LIBERIA — Mercy Ships has announced the arrival of the Global Mercy, the world’s largest purpose-built charity hospital ship capable of more than doubling the charity’s surgical and training capacity. The 174-meter, 37,000-ton ship will have six operating rooms and house over 600 volunteers from around the globe representing many disciplines including surgeons, maritime crew,…
PORTLAND, OR — There’s no question this has been one of the most difficult years in history, and pastors and church leaders have not been immune to this pain. Many are struggling to keep perspective, stay encouraged, and lead their churches well. In an effort to bring unique encouragement and support to pastors during this…
WILLS POINT, TX — Supported by a small band of local volunteers and ministry partners, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is gearing up to give away hundreds of free food packages Saturday, Oct. 24, to help local families impacted by COVID-19. The COVID-19 food relief giveaway is the fourth grocery distribution in recent months at…
WASHINGTON, DC – Global Handwashing Day is October 15. The annual observance was established by the Global Handwashing Partnership in 2008. The Partnership is a coalition of private sector entities, academic institutions, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations that collaborate to promote handwashing. I thought that responsibility belonged to my parents. “Don’t touch anything with your…
BAKERSFIELD, CA — Since the United States Department of Agriculture Farmers to Families Food Box Program launched in May 2020, CityServe’s collaborative network of churches and faith-based organizations have distributed over 5 million food boxes across the United States. Food box distribution in CityServe’s network totals over 120 million pounds of wholesome foods delivered to…
LOS ANGELES — The Restart Learning Center, now in its tenth week of operation, is a new service the Los Angeles Dream Center began providing at their Echo Park campus at the start of an unusual school year. With remote learning providing an additional challenge for working families, and unstable or non-existent wifi connections for…
BURKINA FASO — Following an escalation in violence against Christians in Burkina Faso in West Africa since June 2019, countless believers have been forced to flee leaving them in desperate need of food supplies. Churches have been attacked by radical Jihadists, with at least 50 Christians murdered and thousands more displaced. Open Doors has responded…
EASTON, MD — As Lebanon’s capital, Beirut reels from a catastrophic explosion disaster that destroyed more than 100 schools, the response of a faith-based satellite television network in the Middle East is broadcasting free lessons every day to thousands of children unable to go back to school. Some 120 public and private schools in Beirut…
QARAQOSH, IRAQ — When the so-called Islamic State (IS) took over their town, Qaraqosh in northern Iraq, Mathi and his family had no choice but to flee. He, his wife Nazik and their six children fled to safety – they knew that their Christian faith made them extremely vulnerable. Five years later, thanks to support…
USA — When COVID-19 hit, Joni and Friends developed creative new ways to serve families across America living with disabilities. Through Family Retreat at Home they’re providing spiritual refreshment as they focus on God’s love and connect with other families facing similar challenges. Tabitha Williams – Joni & Friends Bay Area Family Retreat at Home…
PITTSBURGH — A pandemic won’t stop FLM Haiti’s efforts to provide needed support for the Haitian people. In fact, the need is even greater this year as Haiti continues to fight the impact of COVID-19 and other ongoing challenges related to education, health care, and housing. With that in mind, the Functional Literacy Ministry (FLM…
LONDON, ENGLAND — There are believed to be around 500 Christian prisoners of faith in Eritrea, many imprisoned indefinitely under appalling conditions. However recent reports indicate a growing number of them have been released. A trusted contact of Release International says the government has set free 27 prisoners, most of whom have been behind bars…
ORLANDO — Despite the unprecedented slew of pandemic-related shutdowns, quarantines, and schedule delays, the Christ for All Nations (CfaN) team has not missed a single Gospel Crusade. In fact, 2020 has been one of their busiest years and by the end of the year, they will have had the most crusades in a single calendar…
WASHINGTON, DC — Evangelist Franklin Graham says for believers, the most important weapon is prayer – and that’s what he and thousands of his brother and sisters in Christ were doing in America’s capital today: praying … for America. The focus of Prayer March 2020 from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol – a…
NORTH KOREA — North Korea is on the verge of a catastrophic meltdown according to reports reaching Open Doors from North Korean Christians. “North Korea faces a major crisis with multiple causes,” says Timothy Cho, North Korean escapee. “Covid-19 lockdown, catastrophic flooding, and international sanctions.” Although the North Korean Government has claimed that they have…
ISRAEL — Shaya Ben-Yehuda, managing director of international relations at Yad Vashem, shares regarding the incredible true story of Corrie ten Boom. In Jewish culture, we believe that only very few, the most virtuous of all, have the distinction of passing through the “gateway to the Lord” while still in this world. Similarly, very few…
SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Discussing religion and politics at a neighborhood barbeque may be considered bad form, but a new two-dimensional survey commissioned by the non-profit and non-partisan Presidential Prayer Team (PPT), first to the general public of Americans (reflected here) and second to the vast prayer team membership, shows that the mixing of prayer and…
WEST DES MOINES, IA — A former domestic abuser turned non-profit leader has launched a new national campaign challenging churches across America to help “halt the epidemic of domestic violence.” Michael Clark — an ex-abuser jailed twice for domestic violence — is calling on America’s churches to tackle the nation’s domestic abuse crisis head-on during…
MIDDLETOWN, CA — “Spiritual fire” means a believer in Christ “on fire”–zealous to cleanse from old sins, turning away from the world’s ways to God’s Way, ready to love neighbors, telling them that Christ is real and gives hope for their lives. Over 8,000 California fires just in the year 2020. Over 5 million acres…
WASHINGTON — In round two of the United States Department of Agriculture Farmers to Families Food Box Program, CityServe, a faith-based nonprofit, and Gold Star Foods Inc., one of the nation’s leading nutrition providers to K-12 schools and USDA approved contractor, collaborated in a unique partnership to feed families. Occurring from July 2 through September…
WILLS POINT, TX — Former California megachurch pastor and bestselling author Francis Chan — who has moved to Asia to serve the poor — has revealed how his view of “true” faith was turned upside down by Gospel for Asia founder and mission pioneer Dr. K.P. Yohannan. Chan says his dramatic shift from well-known pastor…
QAMISHLI, SYRIA — Pastor George Moushi leads a church in Qamishli, northern Syria. His church responded when the region was invaded by Turkish forces last autumn, providing vital aid for many vulnerable Syrians. Support from Open Doors has kept them going as they faced a very visible threat – bombs, soldiers, Islamic extremists and now…
SANFORD, FL — Ligonier Ministries will release the first episode of a new podcast, Luther: In Real Time, on October 10. As its title suggests, the dramatic podcast enables listeners to walk in Martin Luther’s footsteps five hundred years to the day, from his heresy charges on October 10, 1520, to his famous stand for…
CALIFORNIA, USA — Samaritan’s Purse is helping homeowners in Santa Cruz, California, where hundreds of houses burned to the ground in the wake of terrible wildfires. Sharing God’s love in word and deed, their volunteers are sifting through the ashes to find personal treasures for affected families. Mark Bingham, Fire Chief, Boulder Creek Fire Dept….
WILLS POINT, TX — With the number of COVID-19 cases in India surging past five million and climbing rapidly, ongoing hunger-relief efforts continue to stave off starvation across pandemic-ravaged Asia. In some areas, hunger is forcing people to take the most extreme measures. One man was captured on video apparently eating a dead dog off…
WASHINGTON — Coptic Solidarity’s 5th Annual Modern Coptic Martyrs Day will be hosted on Zoom this Friday, October 9th at 2 PM, Eastern Standard Time. This year’s event will be held on the ninth anniversary of the Maspero Massacre when 27 Copts were brutally murdered by the Egyptian Army while they were peacefully protesting a…
CHAMPAIGN, IL — When support from mainland U.S. dropped due to the COVID 19 pandemic, orphanages in Haiti faced a food shortage. A church in Puerto Rico applied to empty tomb®, inc.’s Mission Match® to fill the gap. Even though Puerto Rico is still recovering from Hurricane Maria (2017), Pastor Rolando Cruz of the Iglesia…
WILLS POINT, TX — Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing World Mosquito Day and how GFA workers are using the day to bring hope into the lives of their neighbors. World Mosquito Day, observed on August 20, marks the date in 1897…
SAN ANTONIO, TX — Recovery Sunday is this Sunday, September 27th, offering hope to Christian drug addicts. Almost 21 million Americans have at least one addiction. Only 10% receive treatment. 2 million Americans are addicted to opioids – a class of drugs which block sensations of pain and cause euphoria. From 1999 to 2017, more…
LOUISIANA — Thanks to the quick response of their many ministry partners and the local church Christian charity Somebody Cares has been providing urgent relief supplies to those impacted by hurricane Laura in Sulphur, Louisiana. They have been distributing much needed meals and other items to residents and first responders who are not only dealing…
BEIRUT — Following Beirut’s devastating explosion several recent initiatives have seen SAT-7 staff bring food and water to those continuing the mammoth task of clearing glass and securing buildings, including providing a breakfast to one volunteer group. Maroun Bou Rached, SAT-7 Lebanon’s Executive Director. explains why their team were preparing breakfast for 250 volunteers of…
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — This month, pro-life ministry Save the Storks delivered its 58th and 59th mobile medical units (MMU) to two pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) in El Paso, Texas. The units will arrive in Texas on Sept. 10 to coincide with a joint celebration for both PRCs. “This is such a great example of…
ENGLAND — Thanks to a remarkable acceleration of translation work despite the worldwide pandemic, Wycliffe Bible Translators reports the Bible is now available in more than 700 languages across the globe. This breakthrough comes at a significant time as people have been reading the scriptures more than ever before during this time of lockdown. A…
