Partying, relaxation, worship, work, leisure, rest — Sunday tends to be a Day of one or more of the above.
This particular Sunday — November 8, 2009 — gets double duty in the special Day of department.
International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
There are literally millions of Christians around the world who suffer simply because they call themselves Christians. In many countries, Christians are martyred for their faith. The world watched in horror the unbridled violence that was unleashed on Christians in Orissa state, India last year. There are other places in the world, such as North Korea, where acts of persecution take place, but we often don’t see or hear the full story.
This Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
President of Open Doors USA Carl Moeller says Sunday is an important day for believers. “This is a day when the church in the free world remembers and prays for our brothers and sisters who are suffering persecution in places where Christianity is not free.”
Moeller describes the type of persecution Christians are facing today. “Well over 100 million Christians face discrimination, alienation, sometimes unjust arrest and harassment, imprisonment, torture and even death.”
He adds, “These 100 million Christians, our brothers and sisters, truly need our prayer so that they can stand strong in the midst of the suffering.”
Over 143 million orphans worldwide long for the love of a real family.
According to the United Nations, there are 80 million orphans in Africa alone, a number that is only rising. Even in the United States, 122,000 foster children are legally eligible for adoption, waiting for a family to love them enough to adopt them.
When surveyed, over 50 percent of people said that if they were looking to adopt, they would go to their church for information. Unfortunately, most churches don’t know where to direct people when asked. This Sunday, their questions may finally be answered.
November 8 is Orphan Sunday. Orphan Sunday is a day set aside for churches to recognize the needs of orphans internationally, to begin thinking of ways to implement adoption information into their congregation, and to learn more about adoption.
I wonder.
Do these special Day of days have any sort of impact on regular folks?