People are often amazed to find out how many Christians are being persecuted, even martyred, for their faith. The killing of followers of Jesus is not restricted to the early church or "holy wars." The slaughter continues at an alarming rate. Every year some 150,000 Christians are killed for their faith, meaning more Christians were martyred in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined. On Sunday, Nov. 12, Christians throughout the world are asked to pray for the persecuted church, a church that crosses denominational lines and national borders and is found throughout the world. The Holy Land, Pakistan, the Sudan, and elsewhere have been places where the persecuted church has been particularly oppressed, but one does not have to be in those areas to experience it.

Anglicans are no strangers to the persecuted church. A few days prior to the Lambeth Conference in 1998 the Archbishop of Canterbury unveiled 10 statues of Christian martyrs of the 20th century on the west front of Westminster Abbey. Later, at that conference, bishops from Iran, Nigeria, Sudan, Pakistan, India and elsewhere told heart-wrenching stories of genocide and torture. Members of the worldwide Anglican Communion have among us the reality of persecution, suffering, oppression and murder. The late Rev. Marc Nikkel, a longtime Episcopal missioner to the Sudan [TLC, Oct. 8], told horrific stories of persecution of Christians in the Sudan. In a nation where the Anglican Church is growing in impressive numbers, he ministered to Christians in refugee camps filled with sick, starving people. More than 2 million persons have died in civil strife in Sudan, the majority of them Christians in the south of that country.

While the idea of Christians being persecuted may be completely unfamiliar to us, we are not powerless to do something about it. We can spread the word about the dilemma being faced by believers in other parts of the world. We can build relationships with Muslims and Hindus who live in our areas, sharing our concerns with them. We can direct funds and educational materials to Christians in the most difficult countries, and above all we can pray. Let us pray that God may touch the hearts of the perpetrators of injustice and oppression and visit the victims of suffering.