In her address to MPs and parliamentarians in January at the launch of this year’s World Watch List, Henrietta Blyth (CEO of Open Doors UK) made the following statement, “In fragile and volatile contexts, persecution and discrimination thrive in the gaps where institutions are weak, accountability is absent and violent actors believe no-one is watching… our partners don’t ask for sympathy or money, they ask for moral courage”
Those who seek to persecute our Christian brothers and sisters like to do so in the shadows, they concentrate on places where no-one is looking. This is why groups like ISIS and Islamic State have moved their operations from The Middle East where they were targeted and largely defeated by western backed forces to Africa where the majority of countries are poorly resourced and don’t have the ability to confront them.
Without anyone to speak on their behalf, Christians in countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique are at the mercy of these cruel militias who see it as their God given duty to wipe out entire Christian communities – and if no-one is looking or raising concerns about it, they will continue to do so.
So what can we do? These places are far away, difficult to reach and it might seem hard to believe that we can make a difference. However, doing nothing is simply not an option. Here are a few things we can do:
- Pray – Brother Andrew once said that there are no borders or barriers that prayer cannot cross and no places it cannot reach. Each month Open Doors produces a Prayer Diary with an item for prayer on each day which, as well as being a prayer guide will also keep you informed of what is happening in and to the Persecuted Church on a regular basis.
- Give – We may not be able to go ourselves to these far flung places, but Open Doors has people on the ground in most of these countries where the suffering is being felt most keenly. They give practical, spiritual and emotional support to our persecuted family and even a small gift makes a big difference to the amount of work they can do.
- Speak Up – It is easy to under estimate just what an influence your voice can have. Thanks to Open Doors supporters sending out invitations, a record number MPs (113) attended this year’s World Watch List launch in Parliament. We don’t always realise the influence that the UK can have on the world stage and if your MP believes that his or her constituents see supporting the Persecuted Church as a priority, they will take action to help fight persecution and inequality both at home and abroad.
– Hugh Shepheard-Walwyn