Imagine being imprisoned, beaten, or even worse, killed, if a Bible is found in your home.

Imagine worshipping in a church service that you know could be bombed at any moment.

Imagine being denied education or a job and struggling to survive.

All because you believe in Jesus.

Today 1 out of every 8 Christians live in a country where they suffer some form of persecution. And this past year was even more challenging as Christians were refused aid in the COVID-19 crisis.

On November 7, 2021, we are joining a global prayer movement for persecuted Christians worldwide. Join us on International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church to remember, pray for, and support our brothers and sisters.

Providing God’s Word Amid Persecution

American Bible Society, along with Bible Societies around the world, is committed to providing Bibles where Christians are persecuted for their faith. Together, we have provided God’s Word at pivotal moments in critical places. At the end of China’s Cultural Revolution, a Bible printing press, which in just 30 years has printed more than 200 million Bibles, was established in a country where the Bible had been banned for years. When the Iron Curtain collapsed, Bible Societies were established throughout the former Soviet Union, providing God’s Word in a region where Christianity was heavily suppressed.

Today, we support persecuted Christians by providing digital Bible resources that supply the Word of God even through seasons of danger and oppression.

4 Ways You Can Pray

Now more than ever, persecuted Christians need our prayers. All around the world, where we are seeing extreme levels of persecution, our prayers can make a difference. Here’s how you can pray:

• Pray for unshakeable faith. Believers are often physically attacked, imprisoned, rejected by their community, or denied jobs. It is in these hardships that fear can hinder believers from sharing their faith. Ask God to grant these believers courage so they will continue to spread the gospel of Jesus.
• Pray for Christian community. Many believers feel isolated as they have little to no contact with other Christians. Pray that believers who face great suffering for following Christ will have access to a community of Christians to support and build them up.
• Pray that persecuted believers will have access to God’s Word. As Bible Societies use solar-powered audio devices, radio programs, and other innovative means to provide Scripture, pray that every persecuted believer will have access to God’s Word. Pray that God’s Word will help them stay well-grounded in their faith, reliant on God’s strength, and confident during extreme hardships.
• Pray for peace and contentment. Pray that persecuted Christians will experience God’s peace despite their struggles. Ask God to grant them his joy through relationship with him. Pray that Matthew 5:10 (GNT) will be demonstrated in their lives: “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!”