Release International is an international

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

ministry, based in the UK, which seeks to support Christians around the world who are persecuted for their faith. The ministry is active in more than 25 countries, working through local

partners to provide both spiritual resources and practical support to victims of

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

. This includes prayerfully, pastorally and practically helping: * The families of Christian martyrs * Prisoners of Faith and their families * Christians suffering oppression and violence * Christians forced to flee. On its website Release International states that it subscribes to the Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith.

History

Release International was established in 1968, originally as ''Christian Mission to the Communist World''. It is one of a number of Christian organisations around the world that traces its origins and inspiration to

Richard Wurmbrand Richard Wurmbrand, also known as Nicolai Ionescu (24 March 1909 – 17 February 2001) was a Romanian Evangelical Lutheran priest, and professor of Jewish descent. In 1948, having become a Christian ten years before, he publicly said Communism a ...

, a Romanian pastor who spent a total of 14 years in Communist prisons, from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. Wurmbrand documented his prison sufferings in the international best-selling book,

Tortured for Christ Richard Wurmbrand, also known as Nicolai Ionescu (24 March 1909 – 17 February 2001) was a Romanian Evangelical Lutheran priest, and professor of Jewish descent. In 1948, having become a Christian ten years before, he publicly said Communism a ...

, which also called on Christians in the free West to respond to the needs of those who were suffering for their Christian faith. The ministry changed its name to Release International in 1992.

Activities

In the UK Release International expresses its support for persecuted Christians around the world by: * Raising their VOICE * Giving them the TOOLS they need to live for Jesus Christ * Calling UK Christians into FELLOWSHIP with them * Learning lessons of Christian DISCIPLESHIP with them, and * Maintaining Christian STEWARDSHIP to honour them. Release International publishes a free quarterly

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

called ''Voice'', which seeks to inform and to resource UK Christians to pray for those who are persecuted.

External links

Click here to visit the official Release International website
Persecution of Christians International human rights organizations Christian advocacy groups Human rights organisations based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Kent {{Christian-org-stub