Churches around the world will join in prayer for the millions of Christians worldwide who continue to be persecuted for their faith.

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) on 9 November is an initiative of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Religious Liberty Commission in collaboration with ministries that support the persecuted church, including Voice of Martyrs, Open Doors and Gospel for Asia.

Global IDOP coordinator, the Rev Johan Candelin said the day of prayer said it could be the "biggest prayer group in the world". The theme will be "Refined in Fire".

"When the Lord's children go into the refining fire of persecution, they come out purer with deeper faith and greater strength, more Christ-focused and more unified," said the Rev Candelin, who is also the Executive Director of the WEA's Religious Liberty Commission.

"Those who are being persecuted can therefore be encouraged to look with hope at how they are being sanctified. And those who pray for them can be reminded to place sanctification on a higher pedestal than prosperity."

More Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than all previous centuries combined, and persecution continues unabated into the twenty-first century. In India's Orissa state, scores of Christians have been killed and thousands left homeless in a wave of attacks by Hindu mobs since the end of August.

"More than 200 million Christians do not have full religious freedom today," added Candelin. "The least we can do is the most we can do: Pray."

Specific prayer requests concerning 36 nations and 46 national leaders plus other resources for targeted praying, are available from the global IDOP website.

"IDOP is an important opportunity for the church around the world to stand in solidarity with brothers and sisters from across the globe, who are suffering as they seek to follow Christ," said Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, the International Director of WEA.

"I urge all churches to participate in IDOP. It will be life-changing."

On the web: www.idop.org
Those using mobile devices can access the materials at idop.mobi.