Worshipers living in the city's outskirts tried to hold peaceful Christmas celebrations Thursday night and Friday, despite the threat of violence.
At the St. Albertus Church in Harapan Indah, Bekasi, more than 5,000 worshipers took part in the night-time Christmas Eve mass held in the unfinished church.
Exactly a week earlier, the church had been attacked by a group of people reportedly not from the area but simply passing through.
The group, which included women and juveniles, had reportedly been on a parade to mark the Islamic New Year, which fell last Friday.
Despite the attack, Thursday night's service proceeded in an atmosphere of calm and even joy. Most of the congregation were with their families, including children and toddlers who scampered through the church yard every so often.
"We leave it to the One above," said Philippus, watching his daughter play in the church yard, when asked about the possibility of another attack that night.
Outside the church gates, 10 armed military servicemen, along with police and other security officers, stood guard.
Precinct police chief Adj. Comr. Dharmayana said local officers were assisted by various forces.
The fact that many members of the security detail on guard that night were local residents who had formed their own force showed that residents living near the church actually supported the activity, he pointed out.
"The attackers *in last week's incident* live far from this housing complex *Harapan Indah*," Dharmayana said.
Last week's attack had a ripple effect over a wider area. In Parung, West Java, the Yohanes Baptista Church moved its planned Christmas celebrations from its property in Metro Parung to a government building more than half an hour away.
"We had it all prepared, with decorations and a church-shaped tent," congregation member Gabriel Tolok said earlier this week.
The tent was supposed to serve as the church because the congregation's church building permit, which had been applied for since 1999, had been withdrawn in 2005.
Just days before Christmas, Gabriel said, the district head and local police and military chiefs warned congregation members against celebrating Christmas on their property for fear of an attack similar to the St. Albertus one.
The evening and morning services took place without incident at the Yohanes Baptista Church.
However, in Tambun Utara, Bekasi, worshipers at the Friday morning service at the HKBP Filadelfia Church endured threats from a group demanding the service be stopped.
"There were hundreds of them, they were there before the service began," Rev. Palti Pandjaitan told The Jakarta Post, adding they threw objects at the church.
"They also prevented several of our members from coming inside."
The mass went ahead, though, and some churchgoers brushed aside the threats as being empty.
"You shouldn't be afraid to come to the house of God," Stella, who attended the Christmas Eve mass at St. Albertus, said confidently. (dis)
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