Thousands of Nicaraguans have fled the country because of continued violence, but the unrest has not stopped ministry efforts by Baptists in the Central American nation.
“Through the crisis, we still see the work of the Lord being carried out,” said Omar Alvarado, director of Central American Missions for Crosspoint International Ministries. “The work is being done right. We are empowering the church, encouraging them and facilitating some resources. … We’ve seen associations collect funds and food to take to the cities most affected by the political violence. They are coming together themselves to support each other.”
Mass demonstrations
The situation in Nicaragua has not improved in the past few weeks. The country’s president, Daniel Ortega, has accused the U.S. of plotting a coup to overthrow his government. Since April, mass demonstrations against Ortega’s policies have led to hundreds of Nicaraguans being killed or jailed.
In a Facebook post Alvarado said 23 people in his neighborhood were arrested recently “without due process, just for expressing discontent or for participating in marches against the government.”
World Watch Monitor reported on Sept. 6 that Ortega ordered the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) to leave the country after the organization “called on the government to stop the persecution of protestors and disarm masked gangs who it alleges are responsible for killings and arbitrary detentions” during months of anti-government protests. The UNCHR also “described the torture and use of excessive force used during interviews with victims and local human rights groups,” reported the BBC.
A statement from the U.S. State Department issued Sept. 7 said in part that “the United States condemns the Ortega government’s recent arbitrary detention of six prominent student members of the National Dialogue. These students are the latest example of the thousands of citizens who are peacefully and democratically protesting government actions, only to be harassed, detained, disappeared or even killed. … We also call on the Ortega government to ensure the safety of all who choose to exercise their universal rights to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.”
World Watch Monitor reported that church leaders trying to broker peace and provide assistance to injured protesters have been labeled “coup plotters” and “enemies of the regime,” with churches and church leaders targeted as though they were terrorists, according to Rossana Ramirez, an analyst with Open Doors’ World Watch Research unit.
Ramirez said the church has criticized the government and denounced its crimes against the Nicaraguan people. She added that “Catholic churches have been playing an important role in the protests, providing shelter and medical help, as well as using church bells to warn of any impending attacks by paramilitary groups and government supporters.”
About half of Nicaragua’s population belongs to the Catholic Church while around 33 percent of Nicaraguans consider themselves evangelical Christians. Ramirez said no citizen or religious denomination is safe from attack since military groups have adopted a “shoot-to-kill” approach to protesters.
Alvarado and his family have been in the United States since July. Alvarado has visited churches in the Southeast and has been in several in Alabama, including many in Calhoun Baptist Association and Southeast Alabama Baptist Association, both of which have partnerships with Crosspoint International.
Though the violence has led to the cancellation of many scheduled missions trips, there are still ways Alabama Baptists can help Nicaraguan pastors and Christians, Alvarado said. Prayer is the most important need.
“The Church in Nicaragua is facing a great danger because of the government’s position,” Alvarado said.
Economic crisis
Alvarado said many pastors have been affected by the economic crisis brought on by the violence. Hotels are closed, tourism has stopped and many businesses have closed, he said, leading to more than a quarter-million jobs lost.
“The economic crisis is hurting pastors, most of whom are bivocational,” Alvarado said. “The lack of work in the country is hurting them.”
Gifts from partners in the U.S. are being used to provide basic food packages for pastors and their families. Donations also support the emergency fund of the Nicaraguan Baptist Convention, which coordinates several ministries in the country, including a nursing home, radio station and Baptist university.
Alvarado also urges churches with partnerships in Nicaragua not to give up on the country.
“The Baptist Convention of Nicaragua and its associations, institutions, leadership and local churches continue to carry out evangelistic and missions work,” he said. “The ministry of the local church continues in the midst of this crisis.”
For more information about ministry efforts, visit www.crosspointinternational.org.
Hear more about the situation in Nicaragua in TAB News’ Sept. 6 podcast. Special guests include Felix Ruiz, president of the Nicaraguan Baptist Convention, and Omar Alvarado, director of Central American Missions for Crosspoint International Ministries.
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