Christian Protestant Church in Bali (GKPB)
Christians represent a small minority on Bali. Of the 2.5 million Balinese, 12,000 are Christians, and around 7,500 of them are members of the GKPB. It was not before the beginning of the 1930s that the Dutch permitted missionary work on Bali and for a long time after, the Hindu population reacted with fear and resistance towards this foreign, Western religion. In the meantime, however, the church is at home on Bali and the GKPB tries to serve society in general, not just its church members. It supports and accompanies resettlement programmes for Balinese who want to escape the overpopulated island, and it works together with the churches at the places where the people are resettled. It subsidises schools, health centres and a school for hotel management. In the midst of an economy totally geared towards tourism, this school honours ethical principles and the maintenance of cultural values on Bali. On the whole, the church is trying to bring Christian belief and Balinese cultural roots into symbiosis, for example by sponsoring art projects that make attempts in this direction.
