|PIC1|President of Gospel for Asia, K.P. Yohannan, has called for Christians around the world to pray for a pastor and his family in India after Hindu extremists took over their home and church building, reports Assist News.

The desecrated church was the meeting place of the 60 new believers in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh who were threatened with death if they failed to convert back to Hinduism.

The Hindu extremists have now taken over the church by force and turned it into a Hindu temple, the first time in the 26-year history of Gospel for Asia that a place of worship has been taken over and defiled as a temple, reports Yohannan.

“This is a very serious matter and one for which Christians all around the world need to be praying and fasting,” said Yohannan.

According to Assist News, the local authorities appear to be cooperating with the Hindu extremists by forcing Pastor Ramesh Masih Bhatti and his family from their home, which also served as a Believers Church.

GFA Regional Leader Simon John refuted claims by local authorities that the building was government property.

|PIC2|"In Himachal Pradesh, if a family occupies government property for 20 years, they are not required to vacate it, and the government recognizes it as their own," he said. "In this case, the pastor's family had lived in this house for 25 years, so it was clearly theirs. But the officials were not treating the Christians the same way they treat others under the law."

Pastor Bhatti’s church and home was desecrated on the 3 December when a group of more than 20 Hindu extremists, including members of the VHP or World Hindu Council and its violent youth wing, Bajrang Dal, entered the property and began conducting Hindu worship rituals.

The group shouted threats against the believers and brandished large bamboos throughout the day and into the following morning, when they continued to shout and dance outside the church forcing the pastor and his family to leave, reports Assist News.

The group entered the building on their departure and declared it a Hindu temple, writing phrases praising their gods on the church wall before erecting the statue of a Hindu god in the courtyard.

According to Assist News, a Hindu ceremony was held later in the week attended by at least one state official, the heads of several villages, and leaders of various radical Hindu organisations.

|QUOTE|Yohannan reported a declaration by the leader of the Hindus in Himachal Pradesh, Swami Govind Das, that “religious conversion will be by no means tolerated”, adding that Hindus would go from village to village and force Christians to convert back to Hinduism.

“They have threatened this in the past but this is the first time they have succeeded in taking over a place of worship,” said Yohannan. “Just last year, 15 church buildings in Nepal were forcibly closed, but they were not desecrated.

“What is also disturbing here is that the officials have not taken any action against the Hindus for taking over what they claimed was ‘government property’.”

GFA’s regional leader, Simon John, said, however, that the believers continue to have faith.

“This has not stopped them,” he said. “They are now meeting in a believer’s house for worship.”

|AD|Pastor Bhatti and his family remain in the house of a relative to enable him to continue ministering in the village.

Mr John said Pastor Bhatti was disappointed at the loss of his home and church building, but was not discouraged.

“On one side there is a sad feeling because he had to leave so suddenly and this was a home they had built themselves,” he said. “But he understands that it is all for the sake of Jesus, and he is very positive that the Lord will take care of him and his congregation. He is not losing his hope. He wants to continue and minister in that area."

Yohannan said: “In the end let us pray that this incident will only result in even more fruit for God’s Kingdom in the days to come.

“As you can see, Satan is not going to give up easily in the fight for these precious souls. And yet the enemy is no match for the power of prayer.”

Yohannan called on Christians to pray and fast on behalf of Pastor Bhatti and his family and for all the members of his congregation.

“Please pray that God’s protection will be upon them, and that they will stand strong in the face of this horrible persecution. Pray also that these extremists will be stopped in their efforts to deny the people the right to follow Christ,” said Yohannan.