People from 94 countries have signed up to dedicate prayer time to Chinese Christians.

Strong support is coming from Canada, the United States, and Australia as The Voice of the Martyrs call for prayer.

They are asking people to pray for Christians in China, saying while the world watches the Beijing Olympics next month, many Christians in China are being persecuted.

"Oppressive religious regulations and persecution have increased significantly, led by and controlled by the national government in Beijing," The Voice of the Martyrs says in their call to prayer.

So far, more than 8,000 people have committed themselves to pray.

China sits on spot 17 on Open Doors' World Watch List. The organization says sophisticated surveillance and church monitoring make it difficult to follow the Christian faith.

"The old truth that churches will only be perceived as being a threat if they become too large, too political or invite foreign guests, is an unreliable guideline," Open Doors says in their description of China's persecution. 

 

The Voice of the Martyrs prayer requests:

  1. Pray for pastors and church leaders to stand firmly for biblical truth in spite of government pressure to compromise.
  2. Pray for the encouragement of Chinese believers and that they will experience unity and fellowship as members of the body of Christ.
  3. Pray for Christians in prison. Pray for God’s protection over them, for their health and nutrition, and that they will have opportunities to witness for Christ to guards and fellow prisoners.
  4. Pray for the spread of the gospel among participants in the games and among local, provincial, and national Communist Party Leaders.
  5. Pray for the safe distribution of Bibles in every part of China.