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — According to a 2020 LifeWay Research study, 57% of Protestant churchgoers say they find it challenging to make sense of the Bible when they read it on their own. To help bring scriptural clarity out of that confusion, Bible Gateway, the most visited Christian website in the world, is sponsoring the…
IRAQ — Dalia is a woman of remarkable spiritual strength and fortitude. Her life was threatened by so-called Islamic State and her home in the Ninevah plains was ransacked, but with support from Open Doors she has overcome these difficulties to become a leading figure in her local church. In 2014 the so-called Islamic State…
LOUISIANA — Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief teams are helping hurting homeowners in southwest Louisiana following the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Laura. The charity is responding to the great need in four southwest Louisiana locations—Lake Charles, Jennings, DeRidder, and DeQuincy. The Category 4 storm struck under the cover of darkness—creating widespread devastation and displacing hundreds…
ORLANDO, FL — Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, is providing computer tablets and virtual tools to help mother-tongue translators continue their work in spite of COVID-19 and oppression from anti-Christian authorities. “Several Christians traveled from a dangerous country to…
WILLS POINT, TX — Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing how many NGO and charity organizations, such as Gospel for Asia , have sought to fill the gap between resources and needy communities who don’t have access to them as mandatory masks…
STREAMWOOD, IL — Awana®, historically known for its midweek curriculum discipleship programs for children and youth, has released a new digital weekend curriculum “Brite,” now available via subscription. The flexible, engaging Bible lessons for elementary and student age groups fit Sunday school, large or small group models, as well as home discipleship. Awana practitioners and…
NIGERIA — Living in Plateau State in the middle band of Nigeria, Rose is in one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. Nigeria is number 12 on Open Doors World Watch List, but it’s at the top of the list for Christians murdered because of their faith. And on…
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA — Samaritan’s Purse volunteers Dan and Krupa Premkumar praise God that they can serve hurting homeowners in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in Jesus’ Name following a devastating windstorm that ripped through the area where they live. Peter Baergen, Samaritan’s Purse So we’re here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where on Monday, August 10th, a…
CHINA — The Chinese church continues to grow at a phenomenal rate with forecasts that it will reach 224 million people by 2030. This acceleration comes in the midst of what’s believed to be the country’s worst persecution of believers since the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s according to China Aid’s Bob Fu. Some of…
LOS ANGELES — With the school year underway in Los Angeles, the L.A. Dream Center has announced that on Tuesday, Aug. 18, they will resume their drive-thru food service to assist families who normally had school lunches to count on for their families. They first introduced this unique gift to the community back in March…
INDIA — Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing how COVID-19 is seriously affecting those in Asia and hoe Gospel for Asia workers are combating this in a two-tiered approach. COVID-19 poses a dual threat to the lives and livelihood of Asia’s citizens….
EASTERN AFRICA — As a young teenager in eastern Africa, Tariku was beaten and kicked out of his home for becoming a Christian. Life on the streets was hard, but he survived by carrying loads like a donkey for pennies a day. He wanted to go back to school but never dreamt what God had…
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — A write-in survey sent to friends and supporters of D. James Kennedy Ministries reveals that Christian respondents, by overwhelming margins, want their pastors to speak out on moral and cultural concerns. On issue after issue–abortion, religious liberty, poverty, sexual identity, Israel, Christian heritage, role of government, church in politics/government, and radical…
AUSTIN, TX — US college ministries, youth ministries, Christian schools, and denominations have teamed together with Campus Renewal to mobilize college Gospel movements and reduce the 70% of Christian students who leave their faith in college. The first weeks when freshmen land on their new college campus are critical to solving this tremendous problem. This…
HOLLAND, MI — As a minister of congregational care, Dr. Paul W. Swets counseled hundreds of individuals and families when a loved one was near death. In normal times, people find ways to shield themselves from thinking about the inevitable. Today, the global pandemic forces us to deal with our mortality. In a podcast from…
PERU — Angela was born in Peru with cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus. With limited financial resources, her family suffered discrimination at local hospitals as they sought out tests and therapies for their daughter. Feeling rejected, Angela’s mother prayed for help. Through Joni and Friends, Angela’s mother received a tangible answer to her request. The charity’s…
GREENVILLE, SC — America’s leading faith-based adventure group for boys has launched a new campaign to get young people out into the “great outdoors” — and inspire them to become the next “Greatest Generation.” Trail Life USA (www.TrailLifeUSA.com) — a boys adventure organization with 30,000 members in troops across all 50 states — aims to…
