Rich Griffith, Chief Development Officer for Global Action, served as a pastor and played seven seasons in the NFL before the Lord led him to serve pastors and Christian leaders around the world, including many in restricted nations and hostile areas. Rich has had many exciting career highlights, but his favorite is watching these Christian leaders complete their training. “To me, the most incredible thing I’ve experienced is a graduation.” Rich says, “The tears in their eyes… because they felt a calling of God.” Rich shares his joy at being able to provide tools and knowledge to new pastors in places like India and Cuba and will share more about the curriculum and how the training is tailored to impact each individual culture. The church in these nations is growing, but there is a great need for more pastors to shepherd that growing flock. You’ll also hear how Rich sensed God’s call to work for Global Action and how the Lord challenged him on a trip to Cuba, where he saw how persecuted Christians trust the Lord despite their circumstances. One book that God used to challenge Rich was I Am N, a book about persecuted Christians facing Islamic extremists that was produced by The Voice of the Martyrs. Pray for the Lord to raise up more shepherds who will lead Christ’s sheep, especially in restricted nations and hostile areas. 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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A Libyan court will soon consider appeals for 10 Christians sentenced to prison for three to five years. The group has been imprisoned since April 2025 after being found guilty of “insulting Islam,” “insulting religious sanctities and rituals using the internet” and other charges for living out their Christian faith. “Please stand with us in prayer for God’s mercy, strength for the brothers and a just outcome,” said a front-line worker.
Read MoreWhen Tanmay, a tribal Christian in western India, and his household gathered with another family to pray at his house, their meeting was disrupted by Hindu extremists who burned down his house and shop. All the family’s belongings were destroyed, and they had to move into Tanmay’s brother’s house. The global body of Christ is helping rebuild the house and store at the same location, and Tanmay expressed a bold desire to begin a fellowship at his new house despite the opposition he and his family have endured.
Read MoreA Christian woman continues to heal in the aftermath of Islamist captivity. In 2022, Islamist al-Shabab fighters attacked the community in northern Mozambique, killing and abducting several people, including Casilda Eliash, then 45. The militants demanded that the Christian captives convert to Islam. Casilda remained in captivity for two years, repeatedly beaten and subjected to sexual abuse. After escaping, Casilda’s husband divorced her because he considered her impure due to the abuse she had endured.
Read MoreAs a Fulani herdsman, the young man burned churches, threatened Christian farmers and even killed Christians in the middle of the night. But his life changed when he saw how a Christian woman responded to his threats of murder. Today he is a follower of Christ who has experienced Christian persecution as his own family tried to kill him. Listen as Brother Philip, a field minister for VOM in Africa, tells about meeting this young man and shares stories of other Fulani followers of Jesus. “They know the cost, and they’ve considered the cost and chosen to follow Jesus,” Philip says. Philip will also share more about the power of being physically present with our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and the encouragement it offers them as VOM staff and partners provide wholistic care for both physical and spiritual needs. Philip continues to be inspired by the growth and faith of persecuted Christians who choose Christ despite the suffering they must endure. You’ll hear how VOM provides persecuted brothers and sisters opportunities to start a small business in order to provide for themselves and their families and continue the ministry God has called them to. Hear how you can pray for persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in places like Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and around the world. You can also listen on VOM Radio to Brother Malik’s testimony of becoming a Fulani follower of Christ. You can also give online to support projects like helping displaced pastors raise chickens to support their families. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians in nations like North Korea, 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 pastor has faithfully shared the gospel while imprisoned on false charges. Pastor Sang Te was arrested by Myanmar military authorities on Sept. 16, 2021, accused of having connections with resistance groups. Christian leaders insisted that Sang Te was not involved in armed activities but was simply serving Christ and helping people in need during a time of national suffering. Sang Te received a 23-year prison sentence and has now been in prison four years.
Read MoreCourageous Christians are finding ways to take Bibles to those in need despite the ongoing threat of Islamist attacks. Bible distribution is difficult in Burkina Faso, where many Bibles have been destroyed or lost when Christians have been forced to flee. One pastor who received Bibles said, “These precious gifts are a great relief for us. Indeed, many of the faithful have lost their belongings, including their Bibles.” Christian groups are also working to get audio Bibles into the hands of blind and illiterate members of the local body of Christ, including Christians like Abdoulaye Cherif.
Read MoreSeveral countries bordering Afghanistan – including Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan – have deported hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees back to their home country, including Christians who are interrogated upon their return. “Now that the Taliban has full control, when Christians are deported back to Afghanistan, they are heavily interrogated by Taliban seeking information about other Afghan Christians,” said a front-line worker. He added that the Taliban currently holds several Christians in prison. He requested prayer for the imprisoned Christians to be effective witnesses to their captors and for members of the Taliban to become curious about the gospel.
Read MoreLast October, Pastor Wang Lin, one of the leaders in Zion Church in China, was arrested and imprisoned under false charges of “fraud” and “illegal business practices.” Sarah Su (Su Ziming in Chinese), wife of Pastor Wang, recounts the day her husband was arrested and the Christian persecution they faced even before he was imprisoned. Sarah will share about her husband’s role in Zion Church’s leadership and in training other leaders, how the church continues to reach many people despite persecution from the Chinese Communist Party, and recent updates about Pastor Wang’s condition in prison. “The moment I married Wang Lin, I have decided to face all this together,” Sarah says. “I knew that his mission was to train and disciple more Christians in China…I knew something like [this] would happen one day.” You’ll hear from Sarah how she continues to face this persecution with courage, faithfully enduring times of worry and loneliness. She will share how she and her husband both are committed to serve the Lord—no matter the cost. Zion Church made international headlines during President Trump’s visit to Xi Jinping in Beijing in May and with the release of Zion senior pastor Ezra Jin from prison during America’s July 4 celebrations. Sarah thanks God for Jin’s release, and says the case against Zion Church continues, with eight church leaders remaining in prison. She asks that we pray for their release, the dismissal of charges, for their physical and spiritual health, and for her and her children, along with family members of the other persecuted Christians from Zion Church. Visit Prisoner Alert to write an encouraging letter to Pastor Wang Lin, and letters to other Christians imprisoned for their faith in Iran, Eritrea, and China.
Read MoreFour Christians, including a former extremist, are in hiding after being harassed. As a young man, Mukesh joined a Hindu extremist group but became interested in dating a Christian woman who shared the gospel with him. After he placed his trust in Christ, they married and began a church that grew to more than 60 Christians. In 2025, Mukesh, his wife and two associates were returning home from a ministry trip when three vehicles followed them. The men in the vehicles were armed with bamboo sticks and forced the four to stop, accusing Mukesh of changing the religion of other men and harassing Mukesh’s wife.
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