The Mennonite Church in Vietnam is a
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
denomination of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. It has about 10,000 members. Substantial part of the Mennonite
house church
A house church or home church is a label used to describe a group of Christians who regularly gather for worship in private homes. The group may be part of a larger Christian body, such as a parish, but some have been independent groups that see ...
members are
montagnards
Montagnard (''of the mountain'' or ''mountain dweller'') may refer to:
*Montagnard (French Revolution), members of The Mountain (''La Montagne''), a political group during the French Revolution (1790s)
**Montagnard (1848 revolution), members of the ...
living in Central and Southern Highlands of Vietnam.
The
Mennonite Central Committee
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a relief service, and peace agency representing fifteen Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
...
, 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, the first arrest took place on or about August 1, 2001 in
Ho Chi Minh City
, population_density_km2 = 4,292
, population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2
, population_demonym = Saigonese
, blank_name = GRP (Nominal)
, blank_info = 2019
, blank1_name = – Total
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.
The most recent arrest of Quang was in 2004 for allegedly practicing a non-sanctioned religion under Vietnam's 2004 Ordinance on Religion and Belief. Quang was sentenced to three years in jail, but released in 2005, after an international campaign to secure his release.
Before his arrest
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
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 Lien (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 is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition ...
services.
The 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.
[''"Hanoi officially recognises Baptists and Mennonites", Asia News, October 2007.''] 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."
See also
*
Christianity in Vietnam
Christianity was first introduced to Vietnam in the 16th century. Catholics and Protestants today are reported to constitute 7% and 2% of the country's population respectively; however, the true number might be higher. Christian foreign missionar ...
*
Protestants in Vietnam
Protestants in Vietnam are a religious minority, constituting from 0.5 to 2% of the population. Though its numbers are small, Protestantism is the country's fastest-growing religion, growing at a rate of 600% in the 2000s.
Origin
Protestantism wa ...
References
External links
CommonWord Vietnamese Church Resources
{{Christianity in Vietnam
Mennonitism in Vietnam
Mennonite denominations