By Wissam al-Saliby
This week, the General Secretary of the All Africa Baptist Fellowship, a regional arm of the Baptist World Alliance in Africa, contacted me with news that 27 Baptist churches in Niger have been closed following violence by radical Islamists. He shared that church members and pastors are now displaced and asked if 21Wilberforce could provide any support.
Last week, Baptist leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo urged us to act against various armed groups – Islamists in the Northeast and rebel groups in the East – that have taken over territory, attacked churches, abducted pastors, and killed Christians.
Earlier this year, Evangelical leaders from another country in Africa requested that we help them re-open more than 80% of their churches that had been shut down by their government.
At the same time, Myanmar Christian leaders appealed to us to advocate for greater aid to reach the displaced in Myanmar and Thailand — before a 7.7 earthquake struck killing thousands and displacing even more people within the region.
In December, Baptist leaders in Assam state in India told me that a pastor and several Christians were thrown in jail because their prayers for healing fell under the law criminalizing witchcraft — legislation enacted in February 2024 that is targeting Christians.
Our team has been in touch with the US State Department about these matters. We’re also in conversation with the embassies of these countries in Washington, DC. These are only a few examples of how we assist persecuted Christians and crisis-affected communities through short-term relief activities that complement advocacy initiatives.
But my heart is heavy. The trials of our brothers and sisters in Christ are not insignificant. I’m reaching out to ask for your prayers – and financial support. We cannot respond to appeals from churches all over the world without increasing our capacity and human resources.
And our long-term goals go beyond emergency response.
21Wilberforce is working toward the development of Christian-led advocacy centers in countries of persecution. The first line of defense should be local Christian organizations – not 21Wilberforce. We have begun the groundwork on centers in several nations.
Last year, a pastor in Europe contacted us saying that the church planter in India that they support was dragged to the police station by radicals. He had become very afraid. Within 48 hours, we coordinated with local advocacy groups in India to visit that pastor and to ensure that no court case was opened against him.
In September of this year, members of our team are traveling to Nigeria to work with local Christian groups to jointly investigate recent attacks against Christians. While it is important to learn and understand persecution patterns and dynamics, and to lobby for the government to put an end to these grave injustices, this is not the primary purpose of our visit. The longer-term goal of 21Wilberforce is to build local groups’ capacity to research human rights violations and lobby authorities in Nigeria to protect Christians.
God continues to open doors for our mission. And we are committed to being good stewards of the freedom, influence, and resources that God has given us.
Our namesake, British abolitionist William Wilberforce, was known for his devout Christian faith. He led the anti-slave trade movement in Britain during the 18th century. Three days before he died in 1833, Wilberforce learned that the Slavery Abolition Act – which would free almost all the slaves in the British Empire – would pass through parliament. His example and his wisdom inspire us.
“Great indeed are our opportunities; great also is our responsibility.” William Wilberforce
Pastors and ministry leaders facing persecution trust us to come alongside them and equip them to push back against discrimination, harassment, violence, and persecution. But this comes with a huge responsibility: we need to garner the resources needed to respond to the ever-increasing calls for support.
Will you help us elevate our efforts? I humbly ask for your prayers and for you to support our work. Together, we can extend our reach and deepen our impact in these critical times.
If you would like to learn more, email me at [email protected]
April 3, 2025