On August 2, authorities in Purbayani Village, Caringin District, Garut Regency, Indonesia, permanently shut down the Immanuel Prayer House, a branch of the Bethel Tabernacle Church (GBT). The closure forced the leader of the prayer house, evangelist Dani Natanael Gunawan, and his young son to leave the district. The prayer house, which had been serving around 100 Christians from five nearby subdistricts since 2010, provided a place of worship for believers who would otherwise travel up to 60 miles to attend church.

Local advocates for religious freedom condemned the decision, warning of growing intolerance in West Java. Ucu Cintarsih, coordinator of the Interfaith Network, noted that suppressing worship to “avoid conflict” only fuels discrimination and deepens societal divisions. The forced closure and eviction not only displaced a Christian leader and his family but also left many local believers without a designated place of worship, raising broader concerns about the protection of religious freedom in Indonesia.

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SOURCE: International Christian Concern