Worship Arts

Persecuted Not Abandoned: The Karen People

Posted Monday, November 09,2009

By Glen Eikmeyer

by Glen Eikmeyer 

First Baptist Church of Eugene has to look no further than its ministries among the Karen people in Burma to sense the pain of a persecuted group of believers. Our relationship with these people is a 190-year shared heritage. It was the work of Adoniram Judson (the first Baptist missionary from America) in the early 1800s that led to the salvation of Ko Tha Byu, the first Karen convert. The gospel spread rapidly among this ethnic minority of Burma, and the Karen are still 40% Christian.
 
Today, the Karen are victims of ethnic cleansing by the Burmese Army of Myanmar. The roots of this enmity include ethnic intolerance, religious differences between Buddhism and Christianity and fallout from World War II. (The Karen tribe, 4.8 million strong, sided with the Allies while the Burmese tribe, 28 million strong, sided with the Axis). God graciously connected Robert Urhausen to the Karen people about five years ago. Because Robert and Shannon are members of our congregation, that connection put First Baptist Church of Eugene into missional community with a persecuted people group, the Karen.
 
“How have we been relational?” you might ask. We as a local church have recognized God’s calling on the Urhausen’s. We have invested our dollars in support of their ministry, DPRN (Displaced People Resource Network) which is based in Thailand. For more information on DPRN visit the table in the atrium. Several members of FBC have gone to Thailand on short term mission trips to work alongside the Urhausen’s, helping to deliver supplies like rice, medicines and quilts. We have done this to show that they have not been abandoned in their suffering but remembered and loved.
Robert has become well accepted by the Karen community. He has been appointed by the Karen government in exile as their liaison to humanitarian aid organizations. Through Robert’s many connections with these organizations, aid has been provided from around the world to meet the many needs of the Karen. His labors have facilitated the rebuilding of destroyed villages and the building of new villages with schools, churches and medical clinics. Food and medicine has been supplied to the tens of thousands of Karen people who have been driven from their villages and are now hiding in the jungles of Myanmar (formerly Burma). 
 
But the Karen are not only in Thailand and Myanmar. Many are being relocated to locations around the world including the USA. Over 400 refugees have come to Portland, OR to make their new homes. We have built relationships with some of these immigrants through a new Baptist church in East Portland. Pastor Prachan of New Life International Baptist Church helped us distribute bags of food, toiletries and cleaning supplies collected here at FBC from the “Fill a Pantry Shelf” collection. Finally, we have also given over 20 bicycles which are used by the Karen as their main source of transportation.
 
Through your prayers, giving and going, First Baptist Church has touched the Karen in Southeast Asia and Portland Oregon, seen their needs and helped to ease their pain.
 
To find out how you can continue this ministry, contact Glen (345-0341).