Pentecostal Pastor Sounds Alarm As Floods Devastate His Village In North Sumatra (Worthy News Exclusive) (VIDEO)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

PANTAI BUAYA, INDONESIA (Worthy News) – A Pentecostal pastor on Indonesia’s Sumatra island has cried out for help, saying his community has been without food, safe water supplies, and fresh clothing for days following massive flooding that killed at least hundreds of people in the region.

Pastor Joshua Hendra Cipta Barus, 49, told Worthy News tearfully that he could share only some food with members of his Gereja Bethel Indonesia (GBI) congregation after “brave Christian volunteers” managed briefly to enter.

“While Muslims have received aid, Christians are overlooked. I was overwhelmed by the fact that fellow brothers and sisters in Christ risked their lives to reach us with rice and other supplies. But more is needed. We are so hungry,” he said over a video call.

His church, with about 75 members, has been suffering because it is located in the hard-hit coastal village of Pantai Buaya, about 92 kilometres (57 miles) northeast of Medan, Sumatra’s main city. The town, situated in Besitang District of Langkat Regency in North Sumatra province, has been challenging to reach, Christian aid workers told Worthy News.

They said it would take “many hours by car” to reach the area with supplies from Medan due to damaged roads and flooding. The government — they added — has done little to help people, including Christians who already face pressure in some areas.

WIDESPREAD SUFFERING AS VILLAGES REMAIN CUT OFF

Much of the area around Pantai Buaya remains cut off from the outside world. “Some army helicopters threw rice as if we were animals,” a Christian resident told Worthy News. “The bags of rice break upon impact.” Video footage obtained by Worthy News confirmed those reports.

Pastor Barus, a father of three, said he was moved by the thought that “Christ moves hearts to help.” Yet, “my people need rice, cooking oil, eggs, and old clothes they can still wear — because they don’t have any clothing left after the flooding,” he said. Despite the difficulties, including reported persecution by church-opposing Muslims and a lack of consistent aid, he said he would not leave the area: he views his ministry as “a calling.”

However, it won’t be easy to stay. “We have lost our rice fields due to the flooding, and we live in a hostile environment,” he said.

A church worker who asked to be identified only as Victoria — citing security concerns — said she and her small team had managed to bring about 100 food packages. “But much more has to be done. There is so much suffering. Many people have lost their homes,” she told Worthy News.

Victoria saw her home swamped twice. She said she was “a bit worried” as the property had functioned as a house church and a modest kindergarten for poor children when floodwaters swept through. “We had to rush the pastor and his family to safety,” she explained. “It is raining so heavily again. Sometimes I am a bit worried.”

700+ DEAD IN SUMATRA AS FULL EXTENT OF TRAGEDY EMERGES

The extent of the overall tragedy became clear Tuesday, with government and independent assessments showing that floods and landslides across Sumatra have had catastrophic consequences.

In North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh provinces combined, the death toll has climbed to over 700, with hundreds more missing.

“So many dead bodies have been seen in Aceh on the water. People try to tie them because they cannot bury them in the waters, and they also try to save their homes,” said Victoria, who has contacts in the region.

She added that rural villages also experience cellphone outages, which further complicate communicating their needs to the outside world.

In many remote coastal and inland villages — including Pantai Buaya — aid delivery remains extremely difficult due to damaged infrastructure and blocked roads.

ASIA-WIDE FLOODING CREATES REGIONAL HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

The disaster on Sumatra is part of a larger wave of floods and landslides sweeping across Southeast Asia this week. In total, combined disasters in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia have claimed more than 1,300 lives, with nearly 900 people still missing, according to authorities.

Countries neighbouring Indonesia are also struggling: heavy monsoon rains and tropical storms have displaced millions, destroyed homes and disrupted livelihoods — a stark reminder of the increasingly volatile weather patterns linked to climate pressures, deforestation and unchecked urban expansion.

A CALL FOR GRACE, AID, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Pastor Barus, Victoria, and other believers echo a clear call: urgent, sustained humanitarian aid — not just short-term drops of rice from the air. They ask for safe, clean water supplies, clothing, food packages, and help rebuilding homes and infrastructure.

They also urge local and national authorities to ensure equitable distribution of aid — regardless of faith — especially in vulnerable minority-Christian communities in rural and coastal regions of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

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