Open Doors training helps persecuted Christians in Vietnam reach their community
A group of persecuted Christians in central Vietnam was encouraged to reach out to their community and create solutions to problems in their village, despite the persecution they receive.
In a village located in central Vietnam, most of the people there are impoverished. Their situation is exacerbated by their arid lands, so they experience continuous drought. The steep and rocky roads make the transportation of their agricultural products difficult and expensive.
Things changed when one of the villagers, Chi Thien*, who went abroad with the hopes of getting rich, ended up knowing God.
He went back to his village and together with some friends started sharing the gospel. The church started small – about five to seven members. Over the years, it began to grow.
As the number of believers increased, so did the persecution and pressure from the local authorities. Nevertheless, the young church leader remained steadfast and led his church members through these difficulties.
Open Doors partners had the opportunity to run a two-day training program, called “Salt and Light” in their church in March 2023. Chi Tien was challenged to reach out, with the church, to his community.
“The training aims for the believers to reach out and build relationships in their community, to show the love and value of Christians as salt and light wherever they live. It is about providing practical solutions to problems in the village, words coupled with action,” said Athan*, Open Doors partner.
At an Open Doors training session, persecuted Christians in Vietnam were challenged to reach out to their community (representative image used).
Chi Thien shared, “This program helps the church understand and know how to help the community appropriately and sustainably. It helps us identify community problems and build ministries that are relevant to the community where our church is located.”
Huong*, another participant, shared how the training gave her new insights that can help their church grow.
“I realized some approaches that can be applied, that we can use to help us grow,” said Huong.
“We planned to implement two community ministries—one for the youth and another for the older ones. We will create a sports playground for the younger ones, and a ministry to support people’s livelihoods such as donating seedlings or breeding chickens for the poorest people in the village.”
She added, “Community development certainly has an impact on our missionary work. When the church helps a community to make a positive change or growth, the church is proving to everyone that Christians are salt and light.”
Seeing the church members expressing their faith by reaching out to the community, Chi Thien expressed his gratitude for the training.
“Thank you for supporting us with this program.”
*Names changed for security reasons.
