Turkish Church Vandalized, Pastor Threatened

A more full report on the attack on the church in Samsun:

"Attackers shattered the Agape Protestant Church ’s windows and spray-painted its street sign early Sunday morning (January 28) in the city of Samsun , Pastor Orhan Picaklar told Compass."

"Picaklar received two death threats by e-mail on the day of the attack, one signed by the Turkish Vengeance Brigade.

 

“I will kill you Orhan, you have very little time left,” read one e-mail, which cursed the congregation as “Christian pigs” who would “burn in Hell.”

 

“I’ve received so many of these in the last three years that I don’t even pay attention to them, I just delete them,” Picaklar told Compass. “But in recent days I’ve started to take them seriously.”

"Sunday’s attack has convinced the church’s landlord that the congregation must leave, the pastor said. The church only moved into the building from its former location three weeks ago.

 

“I think people don’t want to work with us because of the rock throwing attacks,” Picaklar said. “Where are we supposed to worship this winter, on the street?”

"Regular vandalism, negative media and e-mail threats against the Agape church increased soon after the mayor of the city’s Atakum municipality, Adem Bektas, stated in November 2004 that he would never allow a church to be built there."

Turkish  Church  Vandalized, Pastor Threatened