Pastors Rodian and Kelly know the cost of following Jesus. Their home in Colombia was where they held their church, in the city of Santa Marta, until it was burnt to the ground in August 2024. The leader of an armed criminal group had ordered its destruction after hearing Rodian preach from the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we come together to pray on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, it\u2019s people like Pastor Rodian and Pastor Kelly that we stand alongside. We not only pray for<\/em> them, but with<\/em> them \u2014 and many others facing injustice around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You join with the wife waiting for news of her disappeared husband; the parents fighting for their daughter\u2019s safe return; and the child who just wants an equal chance in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You echo the voices behind bars in Iran, in isolation cells in Nicaragua, and in shipping containers in Eritrea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You join the hushed prayers of the household in North Korea, whose only church is their family. And you join the defiant prayers of Pastor Ezra Jin from China, who said before his impending arrest: \u2018Hallelujah. The Gospel will spread.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Together we stand with people just like these, raising their cases before the God of justice. So let us pray urgently. Let us pray faithfully. And let us pray without ceasing, as Paul encouraged while he himself was an \u2018ambassador in chains\u2019: \u2018Always keep on praying for all the Lord\u2019s people.\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Find resources and get involved at\u00a0csw.org.uk\/idop<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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