LAHORE, Pakistan
November 17, 2023
(Morning Star News)
A church building was set on fire in Lahore, Pakistan, on Thursday (Nov. 16), a month after the pastor received a letter threatening the congregation for worshipping too loudly, sources said.
The blaze destroyed the church altar, a cupboard containing Bibles and other Christian books, two air conditioning units, and furniture, among other items, said the Rev. Samuel Massey of Gulberg Presbyterian Church in Lahore.
Efforts were underway to make the building for the church of 60 families soundproof for Christmas celebrations, as area Muslims had complained that the worship sound system was too loud. A church elder on Thursday opened the church building at 9:30 a.m., and 20 minutes after he left to meet a nearby carpenter, he learned that someone had set the structure on fire, Pastor Massey said.
“The fire was not accidental, nor had it erupted due to a short circuit,” the pastor told Morning Star News. “We suspect that someone entered the church when Elder Zubair went to meet the carpenter. The intruders locked the main gate from the outside after committing the crime, and passersby and…
Read the full article here