http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s04090147.htm
ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 2126, Garden Grove, CA 92842-2126 USA
E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com, Web Site: www.assistnews.net
Monday, September 27, 2004
A DESPERATE CRY FOR HELP
International Day Of Prayer For Persecuted Church (IDOP) Nov. 14
OPEN DOORS USA
Jerry Dykstra, Media Relations Director
Phone: 616-915-4117
E-mail: JerryD@odusa.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SANTA ANA, CA (ANS) -- "This is our last cry for help. If the world will not listen to us now then they do not care. Where are the Christians of the world when we need their voices and help?"
Those are the words of an Iraqi Christian following the Aug. 1 attacks on five churches, four of them in the Baghdad area. The bombings killed 11 people and wounded over 50.
You can answer this desperate plea for help from this Christian brother in war-torn Iraq.
How? By praying and staying informed.
Open Doors USA is committed to help you and your church learn about and pray for the Persecuted Church on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) Sunday, Nov. 14, 2004. During that day millions of Christians around the world will lift up in prayer the over 200 million Christians who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. IDOP is one of the largest prayer events in the world and has been observed since 1996.
"The world is becoming more and more hostile to Christianity," says Dr. Carl Moeller, President/CEO of Open Doors USA. "It is critical that we stand together in unity in support of our persecuted brothers and sisters worldwide. And praying for those suffering for their faith - whether in Iraq or China or Colombia - is the most important action believers can take."
Breaking Prayer Requests:
Iraq: Pray for safety for the Christians living in Iraq and that violence in the country may come to an end.
North Korea: Pray for thousands of Christians in North Korea's labor camps and for the estimated 400,000 Christians who worship God in secret.
Colombia: Pray for the over 2 million internally displaced refugees in Colombia and for courage and hope in the midst of relocation, violence and intimidation.
Eritrea: Pray for hundreds of Christians who have been arrested, interrogated and tortured in this small African country over the last year for meeting in unregistered churches.
Open Doors USA is offering a free kit for pastors to assist churches in supporting the Persecuted Church. The kit will provide materials that can be used throughout the year. Request your free 2004 IDOP Pastor's Kit by contacting Open Doors USA at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (524-2535). Or order your kit at www.odusa.org (then click on IDOP on the left side of the front page).
An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors serves and strengthens the Persecuted Church in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development and prayer and presence ministry. To partner with Open Doors, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (524-2535) or go to our USA web site at www.odusa.org. To request a complimentary six-month subscription to our monthly newsletter Frontline Faith, call 888-5-BIBLE-5 or register on-line.
Jerry Dykstra
Media Relations Coordinator
Open Doors with Brother Andrew
Telephone: 616-915-4117
E-Mail: jerryd@odusa.org
Fax: 616-667-8696
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