This year, we are celebrating 45 years of CSW!
In that time, CSW has grown into an international organisation that is at the forefront of protecting freedom of religion or belief for all, in over 20 countries.
We give God thanks for sustaining us for so many years. We are also deeply grateful to every individual and organisation that has partnered with CSW through their prayers, gifts and campaigning at any point along our journey so far. Together, with God, we’re making a difference. Thank you!
Reverend Martin Truscott has been supporting CSW with a monthly gift for over 30 years. He said:
‘I can’t remember how I first got involved with CSW – it’s been part of my life for a long time. Like many people of my generation, my father was a prisoner of war, so freedom was very important to him. He and my mother taught us that we all belong to each other and that not everyone is the same as us – it was just the way we lived. Supporting CSW became a part of this for me. I receive the magazine regularly and I’ve kept involved by praying and preaching.
‘To those who are not yet involved, I would say: think about the freedoms you take for granted. They were spelled out by Franklin D Roosevelt: “freedom of speech… freedom of worship… freedom from want… freedom from fear”.
‘Looking ahead, we still need to live in hope. It’s incredibly important that we keep on working towards justice.’
‘Suddenly, Christians were free to worship…’
CSW’s Founder President, Mervyn Thomas, also shared his reflections:
‘We started CSW in 1979 in response to Christian persecution in Eastern Europe – the old Soviet Bloc. We felt God had called us to ‘speak up for those who couldn’t speak up for themselves’ (Proverbs 31:8).
‘Ten years later, communist governments fell throughout Eastern Europe and suddenly overnight Christians were free to worship and practice their faith freely.
‘During the early eighties, we campaigned for Romanian Orthodox priest Father George Calciu, who had been in prison for 21 years, including several years in solitary confinement. The young MP David Alton was travelling to Romania in 1984 and, whilst our supporters were praying in the UK, David spoke to Romanian government officials and Father Calciu was released from prison.
‘After communism fell, we looked around the world and found that not only were Christians persecuted, but also other religious minorities. Proverbs 31 told us to speak up for all who couldn’t speak up for themselves, so we began campaigning for freedom of region or belief for all, in accordance with Article 18 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
‘Today the situation is as bad as ever, but nevertheless thanks to our efforts over the years, there is more awareness of the issues than ever before. Therefore, I have hope because we have in place initiatives like the International Religious and Belief Alliance (IRFBA) with 40 member countries working together to make a difference, and CSW is right at the heart of IRFBA, with three people serving on their panel of experts.’
Thank you so much for supporting CSW and helping to bring about so many breakthroughs over the years!
Join the movement.
Together, we are working towards a world free of religious persecution. Visit csw.org.uk/donate to make a special anniversary gift or set up a monthly gift, if you can, so that CSW can continue to speak up for people suffering for their beliefs for as long as they need us.