1 in 7 CHRISTIANS PERSECUTED: SUNDAY IS WORLDWIDE PRAYER DAY FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
Christians in an estimated 100,000 churches in 130 countries worldwide are expected to join together over the next two Sundays to pray especially for persecuted Christians. The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) has been observed annually on the first and second Sundays of November each year since being established more than 20 years ago by the World Evangelical Association.
Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley says her organization is providing free materials to help Korean churches and Christians participate in the worldwide event, at www.vomkorea.com/en/idop.
“Today 360 million Christians—about 1 in 7 Christians worldwide—face persecution for their faith,” says Representative Foley, citing statistics from the World Evangelical Association’s Religious Liberty Commission. “Last year, an average of 16 Christians were killed each day for their faith, while another 17 were arrested and 10 were abducted. Overall last year, more than 200,000 Christians were forced to leave their homes or go into hiding for faith-related reasons. The numbers are staggering, but behind every number is a story. Typically the story is one of Christian perseverance and God’s faithfulness.”
Rebecca pictured with the Bible she rescued from the remains of her burnt home.
Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s 2022 IDOP video, “Rebecca: Nigeria”, tells the true story of a Nigerian woman forced to watch helplessly with her daughter as Boko Haram militants killed her husband and son and burned her home.
Representative Foley says that the video highlights the miracle that gave the woman hope to continue on with her faith after the massacre.
“When Rebecca searched through her completely burnt home after the fire, she found the Bible that she and her husband had received on their wedding day,” says Representative Foley. “In the video Rebecca says, ‘I still use this Bible. It reminds me of God’s faithfulness.’”
Screen capture of the “Rebecca: Nigeria” video which shows her village being burnt by Boko Haram militants.
“We hope families, small groups, and churches will watch this video and then pray especially that God will grant every Christian in a hostile area or restricted nation access to their own Bible,” says Representative Foley.
The video is available for free viewing at https://vomkorea.com/en/idop/.
Visitors can also sign up to receive Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s free 2023 Prayer Calendar, with daily prayer requests for persecuted Christians, along with the free monthly newsletter containing updated prayer information.