President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan has pledged to continue creating favourable conditions for the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North) to continue making contributions to national development.

During the September 27 working session with the church, the VFF president, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, hailed its efforts over the past years, saying that he hopes the church will continue guiding its followers to well perform both their citizenship and religious responsibilities.

He said he hopes that the forthcoming 34 th General Assembly of the Church, scheduled for October 2 in Hanoi with the expected participation of 500 delegates, will be a success.

Pastor Nguyen Huu Mac, Head of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North), said the church currently has 950 smaller organisations with 150,000 followers and 155 pastors in 27 localities.

The church has set up the School of Bible and Theology in Hanoi . The first course opened this month with 25 students, he said.

As a member of the VFF, the church has actively responded to movements launched by the organisation, such as those to support the poor and build new-style rural areas.

From 2008-2012, the church raised more than 4 billion VND for charity, he added.-VNA