1965 – Winds of Political Change Are Blowing

All western missionaries are being forced to leave by not having their visas renewed.  As Sihanouk aligns with China and Vietnam , Western Missionaries are kicked out and Christian Nat. Church leaders are jailed on trumped up charges.  At this point, the CMA was claiming about 2000 believers in their denomination.  There was not a whole lot of other groups at that time. 

C&MA missionaries go to VN in the delta to work with the Khmer. Slow work, little progress until they invite Khmer Pastor Seing Ang who has some good results among the Kampuchea Krom people.

1969-Advent of Pro- Western Lon Nol – Some Missionaries Return

Returning C&MA missionaries were surprised to find how well the Khmer Christians were doing with out them.  Churches in the city had grown especially.  The city was becoming "The" avenue for a quick spreading gospel as the communist insurgency was disturbing the normally peaceful life in country-side. The city was filling up with people- from 600,000 in '65, 700,000 in '69 and then almost 3 million in 1975.

1970

During this time other Christian Groups were contemplating the plight of Cambodia as it had been sucked into the Vietnam War, being used as pawn by China and Vietnam .  With the advent of Lon Nol , Cambodia flopped back to put their hope in west.  OMF came into Cambodia and worked alongside the existing CMA missionaries, beginning in Cambodia 's Takmau Bible School .

In 1972, Stan Mooneyham, President of WV had discovered Cambodia 's suffering during his travel in S.E. Asia.  Traveling overland from Vietnam , he made his first trip to Cambodia with  suitcases full of medicine. His second trip he drove a truck full of medical supplies from Saigon to Phnom Penh and worked with the Khmer Evangelical Church (CMA) to preach the gospel and treat war refugees. 

1972-73

Through this context, the church invited Mooneyham to lead a crusade in '72 and '73.  Over 3000 people gave their lives to Christ and some of today's National Church leaders and Expat Khmer Church leaders here and overseas were the fruit of that ministry. Also those who lead the church in the border camps and during the days of  SOC were born of that campaign, especially Mam Barnabas who entered the Crusade as a spy for the communists and ended up getting saved.

Yos Molly, Yos Em Sithan, and Yos Sokun are saved under the influence of C&MA /OMF alliance at the Takmau Bible college studying English Bible with Alice Compain and Dr. Marylou Rorbacher.  Eventually their whole family becomes believers

Dr. Mooneyham went on to start medical clinics helping war orphans and refugees. He made plans for the building of the National Pediatric Hospital which was finished only days before the Khmer Rouge came in to take over the city.

Monsignor Francois Ponchaud and the UBS begin work on a new translation of the Bible.  OMF Missionary, Don Cormack arrives, later authors book, Killing Fields, Living Fields,  about the church in Cambodia .

Todd Burke, a young man associated with what would now be the Vineyard Fellowship made a short-term trip to Cambodia in 1974, claiming much fruit and many miracles. Later he would write a controversial book called, Anointed For Burial, about his experience in Cambodia before the curtain came down.  Although many take issue with what really happened in his book, his book has been a catalyst for many in helping them decide to come to Cambodia to serve as a missionary.  Radha  Manickum is saved under this ministry.

*I had mentioned that Todd Burke was leading a New Age Cult.  When someone questioned that statement, I wrote to a friend who was is very familiar with Todd’s history and this is what he wrote back to me:

There were miracles that took place under his ministry.  Many came to Christ including Radha Manickam and Sophal Ung.  Todd left in 1975, a couple of weeks before the fall of Cambodia .  He started a mission called "New Covenant Commission".  Two of the leaders in NCC later went on to have prominent roles in the Vineyard movement and help establish Global Network in Cambodia in 1991.

New Covenant Commission folded in 1988 or 1989 after some serious financial problems and mismanagement.  Todd was already going "off", getting involved in business and using his position in the mission to promote his business, particularly among the Cambodians in the US .  He left his family sometime in the late 80's or early 90's.  One of his sons was killed in a gun accident during that time.  It was at the funeral that he told his wife Deanne that he wasn't coming back.

Todd is not leading a new age cult as some have said, but is heavily involved in the new age movement.  He said "Jesus was just a stepping stone to greater things".  His wife Deanne is remarried and living in the mid-west.  I haven't talked to her or her from her in over ten years.

*Apologies for not checking my sources on this one.  BM

C&MA estimated there were 10,000 Christians in PP at the close of '74, including 1000 Christian Refugees.

1975 (April 17th) – Hell is called into Session

Pol Pot in,  All Westerners and Missionaries out in early '75

*Pol Pot Reign of terror wipes most Christians, Monks, Politicians, intellectuals, anyone associated with the former regime.

Religious status, Pagodas and churches destroyed and thrown into rivers and lakes.

*Money burned, literature destroyed or used for cigarette paper.

*2 million tortured or starved to death by Pol Pot cadre.

The world is ignorant of the atrocities, Western Cambodian Scholars supporting new regime, not believing initial reports of terror flowing over the Thai border.

*All but a little bit of Gospels in the 1973 UBS translation survive the Genocide.

1978 (Dec) – Vietnam Invades From the East

Pol Pot's insane attacks on innocent people in villages along the Vietnam border enrage the Vietnamese into invading. Vietnam & China no longer speak so there is no hesitation.  Cambodians flee across both Thai and VN borders thinking, 'anywhere must be better than here.'  The bulk of the refugees flee to the Thai border areas near Poipet, Pailin, Battambang.

According to Rev. Ellison, out of the 33 CEC (C&MA Nat. Churches) pastors/church leaders, 27 were martyred or killed by forced starvation under Pol Pot.  He estimates 8000 Christians from Phnom Penh perished as well.

Half  to one million died of starvation during the first year of the Vietnam invasion.

1979 –Heng Samrin , Hun Sen, Chea Sim

World Vision comes back into Cambodia through Stan Mooneyham's unique talk with Hun Sen. Work on the Pediatric Hospital Begins.  Enter MCC , Church World Service, Unicef,  AFSC, OXFAM, COER,  LWS, etc.  

 From 450 AD - 1965 Previous page <----> Next page From 1979-1985 

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