International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
On Sunday November 15, Christians worldwide will join in remembering and praying for suffering believers through the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Churches (IDOP), an initiative of the Religious Liberty Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance.
Persecution of Christians is a widespread global problem and Alliance member organisations such as Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors, and Release International continue to work tirelessly and advocate for those who are targeted for discrimination based on their religious convictions, particularly in more 'closed' countries that have authoritarian governments such as North Korea, or emerging democracies such as Pakistan.
This year Release International is urging Christians to follow IDOP with a week of coffee mornings to raise awareness and prayer for Christians facing persecution in Eritrea.
'Eritreans traditionally eat salty popcorn with their coffee,' says Release CEO Andy Dipper. 'So invite your friends, play our new DVD Pray for Eritrea, and help us make a difference.' This 13-minute DVD focuses on the East African nation where more than 2,000 Christians have been jailed for their faith and can be found at www.releaseinternational.org.
In addition, Open Doors are calling on Christians to press the Iranian government to release two women converts from prison and to pray for them this Sunday.
'Maryam and Marzieh are suffering in an Iranian prison simply for refusing to recant their belief in Jesus Christ…they truly are modern heroes of the faith,' said Open Doors USA President Dr Carl Moeller. 'We must speak out against this injustice.'
These two converts are believed to be sharing a cell with over 20 other women and Evin prison is well-known for its human rights violations as well as for executions in recent years. Despite harsh conditions, both women have still refused to renounce their Christian faith. A sample e-mail letter to send to the Iranian Ambassador to the UN, Mohammed Khazaee and to the government of Iran is available at www.opendoorsusa.org/.
To find out more about IDOP 2009 and to download a kit of special resources designed to help you get involved, please visit the IDOP international website at www.idop.org. This year's kit includes posters, a prayer map, prayer requests, children's materials, a four-minute video, and other resources that will help your church or group pray together with thousands of other Christians around the world for our persecuted brothers and sisters.
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