The order, received by the churches last Friday, follows a meeting on 12 January attended by local government officials, police, the commander of the local military and the leader of a local Muslim forum, reports Compass Direct.
The orders, issued by the Office of National Unity and Public Protection in Bandung district, instructed churches to cease using private homes as worship venues and came into effect last Sunday.
The largest church in Rancaekek is Huria Kristen Batak Protesten (HKBP) with approximately 250 members and has been meeting in a house on Teratai Raya Street since the year 2000.
A 1969 ministerial decree stipulated that all religious groups must apply for permits which have the approval of all neighbours before establishing places of worship – a huge challenge for church groups meeting in predominantly Muslim communities.According to Deacon Jawadi Hutapea, however, there have been no complaints from neighbours about the meetings.
“We will keep praying here,” Jawadi told Compass Direct. “Where else can we go? Bandung and Jatinagor are too far away, and it’s too expensive to travel there every Sunday.
“Just let us buy land at the market price, and then we will build a church,” said Jawadi.
Rev. Filemon Sirait of Gereja Pantekosta Tabernakel on Gradiol Street is also undeterred by the house church closures, saying his church would continue to meet.
“We have good relationships with this neighbourhood, and we think there is no problem,” he told Compass Direct before the Sunday service.
Homeowner Rev. Margaret (some Indonesians choose to go by only one name) told her congregation: “Don’t be afraid. God will help us in this difficult situation. Don’t stop praying.”
After a warning from local officials, Yohanes Pangarso made the decision to cease holding services on Teratai Raya Street on 8 January.
Edin Hendradin, head of the Office of National Unity and Public Protection, denied that his department was closing down house churches. “Please be fair,” he told Compass Direct. “What has happened in Rancaekek is not church closure; we’re just restoring the proper function of homes.”
Hendradin referred to a letter issued by the mayor of Bandung in September 2004 prohibiting the use of private homes as places of worship after a local Muslim forum protested.
The house churches also turned down the use of a factory warehouse as a place of worship owing to concerns that the factory workers may protest or that the owner might want to sell the land or the warehouse leaving them with nothing.
The Rev. Simon Timorason, chairman of the West Java Christian Communication Forum, said the eight churches should be allowed to buy a plot of land within the housing complex and build a joint worship facility.
The Christians of Rancaekek will meet for smaller prayer meetings until a permanent solution to the lack of proper worship facilities can be found.
“For the time being, this may be the only way to maintain their congregations,” said Rev. Timorason.
