Transcript Cambodian Christian Church History - Martagon

Christian Church History in Cambodia
• Country: Cambodia
• Capital City: Phnom Penh
• Land Area: 181, 035 sq.km (69,898 sq miles) : Water 2.5%
• Population: 14.8 million (UN, 2005)
• Organization of the Cambodian Administration: Provinces:
20, City: 4, Districts: 182, Communes: 1,623, Villages: 13,403
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Main Language: Khmer
Main Religion: Buddhism (Theravada)
Ethnic group: Khmer, Vietnamese and Chinese minorities
Monetary unit: Riel
Climate: rainy season (May to November) and dry season
(December to April)
• Border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam
1,228 km
• 1517 Was the first Catholic attempt to have influence
in Cambodia and didn’t take of well.
• 1555 Gaspar da Cruz, a Dominican priest, brought the
gospel to Cambodia.
• 1570 was the first established presence, first by the
Portuguese and the Spanish.
• 1863 France colonized Cambodia
and during this time, a few more
relatives of the king become
believers but were not able to be
baptized.
• The Catholic Church, in various shades and stripes, has
some good works going on through NGO’s who work with
handicapped people or the poor in many of the provinces.
• Mother Theresa was here twice in the early 90’s,
speaking both times at the International Church of Phnom
Penh.
• 1923 the C&MA entered in Cambodia as the first
Evangelical Missionaries.
• Re. David Ellison and his wife were to work on starting a
Bible School to train up pastors and Church leaders and
Rev. Arthur Hammond was commissioned to translate
the scriptures from the KJV English into a Khmer
language (Hammond Version).
• C&MA is responsible for the first Cambodian Bible
• Kampuchea Krom ( Lower Cambodia inside the Mekong
Delta). Among the 2.5 million living in VN’s Mekong
Delta became Christians and were being ministered by
the C&MA over the years.
• 1954 they were attacked and persecuted by another
group and fled to Takeo and Battambang Provinces.
• 1923-1965 may be 2000 person converts over those
years but the foundation C&MA laid was invaluable for
the growth of the Kingdom of God in the near future.
• The King Sihanouk was presented
with a copy of the recently published
Hammond Bible.
• The Bible School is moved from
Battambang to Tahkmau, it
began to train many new pastor.
The Independence Monument, Phnom Penh
• 1965 Winds of Political Change Are Blowing: All western
missionary forced to leave by not having their visas
renewed.
• As Sihanouk aligns with China and Vietnam, Western
Missionaries are kicked out and the Church leaders are
jailed.
• C&MA missionaries go to VN in the delta to work with
the Khmer. Slow work, little progress until they invite
Khmer Pastor Seing Ang who has some good results
among the Champuchea Krom people.
• 1969 Returning C&MA missionaries were
surprised to find how well the Khmer
Christians were doing without them.
• 1970 during this time other Christian Groups
were contemplating the plight of Cambodia as
it had been sucked into the Vietnam War,
being used as pawn by China and Vietnam.
• With the advent of Lon Nol, Cambodia flopped back to put their
hope in west.
• OMF came into Cambodia and worked alongside the
existing CMA missionaries, beginning in Cambodia’s
Takmau Bible School.
• 1972 Stan Mooneyham, President of WV had discovered
Cambodia’s suffering during his travel in S.E. Asia.
Traveling overland from Vietnam, he made his first trip
to Cambodia with suitcases full of medicine.
• His second trip he drove a truck full of medical supplies
from Saigon to Phnom Penh and worked with the Khmer
Evangelical Church (CMA) to preach the gospel and treat
war refugees.
• 1972-73 The Church invited Mooneyham to lead a
crusade and over 3000 people gave their lives to Christ
and some of today’s National Church leaders and Expat
Khmer Church leader and overseas were the fruit of that
ministry.
• Dr. Mooneyham went on to start medical clinics helping
war orphans and refugees. He made plans for the
building of the National Pediatric Hospital which was
finished only days before the Khmer Rouge came to take
over the city.
• Monsignor Francois Ponchaud and the UBS being work
on a new translation of the Bible. OMF Missionary, Don
Cormack arrives, later authors book, Killing Fields, Living
Fields, about the church in Cambodia.
• C&MA estimated there were 10,000 Christians in Phnom
Penh at the close of 1974, including 1000 Christian
Refugees.
• Pol Pot Reign of teror wipes most Christians,
Monks, Politicians, intellectuals, anyone
associated with the former regime.
• Religious status, Pagodas and Churches
destroyed and thrown into rivers and lakes.
• Money burned, literature destroyed or used
for cigarette paper.
• 2 million tortured or starved to death by pol
Pot cadre.
Working during Pol Pot regime (not enough food to eat, working hard, no relationship between
husband and wife, between parents and children, between one person to others person...)
1978 (Dec)- Vietnam Invades From the East
• Pol Pot’s insane attacks on innocent people in villages along
the Vietnam border enrage the Vietnamese into invading.
