The life of persecuted Christians is being portrayed by a group of students through role playing and other activities.
The Underground, the youth division of Open Doors International, presents a program called "Night of Persecution" at colleges, churches, and youth retreats. The program is allowing students to experience and reflect upon the stresses and pressures persecuted Christians are facing everyday. The Underground also offers students information about persecuted Christians around the world as helps them to find the ways to become involved in supporting the persecuted Church.
Jeff Shreve, coordinator for the Night of Persecution, shares the eye-opening experience he gained through the program:
"The biggest surprise to me, whenever we take our programs on the road or go to a youth group or a college meeting," Shreve says, "is just how unaware people are -- even kids with a desire for the mission field and people who have been on short-term mission trips and everything -- of what's going on throughout the world with persecuted Christians."
Shreve says that this program is based on Apostle James’ teaching - "faith without works is dead."
"Knowing something is good; but if we're not doing anything about it, there's not really any point," the program coordinator says, "so we encourage [the young people]. We give them several opportunities and ways to get involved, be that through prayer, through going to visit the persecuted Church, through a letter-writing campaign (if they're not old enough to travel), [and] also, of course, financially."
An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer persecution such as interrogation, arrest, and even death for their faith in Christ. Through Open Doors International's ministry, many Christians in the US, who are not much aware of how it is like to be persecuted as they are practicing their faith in Christ in the land of religious freedom, will gain awareness of the plight of persecuted Christians around the world.
