Congregations carry on inside ruined church

Tifa Asrianti ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 06/16/2008 10:02 AM  |  Headlines

The sky was the roof for churchgoers at the Jatimulya housing complex in Tambun, Bekasi, when they held an hour-long service in a ruined church on Sunday.

About 50 churchgoers of the Indonesian Bible Oneness Church (Gekindo) and the Protestant Batak Christian District (HKBP) gathered at the ruined church building, which had been torn down by officials the day before.

"Erwin Marbun of the HKBP and Hutajulu of Gekindo presided over the service. We stood under a scorching sun as there were no chairs and no roof. But we'll be holding services there until the district head provides a new house of worship for us," Saor Siagian, head of an advocacy team for religious freedom, told The Jakarta Post.

On Saturday, South Tambun officials accompanied by police officers and public order officers sealed the building that houses three churches in the housing complex. The officials tore down the doors, windows and some parts of the roof, but left the walls standing.

The dispute began in 2005 when Bekasi Regent Saleh Manaf banned religious activity in the building due to a lack of permits. Churchgoers then held services on the street for eight weeks.

The then Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani settled the dispute by securing an agreement that the building would not be destroyed but could not used as a church, and that officials would find the churchgoers a new place.

"The church destruction was against the agreement. We condemn the action by the district head and police officers. We have sent a letter to the district head, demanding he provide us with a new place within the next two days. We will also report this to the city police," Saor said.

According to Saor, Sunday's service was peaceful even though a person claiming to be a police officer asked them to move several cars belonging to journalists. He said the man ran off when asked to confirm his identity.

Church permits are difficult to obtain, even after the government issued a two-minister regulation in 2006 stipulating permit requirements.

Congregations must number at least 90 members, be supported by 60 local residents, legalized by the local authorities and have recommendations from the head of the municipality's religious office and the Interfaith Communication Forum, to able build a church.

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