Thursday, March 29, 2012

Voice of the Martyrs


 

How it Began 
In 1967 a ministry was founded with the purpose of creating awareness about persecuted Christians. This organization was called "Jesus to the Communist World", later to become "Voice of the Martyrs".

It's founder, Richard Wurmbrand knew well what it meant to be persecuted for one's faith. He himself had been imprisoned and tortured for a total of 14 years in communist Romania. He also knew firsthand the support from those outside his country. After his second release from prison, the Wurmbrand family consisting of Richard, his wife Sabina, and their son Mihai, are ransomed through the efforts of The Norwegian Mission to the Jews and the Hebrew Christian Alliance. These two groups negotiated with the government for a ransom of $10, 000 and the Wurmbrands were allowed to flee in December 1965. He left with strict warnings and threats never to speak of his time in prison and what the communists had done.

The Wurmbrands moved to England and then eventually to the United States. Richard Wurmbrand appeared before the US Senate's Internal Security Subcommittee in May 1966. There, he showed the Senate his torture wounds and his story spread across the world. Despite rumours of assassination (by Romanian Communists), his mission remained to be a voice for those suffering persecution under the communist regime.

In 1967, the same year "Jesus to the Communist World" officially started, Richard Wurmbrand released his book "Tortured for Christ". In October of that year the first monthly issue of "The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter" was published. Since that time, Voice of the Martyrs have supplied Bibles, Food and other aid in more than 46 countries.

How to Donate

When making a donation there are 9 different catagories to donate to, (taken directly from VOM website)

A general donation to Where Needed Most

The Underground Church Fund provides assistance and encouragement to believers in severely restricted areas. Support includes: job-training centres for converts to Christianity, Bible printing and smuggling, an underground university, radio ministries, safe houses and ministries geared toward Muslim converts. While we are unable to share specifics about these ministries due to the possibility of endangering those we serve, this fund is a powerful part of our mission.

The Families of Martyrs Fund provides encouragement and assistance to families left destitute by the imprisonment, death or exile of one or both parents because of their faith.

The Relief and Development Fund assists Christians in restricted nations—before, during and after persecution—by providing relief aid to desperately poor families, job training, refugee assistance and other practical means of encouragement.

The Equipping the Saints Fund helps meet the educational needs facing today's persecuted Church and believers facing potential persecution. We provide intensive training seminars held in-country to empower leaders and teachers to educate and train their own people. By supplying qualified teachers, Bibles and other Christian literature, we partner with Christian leaders in "equipping the saints."

he Raising a Voice Fund assists VOM in the vital task of communicating the needs of today's persecuted Church to the free world through print media, the Internet, video, radio and television. By working together with organizations inside restricted nations, we are able to raise awareness in ways that we could not on our own.
CLICK HERE to find out why raising a voice on behalf of the persecuted is so important to VOM, to our founder Richard Wurmbrand and to the persecuted Church.

The Christmas Blessing Fund provides believers in a particular restricted nation (changes year to year) with gift packages that contain food items, toiletries, medication, clothing and Christian literature. The distributions, which are made throughout the year, help to fulfil persecuted believers' basic needs. In 2009 and 2010, we partnered with Seoul USA to provide more than 3,500 gift packages to believers in North Korea. In 2011, we provided packages to Christians in Iraq.

The Legal Defence Fund provides resources for Christians who have been arrested because of their Christian witness. Oftentimes, persecuted Christians are denied or cannot afford adequate legal representation. Legal fees can bankrupt families and churches. Court cases can drag on for months and even years. Gifts to the Legal Defence Fund help ensure that courageous believers receive the best legal assistance possible under the circumstances.
Christians living in restricted nations are often denied access to Bibles. VOM's Bibles Fund helps print Bibles - in different languages - and smuggle them to believers who would otherwise live their lives without ever reading the word of God.


Subsribe to The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter

Since VOM has offices in many countries to subscribe find your country, then follow the links to subscribe.

Canadian subscriptions here. For a limited time Canadians can request a free copy of "Tortured for Christ" with a subscription.

US subscriptions here. Those living in the US can also sign up for a free copy of "Tortured For Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand.


Follow VOM

The Voice of the Martyrs also have a Canadian and American blog. You can also follow them on Facebook (Canada, US).

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