Pastors report being attacked at home by ‘LGBTQ left-wing activists’ who threatened to kill them
A married couple who serve as pastors at the same church, along with two close relatives, say four “LGBTQ left-wing activists” attacked their family home in Sydney, Australia, and threatened to kill them days after their address was posted online.
Echo Church, the Pentecostal congregation Andrew Sedra leads with his wife, Noleen, said in a Facebook post that the men confronted the couple at their doorstep, along with their relatives Martin and Millicent Sedra and the relatives’ newborn baby.
The post quoted the men shouting, “I will f---ing kill you,” “I will take you m-----f----- down,” and “I know where you live and I’ll be at your doorstep every night.” It asked supporters to pray for the family’s protection and safety.
Protestia reported that four people, two of them hooded, arrived at the home on the night of Sept. 3, cut its electricity, and tried to force their way inside.
Andrew Sedra posted a video of the encounter on X, in which he said the intruders knew the whole family by name, including a newborn baby, and mentioned the child repeatedly while threatening to kill and destroy the household.
The family said it was awaiting further instructions from the Australian Police and asked supporters to keep the Sedras in prayer while they worked out their next steps, according to My Christian Daily.
“Please pray for the Sedra family’s protection and safety,” they wrote on Facebook.
The family, which reportedly has Coptic Egyptian roots, was quoted as saying that they had previously faced religious persecution before moving to Australia.
The Sedras have publicly opposed same-sex relationships and abortion and criticized the growing influence of Islam in Western countries, along with feminism and “wokeism.”
The congregation is based in southwest Sydney, according to Jubilee Cast.
The family has asked for help relocating after the attack.
Police have been in contact with the Sedras but reportedly told them that officers could take only “reactive, not preventative” steps, leading the family to conclude that moving was the safest option.
The family said they faced threats tied to their ministry for more than a year but hadn't previously sought financial help, but has since started a fundraising campaign on the Christian crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo to cover the cost of an urgent move.
The family also said they would “continue to preach the truth of the Bible with courage and boldness” and that their resolve had not weakened.
