Event Spans Globe with Teen Prayer for Persecuted Church
by Allie Martin
March 9, 2005
(AgapePress) - Teenagers across the world spent part of this past weekend praying for the persecuted Church as, for the third year in a row, Open Doors USA organized the weekend prayer initiative known as "Shockwave."The international prayer event gives teenage Christians an opportunity to pray specifically for believers who face persecution for their faith in Christ. Jeff Shreve, coordinator for Shockwave, says the initiative is designed to increase young people's awareness of their fellow believers in parts of the world where Christian faith is met with oppression and persecution.
"The number one thing that we're hoping to see happen," Shreve says, "is that young people will get involved through prayer, and that God will bring forth some change into this world to help those who are suffering as well as those who are at a loss in light of the recent crises."
The Open Doors representative says some churches held special services and Bible studies to observe Shockwave, and many church youth groups and individual Christian youngsters took part. The global event began in New Zealand, he adds, and then worked its way across all time zones, as Christian teens worldwide prayed for believers in areas hostile to their faith, asking God to protect and help the persecuted Christians and prisoners of faith.
"Persecuted Christianity -- when you look at that phrase, in our nation it seems like such an oxymoron," the ministry spokesman muses. "I mean, we're the majority ... what is a persecuted Christian? But the fact is, right now, in countries throughout the world, people are imprisoned for their faith. People are tortured for their faith."
Shreve is confident that the Shockwave prayer initiative will have long-lasting impact. "Foremost, for me, what I want to see happen is for young people to see what is going on among persecuted Christians and get involved to help," he says.
Last year, youth from more than 15 nations around the world took part in Shockwave. Shreve says this year, tens of thousands of Christian teens have committed to take part in this third annual prayer event.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
