Strategic World Impact Helps the Persecuted Church

In a news release today Strategic World Impact is reporting that they are making an impact with the gospel in hostile regions of the world. 

Strategic World Impact (SWI) is a rapid response, short-term mission agency that enters difficult areas with critical relief supplies and the good news of the Gospel. They focus on places of war, disaster and Christian persecution, and have been working in such areas for the past eight years.

Recently, SWI has been able to deliver humanitarian relief to the Karen people, an ethnic minority group in Burma that has suffered intense persecution, forced labor and death at the hands of the country’s military. Tens of thousands of Karens have been forced to flee their native homeland and now live in refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border.

The press release goes on to say...

Christian persecution is at a high point in the African country of Eritrea. On December 22, there were arrests of at least 40 pastors, elders and leaders of five Christian churches banned by the country.

These recent arrests also included businessmen, a government employee at the Ministry of Trade & Industry and 15 people who happened to be present at a music shop run by one of the churches. Reportedly, the country’s Security Office now holds a list of church leaders who should be taken into custody.

Aside from this incident, there are an estimated 1,778 Christians imprisoned for their faith, many of which are pastors and have no means to support their families during confinement. Some are even kept in metal shipping containers.

More information is available at the Strategic World Impact website.  I want to encourage you to visit and pray as the Lord directs you concerning that persecution of Christians they are serving and also their mission.