SERVING THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

Release International serves the persecuted church around the world in five key ways:

1 Showing God's compassion
providing for the needs of the families of martyrs and prisoners

2 Serving God's church
enabling them to survive persecution and its effects

3 Sharing God's love
helping the persecuted church win to Christ those who are opposed to the gospel

4 Spreading God's Word
supplying Bibles and literature to meet the need for growth and evangelism

5 Speaking as God's advocates
being the voice of the martyrs and the oppressed

1 Showing God's compassion

Release International has a special ministry to the families of martyrs and those imprisoned for their faith in Jesus Christ. We currently support three main areas of activity:

• Helping to meet immediate needs
  Perhaps by providing a gift of money to the family, or support to help the family become self-sufficient in the longer term

• Caring for orphans
  We try to place orphaned children in the care of other families, or in a children's home

• Providing medical assistance
  Through our new initiative RI Medical, we provide practical care and support for members of the persecuted church needing surgery, care and counselling

RI helps evangelical churches to survive persecution and its effects:

• by helping leaders and believers pay fines imposed on them by the police

• by providing covert "safe houses" for new believers in dangerous circumstances

• by supplying "Life Support" packs to Christians under pressure in Sudan, Indonesia and some former Communist states

Release International helps to strengthen the persecuted church in its mission by:

• supporting the work of local pastors and evangelists, who often minister the gospel in difficult and dangerous circumstances

• providing literature, resources and equipment for evangelistic presentations

4 Spreading God's Word

supplying Bibles and literature to meet the need for growth and evangelism

RI helps meet the educational and spiritual needs facing the persecuted church by:

• helping to provide Bibles, literature and qualified teachers to equip the church to survive and grow despite difficult circumstances

• sponsoring Christian radio broadcasts

• supporting underground Bible schools to train emerging Christian leaders in areas where the church is being persecuted

Release International gives a voice to the persecuted church by:

• raising public awareness of particular situations

• campaigning through letter-writing on behalf of those who are imprisoned and tortured for their Christian faith