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Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Countdown To Beijing Olympics Begins Wednesday
OPEN DOORS USA
Jerry Dykstra, Media Relations Director
Phone: 616-915-4117
Email: JerryD@odusa.org
Website: www.OpenDoorsUSA.org
For Immediate Release
SANTA ANA, CA (ANS) -- On Wednesday, Aug. 8, a huge festival is planned in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mark the one-year countdown to the 2008 Summer Olympics hosted by China. The Games will be held Aug 8-24, 2008.
A theme song called "We Are Ready" will be sung for a crowd of 10,000 people, including Chinese leaders and International Olympic Committee senior officials. The song expresses the desire of the Chinese people to hold a successful Olympics. Many other special events are planned for Wednesday.
Open Doors USA is also marking the one-year countdown to the Games by officially launching its "One Minute/One Year/One Country" prayer campaign on Wednesday. The goal of the campaign is to unite believers in the West to pray for their persecuted Chinese brothers and sisters in faith. Already over 500 prayer warriors have signed up for the campaign.
According to Compass Direct News, Christians throughout China fear tough restrictions on their freedom to worship in the coming year following the launch of a government crackdown ahead of the Olympic Games. Christians across China are reporting a shortage of Bibles, even in cities where Bibles previously were readily available. There are reports of ongoing house church raids and arrests, and an unprecedented number of foreign Christians have been expelled from China since the first of the year.
Christians are asked to pray for at least one minute each day; if possible at 8 p.m. Beijing time. The current time in Beijing as well as a countdown clock to the start of the Olympics are featured on the Open Doors USA Website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.
Believers who participate in the campaign will receive a monthly prayer email calendar and also a daily email brief. Both will include updated information on China and specific prayer requests.
"The Beijing Olympics are only one year away; so we need to blanket Chinese believers right now with our prayers," says Open Doors USA President/CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. "Already there are reports of increased pressure on house church leaders and the expulsion of foreign missionaries. And the raids and arrests are expected to increase as the start of the Olympics draws closer. China wants to weed out the potential 'troublemakers' and put its best foot forward to the world. And Christians could be caught in the crossfire.
"I encourage you to sign up now for the One Minute/One Year/One Country campaign on our Website. Tell others about the campaign. Together we can make a difference. And prayer is the No. 1 way."
To register for the campaign, go to www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.
An estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors supports and strengthens believers in the world's most difficult areas through Bible and Christian literature distribution, leadership training and assistance, Christian community development, prayer and presence ministry and advocacy on behalf of suffering believers. To partner with Open Doors, call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our USA website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.
