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At eight p.m. on the eight day of the eighth month of 2008, the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing will begin.  Highly controversial, many Christians struggle with how we as Christians should respond, in light of China's well-documented abuse of Christians and other religious minorities. 

One response that we can all agree on is the need for prayer for China during the Olympics Games.  In April, as part of the Religious Liberty Partnership, The Voice of the Martyrs joined a number of other key organizations through the Religious Liberty Partnership in launching a global campaign calling for prayer for China. In particular, we are urging you and your church to join Christians from around the world in planning and participating in a special 24 hours of prayer for China on August 8, 2008 (08-08-08), the day of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics.

What are some of the things that you can do during your 24 hours?  After all, 24 hours of prayer doesn't necessarily mean 24 straight hours of verbal petition to God.

In our July edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter, we are providing a number of suggestions and a special resource kits on China that can help you as you prepare for 24 hours of prayer for China, the Christians there, and the country's leadership.  Subscribe today for The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter to receive this valuable information!  Each month, we provide special multimedia features that bring subscribers of our newsletter closer to the world in which our persecuted family lives. 

Some people mistakenly think that our weekly email news service (The Persecution and Prayer Alert) is the same as our monthly newsletter.  Actually, there is very little similarity between the two in either content or format.  Our weekly email news service provides up-to-date news and prayer requests, but its very nature precludes us from telling the whole story. We simply have to stick to the facts.  Our monthly newsletter, on the other hand, provides a far wider perspective, we are able to dig beneath the surface of a story, focusing on their courage and faith, how they became Christians in the first place, why they are prepared to give their lives for Christ and how you can respond in letting them know that they are not forgotten.  In our newsletter, you are able to read more of the "good news" of persecution, while our weekly email, by its very nature, must focus on the "bad news" of the event itself.  Our weekly email was never intended to stand on it own and it never will. It has a specific purpose of sharing up-to-date, even urgent, stories of persecution so that prayer and other forms of support can be mobilized by Christians around the world on behalf of those who are suffering for their faith. This is where email is such a valuable tool. But it was never intended to take the place of our monthly printed magazine and it will never. You need both, in my opinion, to get a complete picture of how God is at work in the world today through His Church.  But if I were asked to choose between the two, I would choose the monthly newsletter as the more helpful tool available for getting to know and serve the Persecuted Church.

Every month The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter shares testimonies, trials and triumphs of persecuted Christians from around the world. Each month you will be encouraged as you read of their faithfulness to God in the face of adversity, moved to pray and challenged to action as The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter provides practical ways to reach out in love. In-depth articles help you to get to know the names and faces of your brothers and sisters around the world as you read their testimonies of faith and courage. Challenging Bible teaching will help you discover how to be a cross-carrying disciple of Jesus Christ in your world.  And every month, we provide special multimedia tools and resources (like our China kit) that take you beyond the newsletter.

Don't miss this opportunity to fellowship with this crucial part of the Body of Christ. The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter is provided free of charge to Canadians (shipping charges apply to overseas subscribers). Click here to subscribe to this free full-colour publication. To view a sample, click here.