Christians Around the World to Commemorate Persecuted Church on International Day of Prayer This Sunday

ABOVE: David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, appeared on CBN's Prayer Link to talk more about the 2021 International Day of Prayer. CBN's Prayer Link airs weekly on the CBN News Channel.

The International Day of Prayer (IDOP) for persecuted Christians is Sunday, Nov. 7. 

It's a day for all believers around the world to come together to lift up those who have been silenced, tortured, or imprisoned for boldly sharing the word of God.

The initiative was launched over two decades ago as a way to pray for the oppressed who constantly face violence and imprisonment for their faith.

David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, an advocacy organization for persecuted Christians worldwide and the creator of the annual World Watch List, is encouraging churches to take part in this special day of prayer.

During an interview with CBN's Prayer Link, Curry explained why it's important to set aside time to pray for those who suffer for their faith in Christ.

"Over 340 million Christians are persecuted or oppressed because of their faith in Jesus," Curry explained. "Some of those places like North Korea are exceptionally difficult if you're caught with the Bible, you may spend the rest of your life in prison or even lose your life."

He continued, "Then there are other places around the world where the Gospel is opposed. You may be harassed and bothered so there are any number of ways people can be persecuted for their faith."

Open Doors, which has existed for nearly 70 years, has teams located around the world who stand with persecuted believers and help them obtain the resources they need.

"We go and stand with them," Curry said. "We don't just airlift it in. We're going to deliver things to them."

He asserted that "prayer is what it's all about" and to "pray is to actively do something to help someone else."

Churches, small groups, and families can join the International Day of Prayer by downloading the Pray for the Persecuted app as a way to receive detailed, real-time prayer requests from persecuted Christians.

The International Day of Prayer is Sunday, November 7th. The film "Sabina: Tortured for Christ" is in select theaters November 8th. Click here to find out where you can see the film in your area. 

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