|PIC1|The youth division of Open Doors has challenged under 21 year olds throughout the UK and Ireland to ‘shut up’ – using their silence to make an impact to vulnerable young people. The sponsored silence will be used to highlight the lives of young people affected by persecution.

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church will take place on Nov. 6th 2005 and will be the platform for the sponsored silence initiative.

The project is also asking for participating youth, college and university groups to dedicate at least a portion of their day to directing their communication towards God. This can be done in silence or with prayer, as well as reflecting deeply upon what God says about the Persecuted Church in the Bible.

Underground even asks participants to spend some time writing to the imprisoned, bereaved or suffering Christians to give them strength and solidarity.

The day will not only benefit persecuted Christians say Open Doors. After the ‘underground’ weekend, one member from Skye testified, “Wow! I was gob-smacked, and I’ve learnt a few things too – not to be scared to admit I’m a Christian or that I go to church; that prayer is incredibly strong; and not to take my faith for granted.”

|TOP|In helping to raise awareness of the events, ‘underground’ have stated that they are able to supply resources for all sorts of campaigns. Resources available for the ‘Shut-Up’ event include:

- Prayer resources featuring profiles of persecuted Christians from Asia, Africa and Latin America
- Letter-writing guides, to enable you to encourage and strengthen Christians who are suffering for their faith
- Bible reflections to explore what the Bible has to say about supporting our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.

To find out more about the day please contact Simon or Kathy on 01993 885400 or visit here