Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: January 11, 2025
If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8)
With deep sadness, we report that a Protestant pastor and his family were killed in a targeted assassination in northern Colombia just after Christmas.
The family was having lunch after attending a service on Sunday 29 December when they were fired at repeatedly by gunmen on a motorcycle. Pastor Marlon Lora (43), his wife Yorley Rincon (40), and daughter Ángela (24) were killed instantly. Their son Santiago (21) was severely injured and passed away in hospital a few days later.
A well-loved family
Pastor Lora and his wife led the Prince of Peace Villaparaguay Church, which is part of the Missionaries Biblical Churches (IBM) denomination. Pastor Lora oversaw 35 urban and rural churches across several areas in the region, frequently travelling to support the congregations.
The couple’s adult children were active in the local church. Ángela worked as a communications and journalism professional for Aguachica’s public utilities company, while Santiago was a systems engineering student.
Pastor Lora had expressed concerns about possible threats to another pastor, though he had not provided details. His supervisor, Pastor Bermúdez, told us:
‘Marlon was like many of us pastors—we keep quiet about many things so that everything runs smoothly, even while we carry heavy burdens inside.’
The murder of Pastor Marlon Lora and his family is not an isolated case.
Since the 29 December assassinations, more pastors in in Aguachica have received threats. At least one pastoral couple has fled into hiding.
On 11 November, evangelical pastor Salvador Zapateiro Mercado was killed under suspicious circumstances in Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast. He was watching a football match at a local shop.
On 13 November, brothers Ever and Gerson García Vélez were murdered on their own farm. They were active members of a faith community in Valle del Cauca, western Colombia.
We cry out against this violence – calling on the Lord to bring comfort, justice and peace. Please pray:
- For who are mourning the loss of Pastor Marlon Lora, Yorley, Ángela and Santiago.
- That their killers would be brought to justice and for protection over other religious leaders in Aguachica.
- That the Colombian government would recognise that religious leaders are in grave danger because of their role as peacemakers in society. Pray that they would reinstate and increase protections for those in the religious sector.
- That God would transform the hearts of all of those involved in illegal armed groups, including members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), which has a long history of targeting religious leaders.
P.S. Please remember the Tarfa family this week. The next court hearing of the Du Merci case is scheduled for 14 January in Kano State, Nigeria.