Ken Katayama, Global President and CEO of Crossover Global, didn’t come to faith in Christ until he was 15 years old. Two years later, he was invited to a missions conference and heard for the first time that there are people who have never heard the gospel. Ken felt very clearly God’s call to missions—to go to those unreached peoples. He started as an intern at Crossover Global. Today, he leads the organization. Listen as Ken shares about Crossover’s ministry and about his heart to see churches planted and provide access to the Bible in these unreached people groups—churches that uniquely fit the cultures and places where they are planted. Ken also explains the need for biblical sending churches. He’ll talk about qualities he sees among missionaries who are successful over the long haul in planting gospel seeds among these unreached groups. Learn the names of unreached people groups and how you can pray specifically for them by visiting www.noaccess.info. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.
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The body of Christ is caring for a widow whose family rejected her for her faith in Christ. Toon Simom, 73, is a widow from a Laotian minority group and has followed Christ for five years. She had lived with her only daughter, Thon, since Toon’s husband died in 2006. Thon is opposed to her mother’s Christian faith and has verbally abused Toon, threatened to poison her and cut up all of Toon’s clothing to drive her out of the house.
Read MoreA Pakistani evangelist, his wife and two young children are homeless after local Muslims, angered by his Christian ministry, set fire to his home. Evangelist Salim Chaudhry regularly traveled throughout the area near his home village to share the gospel. He also constructed a small church on land he owned. When he put a cross on top of the building, members of the community objected and began harassing his family, regularly calling them derogatory names.
Read MoreA North African Christian perseveres in faith despite longstanding persecution from his family. When Waqar was a university student, he heard the gospel and committed his life to Christ. This angered his father, who cut off financial support and kicked Waqar out of the home. He eventually allowed Waqar to return but withheld food and forced his son to live in a shed on the roof, even under the blazing North African sun.
Read MoreFor our Turkish brothers and sisters, church is not just a weekly service. It’s a family where they come together, united in Christ, deepening relationships and encouraging each other. The church is also the training ground where new believers are discipled and equipped to live faithfully for Christ — even under Christian persecution. Pastor Ramazan Arkan, leader of the Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey and pastor of Antalya Evangelical Churches, is back with us this week to share how mentorships develop into family relationships in the church. He’ll describe differences between following Christ in Türkiye rather than other Middle Eastern countries. Christian workers like Joy Subasiguller and Jerry Mattix have been forced to leave the country, and some of Pastor Ramazan’s friends have been martyred for their bold faith in Christ. (The martyrs’ widows, Semse Ayydin and Susanne Geske, shared their stories on VOM Radio.) Ramazan will share his own story of an assassination attempt against him and how he continues to face fear amid pressure and persecution, yet he reminds listeners that overcoming fear is part of our journey walking by faith. “I get scared sometimes, but this is the faith,” Pastor Ramazan says, “despite fear, doubt, and hesitation, you just walk by faith. But that doesn’t mean you don’t get scared or worried.” Today, there are more than 200 churches in Türkiye. More than 50 have joined the Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey to work and encourage together, including raising their voices to represent the Body of Christ in Türkiye. “Pray that God gives us more boldness, protection, and opportunity to share the gospel with people who’ve never heard it before,” Arkan says. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.
Read MoreA Christian refugee whose husband was killed by his family for converting to Christianity has been diagnosed with cancer. Nour became a widow after her Syrian husband’s father and brother attacked and murdered him upon learning he had come to faith in Christ. They also attacked Nour, but she survived and fled to Lebanon with her three young children. They lived in cemeteries for nine days until local Christians found and helped them.
Read MoreA pastor has been falsely charged with forced conversion of a Hindu man. On Dec. 8, 2025, Pastor Rakesh was heading home after working on his farm when stranger approached him and began asking him questions. The man then demanded that Rakesh say “Jai Sri Ram” (a Hindu slogan used for worship). When Rakesh refused, the man became more aggressive. That night, the stranger filed criminal charges against Rakesh, claiming Rakesh tried to convert him.
Read MoreA Muslim-background believer is continuing his ministry and Bible translation efforts despite being separated from his family. Diallo Haruna was born into the Fulani tribal group and raised as a Muslim in Chad. He eventually placed his trust in Christ and attended a Bible school in neighboring Nigeria. But when he returned to Chad in 2018, some radical Muslims abducted his wife and young daughter.
Read MoreMost Turks believe being Turkish and being Muslim are inseparably intertwined. Pastor Ramazan Arkan was an adult before he ever met a Turkish Christian. Then he became friends with a coworker who had left Islam to follow Jesus. That friendship started Ramazan on a journey that eventually led to the cross of Christ. Pastor Ramazan is now leading the Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey, and he is the pastor of Antalya Evangelical Churches in Antalya, Türkiye. Listen as he shares how he came to Christ, first asking questions about Islam and the Quran and then irresistibly drawn by the loving relationships he saw when he was invited to a local church. “The most effective way to share the gospel message is through relationship,” Pastor Ramazan says. You’ll hear how his name, Ramazan (Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting) is both a blessing and a curse. He’ll also describe the Christian persecution when he left Islam for Christianity, and more about what our persecuted brothers and sisters in Türkiye face for their faith in Jesus. Pastor Ramazan will tell the story of the night he became a Christian and felt God’s presence and Word come alive to him. He’ll also explain why it’s important to reveal the cost of following Christ to new Muslim background believers early on, why his church doesn’t baptize new believers immediately, and the sad story of one new Christian who went back to Islam after seeing the high cost of following Christ. To learn more ways you can pray for persecuted Christians in Türkiye, Central Asia and around the world, sign up to receive weekly prayer emails at iCommitToPray.com. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, Nigeria, China, and Iran, as well as provide free access to e-books, audiobooks, video content, and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.
Read MoreA Christian man continues faithfully witnessing to Christ despite living in a dangerous area. In the north of Mozambique, a majority-Muslim nation that has been the epicenter of an Islamist insurgency since 2017, being identified as a Christian can cost a person his close relationships, livelihood and even his life. Armando, 29, lives with his wife, young son and four dependent relatives in a community that is approximately 99% Muslim. Though sharing his faith is challenging in this setting, Armando serves as a missionary, sustained in his work by a food business supported by the global body of Christ.
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