Agape-School

Siem Reap Bethel Church:

Siem Reap holds the greatest stronghold in Cambodia, the Ancient Angkor Wat. People go to the wat everyday to bow down and worship the gods. They believe that these divinities could help them, protect them, or give them good lives. These old practices makes it hard for the Cambodians to be converted in Christianity.

After the Khmer Rouge tragedy, many Cambodians were seeking and hurting. Few years after, came an open door for Christianity to penetrate in their lives where they see hope and comfort in Christ. Thus, from 1990, the goodnews came to our land and there were more people who became Christians.

Siem Reap has around 100,000 in population. 2.5% of the population is already Christian. 45 churches has been planted by the many pastors and missionaries coming to Siem Reap. There are 195 cell churches scattered in Siem Reap being led by the leaders. These churches and cell churches are composed of the different groups as follows:

* Full Gospel

* Baptist

* Pentecostal

* Charismatic

* Presbyterians

* Methodist

The local churches now though are encountering several difficulties such as follows:

1. lack of general education and Theological training among ministers

2. poverty which forces the ministers to have full time job (to support their family) because

church members could not support their pastors thus, hindering the pastor to focus on the

church work

3. no enough Christian teaching materials for children, youth and adult discipleship

4. problems in the working relationships with the missionaries because of imposing attitudes

and ethnocentricity of some missionaries

5. clashes of doctrinal biases

6. the strongholds that are not torn down

With these problems, the Christians and churches are in need of more prayers and support.