Vietnam & China no longer speak so there is no hesitation.
• Cambodians flee across both Thai and VN borders thinking,
‘anywhere must be better than here.’ The bulk of the
refugees flee to the Thai border areas near Poipet, Pailin,
Battambang.
• According to Rev. Ellison, out of the 33 CEC (C&MA Nat.
Churches) pastors/ church leaders, 27 were martyred or
killed by forced starvation under Pol Pot. He estimates 8000
Christians from Phnom Penh perished as well.
• World Vision comes back into Cambodia through Stan
Mooneyham’s unique talk with Hun Sen. Work on the
Pediatric Hospital Begins. Enter MCC, Church World
Services, Unicef, AFSC, OXFAM, COER, LWS, etc.
• ANS- National Army for Sihanouk, there are the
resistance forces loyal to Prince Norodom Sihanouk
• CGDK- Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea,
is the loose coalition of the three resistance factions
(ANS, DK, and KPNLF) fighting against the VN supported
regime in Phnom Penh.
• DK- Democratic Kampuchea also known as the Khmer
Rouge regime that was in power in Cambodia from
1975-1978.
• KPNLF- Khmer People’s National Liberation Front, this is
the resistance force backed by the United States among
other nations associated with Son Sann.
• PRK- People’s Republic of Kampuchea was the regime in
control in Phnom Penh. Also know as the “Hun Sen
government” or “Heng Samrin government” after the
name of the two of the government’s leaders. This
government is backed by Vietnam.
• CAMA Services- The Christian and Missionary Alliance
Services providing medical services at the Site 8 refugee
camp
• CCCC- Cambodia Campus Crusade for Christ serving in
Church ministries in Site 2 and Site B
• COR- Christian Outreach providing medical and engineering
services at Kheo I Dang camp along with medical services at
the Site 2 refugee camp
• UNBRO- United Nations Border Relief Operation, the UN
agency coordinating services to Khmer Displaced Person
at O’ Trao, Site 8, Site 2, Site K, and Site E refugee
camps.
• UNHCR- United Nations High Commission for Refugees,
the international organization administrating services to
Khmer displaced persons at Khao I Dang.
• YWAM- Youth With A Mission providing agricultural and
educational services at Khao I Dang along with medical
services at Site 2.
• Site B- Located on the border of Surin Province in Thailan and
Siem Reap in Cambodia with a population of approximately 56,
800. The administation of Site 6 is allied with ANS, the camp is
also known as Green Hill. (5 churches-1Seventh Day Adventist,
CCC, Church of Christ).
• Site K- Situated on the border of the Trod province in Thailand
and Pursat province in Cambodia with 8000 people. The
administration of Site K is allied with the KR. (one believer known
to live there)
• Site 2- The largest camp on the border between Prachinburi and
Oudar Meanchey with a population of approximately 169,000
people. The administration of the camp is allied to the KPNLF. Site
2 it self is divided into separate camps including O’ Bok, Rithysen,
Ampil, Samro, Dong Ruk, Nong Chan camps, etc. (10 churches)
• Six churches in Site 2 are affiliated with CCC. A man gifted
Cambodian Pastor Mam Barnabas filled the position as the
leader of the CCC ministries in Site 2.
• Site 8- Situated along the border of Prachinburi and Battambang,
also known in Khmer as Phum Tmey, with a population of
approxeimately 39,000 people. The administration of the camp is
affiliated with the Khmer Rouge. (one house church)
• Khao I Dang- The church went through an extremely painful split
at the end of 1990. The situation is still not clear. Before the split
the church numbered between 70 and 80 adults on a sunday
morning.
• There was smaller cell groups or house groups known to the
Khao I Dang believers or “little churches” through out the
camp that met for fellowship once or twice a week.
• The KID church has been instrumental in the translation of the
Christian literature and the distribution of Christian literature to
other places on the border and in Cambodia. The Church had a
building, a library and a Sunday school building. It was an
unaffiliated, independent church. At KID there was also a Seventh
Day Adventist Church and a Catholic Church.
• Refugees from the camps are forced to return to vote in the
election. Enter Barnabas Mam, Nara Runnath, Meas Thavey, Chai
Lee, Ke THa, Min Sor, Uon Seila, Brom Sambo, Ray Sano, etc.
• Th UN arrive en- mass bringing AIDS, pornography, and
western culture with a vengeance.
• After finish the mission in Cambodia UNTAC goes back home but
leaves thousands of unwanted mixed race babies in full
orphanages of whom most Cambodians are not interested in
adopting.
• Enter Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons
• There are about 150 churches and 10,000 believers
countrywide.
• Why during Pol Pot regime the Christian cannot keep
sharing the good news?
• Why the Christian now is very hard to work with each
others?
• Why the Christian in Cambodia growth up so slow?
• How to help Cambodian Christian to growth up well?