Continuing with our ministry spotlight, WordJourney turns its focus to the Voice of the Martyrs, a non-profit and non-denominational Christian organization that comes along side of the persecuted church worldwide.

Founded: VOM was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, following his 14 year imprisonment in communist Romania for his faith in Jesus Christ. His wife, Sabina, was also imprisoned for three years. During the 1960s the Wurmbrands and their son, Mihai, left Romania and settled in the United States. VOM is based upon Hebrews 13:3 which reads: “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.”

Mission: VOM’s mission statement declares, “Serving the persecuted church through practical and spiritual assistance while leading Christians in the free world into fellowship with them.” VOM seeks to help persecuted Christians by providing medical assistance, food, clothing, and other forms of aid. The organization urges its supporters to love those who are persecuted including their enemies. VOM supplies Bibles, literature, radios and other evangelistic tools. This organization seeks to encourage the persecuted by giving them a voice by telling their stories to the church, particularly to American Christians. VOM seeks to do all of these things by fulfilling its five main purposes.

Projects: Multiple projects are in place to help the persecuted and to get word of their plight out to the world. One way that VOM keeps people informed is through its Persecution Blog that is updated regularly. This blog puts a face on individuals who are facing persecution, by telling their stories. For example, VOM shared a “tweet for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhan” campaign launched by the American Center for Law & Justice. That campaign seeks to keep the Iranian pastor’s plight front and center by sending regular reminder notices to Christians everywhere. Nadarkhan faces execution by an Iranian court for not recanting his faith in Jesus Christ.

Through the shipment of “action packs” you can help persecuted believers in Iraq, in Pakistan or in the Sudan. Bags cost $7 a piece and can be packed with items such as a blanket, an adult or child’s jacket, socks, bed sheets and other items. Packs are then return to VOM for distribution directly to the afflicted in those countries.

Dozens of national and regional conferences are held by the VOM to raise awareness of the plight of the persecuted church. Conference speakers include those who were themselves imprisoned for their faith and includes prayer, testimonials and resources.

Copies of the New Testament are smuggled by believers to fellow Christians in nations where the word of God is prohibited. The organization’s Bibles Unbound program enables supporters to send New Testaments in groups of five each month. It is a covert operation where donors never know the names of those who risk imprisonment to get Bibles to people desiring to read God’s word. As of this writing, nearly 62,000 people in five Asian nations are seeking Bibles.

Budget: Nearly $50 million as of December 31, 2010.

Notables: To learn more about Richard Wurmbrand and the afflications he sustained while imprisoned, you can request a complimentary copy of his book, “Tortured for Christ. While in prison, his captors tortured him physically as well as psychologically, details of which are shared explictly in this book. Wurmbrand wrote 17 more books and stayed active with the Voice of the Martyrs until 1992. He died in 2001 just six months after his wife went home to be with the Lord.

National Headquarters:

The Voice of the Martyrs
P.O. Box 443
Bartlesville, OK 74005-0443
877-337-0302
persecution.com

Resources

Mission Network News: Petition for Asia Bibi on its way to One Million Signatures; January 30, 2012

Canada Free Press: Ugandan Convert to Christianity Flees Country; February 2, 2012

See Also — Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Faces Execution

Popularity: 1% [?]