URGENT: Please Help Persecuted Christians

URGENT: Please Help Persecuted Christians
By Stuart Lachlan Bennett, Special to ASSIST News Service
CHARLOTTE, NC (ANS – March 30, 2015) -- Dear Subscribers and Friends of ASSIST News Service: Did you know that ANS has a unique platform to draw world attention to the plight of persecuted Christians? ANS news stories go out to an extraoridnary numer of news and media outlets.
While the list includes major Christian radio and TV stations, newspapers and magazines, many international news providers such as UPI and Associated Press also use some of our ANS stories.
It seems that countries we often hear mentioned in the news such as Iraq, Syria, North Korea and Nigeria aare actually countries where there is persecution. According to Open Doors, “100 million Christians in 60 countries are persecuted for their faith” and on average “322 are killed for their faith each month”.
Can you believe that? There are so many Christians suffering for their faith today that it is hard to comprehend. ANS has a mandate to bring you their stories. Why? The book of the Acts of the Apostles documents the perseverance and persecution of the early church, but the acts of these modern day saints is still being written!
This is not fiction; these are stories of real people, like Asia Bibi, the Pakistani mother-of-five, who is on death row for speaking up for Jesus, or Pastor Saeed Abedini, who is serving eight years in a violent Iranian prison for his faith. .
These, and so many others,  are today’s heroes of the faith. The church needs to know their names so we can pray for these brothers and sisters who are imprisoned. What is their crime? Simply claiming Jesus Christ as their Lord. But perhaps God is also challenging some to do more? You may need to fight for justice and demand freedom for someone imprisoned for their faith. Whatever God calls you to do, please don’t just sit on the sidelines.
You can help by partnering with ANS today. The more we broadcast what is happening around the world, the more we can help those in need. This is a great opportunity for you to help the persecuted church.
Please help ANS get these stories out by supporting the ministry on a monthly basis. Will you partner with ANS today?
Your gift helps us maintain the news service and get the truth out to the world.
If you would like to invest in this vital ministry, just go to http://www.oldassistnews.net/assist/donations.htm where you can make a donation. You can also send a check made out to ASSIST, and mail it to PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609, USA. (All gifts in the US are tax-deductible).
On a lighter note: I hope you’ve had time to visit the new ASSIST website. It has great features to easily let you link your Facebook or Twitter account to keep you up to date. I’m also sure many of you appreciate the new email delivery system that allows stories to be sent to you as soon as they are published. The ANS news team, led by international journalist, Dan Wooding, is committed to delivering the best service - free of charge. If you rely on ANS for news, what not share it with your friends? Just forward this link so they can also sign up for our news bulletins.
Photo caption: 1) Asia Bibi, the Pakistan Christian mother on death row for her faith. 2) Saeed Abedini, serving eight years in a violent Iranian prison for his faith, pictured here with his wife, Naghmeh, during happier times.
** You can republish any of our stories with full attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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