Christians expelled from Village of Hope in Morocco

One of the missions that our church supports is Village of Hope in Morocco.
Now the Christians there have been accused of proselytizing and have had to leave. What appears here is the official statement, and this is the link that our church website points to. We know God is in control, but for many of these children, these are the only parents they've ever known.

"The parents of VOH want to clearly state their love for the Kingdom and people of Morocco and fear this act by the authorities will cause long term damage to the excellent reputation of Morocco. Morocco is viewed by the West as a moderate and safe Islamic state with an ever improving response to social issues. The King has been a driving force behind so much positive reform and he is to be honoured for all he has done for the betterment of his people. However, actions like this are only likely to tarnish Morocco's image and have a detrimental effect on inward investment, foreign aid and tourism. If a perception grows that non-Islamic guests in Morocco and foreign led organisations are being targeted then we fear for the damage that could be caused. Key relationships with the EU and other trading partners and supporters of Morocco could be affected unless a negotiated settlement can be seen to take place. VOH, through its international investors, have pumped Millions of Moroccan dirham into infrastructure, care of children, employment of Moroccans and the local economy only to have it taken away in a matter of hours. What signal does this send to others looking to support the development of Morocco either through trade, aid or simply as a tourist.

The parents only want to be reunited with their children. Every single set of parents would return to Morocco to continue with the care of the children and continue to live under the law and authority of the State. Equally, the parents would be willing to negotiate for the release of the children into their care to the parent’s country of origin. As parents, we plead with the Moroccan authorities to open a dialogue with us as to the future well being and care of our children." Village of Hope Ain Leuh Morocco

Proselytism is defined as distributing literature of any kind (this includes Bibles and videos as well as tracts) or discussing the gospel with an intention to persuade. Did you know that our U.S. government has the same rule for churches using government grants to feed and house the poor? Even when that program is provided from within a church building? We live in a "free" country, but churches have made some very uncomfortable (in my opinion) agreements to not evangelize, not to even distribute literature, in exchange for serving the poor (see Matthew 25) with government funds in a variety of ways (not in Matthew 25).