One of America’s most prominent Christian ministries will send 100,000 Bibles to persecuted believers thanks to a successful Giving Tuesday fundraiser.
Open Doors USA, a U.S.-based ministry that monitors religious persecution around the world, told Faithwire it had reached its goal of raising enough money in late November to send 100,000 Bibles to persecuted Christians in areas such as Afghanistan, North Korea and Nigeria.
It costs about $7 per Bible to “get Scripture and discipleship materials into the hands of a persecuted Christian,” Open Doors said in late November.
The fundraiser was built around Giving Tuesday, which this year fell on November 30.
David Curry, President of Open Doors, called it the “greatest outpouring of support” the ministry has seen in the U.S.
“The need is greater than ever, and it’s encouraging to see Americans rise to meet that challenge,” Curry said. “It will make a tremendous difference in the lives of persecuted Christians around the world.”
The fundraiser launched on November 23 with an email to supporters noting that persecution has intensified in recent months worldwide. The email, though, said, “God’s Word can help so many people stand strong for Him.” A generous Open Doors donor had provided a “challenge grant” to double the impact of any donation, the email said.
Open Doors passed its fundraising goal before the end of the month. Open Doors was launched in 1955 when its founder, Brother Andrew, hid Bibles in his Volkswagen Beetle and drove them into countries where God’s Word was banned.
“Today, Bible-smuggling efforts continue into the world’s most difficult places to be a Christian. Now modern methods enable everyone to help put Scripture into the hands of Christians living in places without religious freedom,” Curry said in late November.
“We believe people living in volatile places should have the freedom to worship or not worship as they choose,” Curry added. “This includes making their own choice to own a copy of God’s Word for themselves – rather than having the government or militants make that decision for them. We know from experience that having access to Scripture can provide not only spiritual growth, but comfort and strength when faced with difficult circumstances.”
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.