New Web Site encourages prayer for persecuted Christians

A new web site is live this week in conjunction with the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), which churches around the world will commemorate this Sunday, November 3.

The site, www.iCommitToPray.com, invites Christians around the world to commit to pray for those persecuted because of their faith in Christ and to share their prayers with other believers.

“The first request of our persecuted family, when we go and visit them, is that we pray for them,” said Todd Nettleton, spokesperson for The Voice of the Martyrs, which developed and launched the new site. “iCommitToPray.com grew out of our desire to fulfill their request.”

The site will be updated with current prayer needs from hostile and restricted nations weekly so that Christians can remember to pray for the persecuted every week, not just one week in November.

“The idea for this site really grew out of activity we already saw on the VOM Facebook page,” Nettleton said. “We often post prayer requests, and we began to see people comment on the post and type in their prayers for those currently being persecuted. And others would be encouraged by that, and add their own prayer in the next comment, and so on. At times we could even print out those prayers and show them to the Christians in hostile and restricted nations, and they were incredibly blessed to see very tangibly that Christians around the world hadn’t forgotten them and were lifting them up in prayer. We want iCommitToPray.com to be a site dedicated to that kind of prayer and encouragement.”

Users who register on the site can post their written prayers, then invite friends to join with them in prayer through social media.

“What we envision for iCommitToPray.com is a great prayer meeting for persecuted Christians. But instead of gathering in a church, or someone’s living room, Christians will gather online to pray for the persecuted church,” said Nettleton.