St Marks Church Utley. Serving Christ, one another and the world

Open Doors

Open Doors is an international ministry serving persecuted Christians and the suffering church worldwide. Open Doors is involved in supplying Bibles, leadership training, Scripture-based literacy programmes and livelihood projects. It also seeks to mobilise the church to serve Christians living under religious persecution.

Lucinda Smith is the church representative for Open Doors, and would be more than happy to answer questions, and give information regarding Open Doors to anyone who may be interested. It is on my heart to try and get us all to be thinking of our brothers and sisters who suffer for their faith in Jesus – we are all one body and when one suffers, we all suffer.

St Mark’s financially supports Open Doors’ Women’s ministry – martyred widows, victimised Christian women, those in polygamous marriages and poorly educated girls seeking to teach and be effective for God.

Every year one Sunday is designated as Suffering Church Sunday. Our services that day will cause us to reflect on and pray for the persecuted. I believe it is important to OUR faith to encounter the Suffering Church . It is not a one way street with Western Christians ‘helping them’. In our wealth, security and freedom, we would do well to learn from those in poverty, isolation and grief – their trust in the faithfulness of God in often horrendous situations is indeed humbling!