On February 15, 2015, ISIS released a video of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in orange jumpsuits being martyred on a Libyan beach. The video and photos from it went viral, and the hearts of Christians across the world cried out to God, echoing Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 12:26, “If one member suffers, all suffer together.”
Some cried out in anger against the perpetrators of this act. Some cried out in mourning for the families of the fathers, brothers, and sons who were killed. Some cried out with a feeling of helplessness, wishing there were some way they could help.
In the months since the video’s release, Christians started wearing the color orange as a sign of solidarity with brothers and sisters experiencing persecution in the Middle East and elsewhere. This is a wonderful way to raise awareness, but there are many who still want to do more.
It is from that desire that American Family Association, EngageMagazine.net, and E3 Partners have come together to offer Christians across the world an opportunity to bless the families whose tragedy was made viral.
For the next two weeks, we are hosting the Orange Letter Campaign. We are asking you to write notes of encouragement to these families. Your note can be a short prayer, a message of inspiration, or a word of solidarity. We would also love for you to include Scripture to encourage our brothers and sisters. E3 Partners will translate the notes into the heart languages of the families.
Tom Doyle, regional director of the Middle East and Central Asia for E3 Partners and author of Killing Christians: Living the Faith Where It’s Not Safe to Believe, will be in Egypt during the week of International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (November 1-8). During his visit, he will meet with many of the families who lost loved ones on that beach and hand deliver your notes.
If you would like to participate in this opportunity, E3 Partners has set up a special page for this campaign. What Engage is calling the Orange Letter Campaign, E3 Partners is calling 21 Letters. Once you write your letter here and click “Submit,” the translation process will begin.
We are asking you to bless your brothers and sisters in Christ and share this article with as many people as possible so there will be a deluge of love and support sent to these families.
When you are finished, visit EngageMagazine.net and follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) for more ways to pray and serve the persecuted church in America and beyond. Starting November 1, we will provide prayers, information, and resources to help inspire you to serve the persecuted church in several tangible ways.
Doyle said in an interview with AFA Journal, “We may never be called to suffer in America, even though there is some persecution present here. But we are called to walk alongside those who are [suffering]. We are family. This is a movement that will continue long after IDOP 2015 is over. Our prayer is that each person who sends a note will pray each day for the persecuted church.”
