Groups cooperating for the benefit of the Church

AUSTRALIA -- On Thursday March 8, fifteen organizations working for the persecuted church met in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and formed a network called "The Religious Liberty Partnership."

This network will meet annually, while a working group, consisting of five members, will handle cooperative action during the year. The Chairman is Merwyn Thomas of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, UK.

The aim of the network is to coordinate efforts, inform about the needs of the persecuted church and the work of the organizations, and to pray together. Through this unique network the religious liberty bodies believe that the suffering church can receive more relevant help than ever before.

Among the members are leading organisations such as Open Doors, Voice of the Martyrs, Christian Solidarity International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, World Evangelical Alliance together with around ten other similar organizations. New members can be included in the future.

According to Johan Candelin, who represents the World Evangelical Alliance in the working group for 2007, this is wonderful news. "This is historic news as it is the first time these organisations have come together to join hands. The real winners are our suffering brothers and sisters. This development also sends a positive signal to the global church about the spirit of unity present in the Amsterdam meeting."

The next annual meeting will be held in March 2008 in Zurich, Switzerland.

 © 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission