A new annual June event to pray for Christians held captive is introduced by Christelle Amaya of Open Doors Canada.
A few years ago Gary Stagg was praying and felt called to focus on those held prisoner and captive for faith-related reasons. Acts 12:5 resonated strongly, “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying earnestly for him.”
Stagg called his teammates at Open Doors Canada, where he is executive director, and shared what God had placed on his heart. The team discussed how to encourage Canadians to pray in this way, and came up with an idea called One With Them (OneWithThem.ca).
One With Them is an annual June event in which churches and believers across Canada commit to praying for the many Christians worldwide who are imprisoned or held captive because of their faith in Jesus. This culminates on One With Them Sunday, which falls on June 23 this year,when we will standunited in prayer for our brothers and sisters who share our faith but not our freedom.
Christians are being held captive for their faith in many places around the world. According to the Open Doors 2024 World Watch List research, last year 4,125 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced and imprisoned because of their faith. Another 3,906 Christians were abducted. And these are just the cases we know about. In North Korea, the most dangerous country to live in as a Christian, around 60,000 believers are being held in labour camps.
One with Them is a time to remember captives like Leah Sharibu. Leah was just 14 years old in 2018 when she was kidnapped by extremists from her school in Dapchi, Nigeria, along with over 100 of her classmates. A month following the kidnapping, every girl was released except for Leah. She was declared a “slave for life” because she refused to deny her faith in Christ. At last (unconfirmed) report, she was married off for the second time to an extremist fighter.
We think of Medhi Akbari – also known as Yasser – currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in Iran for being part of a house church. Yasser and three others were arrested during a raid in 2019. He was not permitted a lawyer when he was charged with actions against the country’s security and was convicted in a five-minute trial.
We think of Dr. Kiflu, one of many pastors held captive in Eritrea. He was imprisoned in 2004, and his family has not been able to visit him since he was detained. Currently, there are about 1,000 Christians imprisoned in Eritrea who have not been charged with any crime.
Just this week there are news reports that a pastor and his wife have been kidnapped by extremists in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are two among hundreds who have been taken by militant extremist groups in Sub-Saharan Africa.
News like this from around the world arrives all too regularly. It can easily feel overwhelming and discouraging, but we pray because we serve a powerful God for whom nothing is impossible. We pray because Hebrews 13:3 tells us to “remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
As we pray for these dear believers, we ask the Lord for their freedom and release, but we also pray that while they are held, wherever they may be, they will remain firmly rooted in their faith and that they will sense the nearness of the Lord who has promised to never leave us or abandon us.
We know that the God who worked in the New Testament is the same God who works today. So, just as the church prayed for Peter then, we live out Acts 12:5 today. While our brothers and sisters in Christ are in prison, we, the church, pray earnestly for them.
This year, One With Them Sunday is June 23. We hope that all believers across Canada will join the campaign. To learn more, visit www.onewiththem.ca.
Christelle Amaya is advocacy and engagement officer at Open Doors Canada.