Bonner Querschnitte 18/2013 Ausgabe 254 (eng)

(Bonn, 29.04.2013) On Saturday afternoon a group of 30 to 40 people is reported to have attacked the “Atasehir Yeni Umut Kilisesi” (“Atasehir New Hope Church”) in the Istanbul district of Atasehir with rocks and raw eggs. The only church member present in the church facilities at that time, a Finnish citizen, was not harmed. There were however, property damages at the church facilities.

According to a news of the Turkish Christian website SAT7TÜRKHABER dating from Saturday night the police arrived soon after the attack and announced a serious investigation. Windows at the church were broken, the plate with the name of the church was removed and parts of the decoration at the entrance were destroyed. Some of the attackers tried to break the door to the church but didn’t get into the church.

The “Atasehir New Hope Church” is a branch of the “Ankara Kurtulus Church Association”. The church is the first Christian church in Atasehir, being home to 350.000 people. The church is still very small with an attendance of 10-15 people.

As a spokesperson of the church told SAT7TÜRKHABER, it is the intention of the church members to spread peace and the Word of God and not to cause unrest.

Source: http://haber.sat7turk.com/son-dakika-istanbulda-kiliseye-saldiri/

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