lady. Despite her terrible experiences, she still had an attitude of thankfulness towards God. We learnt that God is working in these countries and that churches, often in secret, are finding ways to meet and also witness to others.