This Sunday is a day dedicated to praying for Christians who are being held captive, to show solidarity for the brothers and sisters who still believe even though it can cost them their lives.
Open Doors Canada began in 1955 and has grown exponentially, spreading their reach to help others know God's name locally, nationally and internationally. Today, Open Doors works in more than 70 countries around the world in places where being a Christian is practically a death sentence.
Open Doors Canada has designated June as the month to hold their One With Them campaign which is where Christians are encouraged to pray for those who are being persecuted and forced into confinement for their belief in Christ.
"It was born back a few years ago where I realized Christians are being put in prison every day," says Gary Stagg, Executive Director of Open Doors Canada. "Last year alone, there were 4200 Christians that were detained without trial, and a lot of them were put in prison and being held captive. We hear that all the time, then we know their names and their stories, but then they go to prison and we almost forget about them."
Stagg continues to say he was inspired by scripture in Acts 12 where the church prayed for Peter who was held in prison. The One With Them campaign aims to encourage believers to pray for their brothers and sisters who are being unjustly held captive.
Stagg shares a story of a young girl from India who was given a New Testament, she read it and found Jesus. Her mother found out and started to beat her every day, shouting to renounce her faith, but the girl never did. In an effort to rid her daughter's stubbornness to the Christian religion, the mother brought her to a witch doctor to brainwash her into forgetting. It got so bad that the witch doctor attempted to rape the girl, but she was able to fight him off and run away.
"She knew from that moment on that she could not go back home and so she found safety in a safe house with one of our workers, where she was taken to a house for persecuted women. We asked her, 'At any time, did you have doubts or were you tempted to renounce your faith?' She said, 'Never, not once. I could never deny my Jesus. He is my everything. He is my life.'"
For those interested in joining Open Doors Canada for their One With Them campaign on June 25, visit their website and take the prayer pledge. After taking the pledge, people will be able to download a five-day devotional which emphasizes Christians' duty to always pray.
There's also a tool kit for pastors wishing to incorporate this into their Sunday service.
"We would also say everyone can join us when we do our One With Them live event on our Facebook page and through our website. This coming Sunday, on the 25th at 7 p.m. ET, you can join us there and we would love to have you join together for this prayer meeting where we pray for these people."