A church building has been seized and services disrupted as a result of the fighting in Gaza, according to the Baptist World Alliance. A pastor called Gaza the “biggest prison in the world.” Here’s the complete BWA release:
Washington, D.C. (BWA)–The fighting between Hamas and Fatah, the two major opposing forces in Gaza, has disrupted life for Christians in the Palestinian territory.
Rev. Hanna Massad, pastor of Gaza Baptist Church, had to call an abrupt end to a worship service on Sunday, June 10, due to heavy gunfire.
“Last Sunday night I was not able to finish my sermon because there was heavy shooting close to the church building while I was preaching. The people became very nervous and afraid, so we stopped the meeting,” he said in an email message to the Baptist World Alliance.
Both Fatah and Hamas are engaged in a civil war that has intensified over the past several weeks. Fatah, which previously controlled the Palestinian Authority government, became the main opposition party after it lost its majority to Hamas in the Palestinian parliament in a general election in January 2006. Hamas won 76 of the 132 seats in the chamber, while Fatah won 43 seats. Since Hamas’ election victory, sharp infighting has occurred between the two groups, which recently escalated into full civil war, leading to many Palestinian deaths.
Massad reported that a Baptist family had its house bombed, slightly injuring one family member, and that the Gaza Baptist Church was commandeered by Palestinian Authority police as a lookout point. The building, which is six stories high and was dedicated in November 2006, was similarly seized and used during another major flare-up in February.
“In the last few days, the PA Police took our church building…. When they asked us, we said no, but they broke in,” Massad said in his email, dated June 15. The Gaza Baptist Church building lies close to the main police station in Gaza. Massad reported that equipment, including a computer, was stolen after the building was seized.
BWA President David Coffey and General Secretary Denton Lotz assured Baptists in Gaza that the world is praying for peace and their safety. “We pray for peace in the Middle East and between Fatah and Hamas. With prophets of old we cry out, ‘O Lord, how long?’” And in an appeal to Baptists around the world to engage in more intense prayer, the BWA leaders urged, “Please pray and work for peace in the Middle East and around the world.”
“Most of the people in Gaza are watching and waiting to see what will happen. Nothing is clear. All the borders are closed. We are in the biggest prison in the world,” Massad, in bemoaning the precarious state of Palestinians in Gaza, said.
But despite the fighting and tensions, Massad reported that “We continue to experience the power of God’s presence, His peace and love at this time.”
