Sunday, 16 November 2014 is this year's International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, and the Religious Liberty Commission is encouraging churches across the UK to unite in prayer for persecuted Christians on this day.

Dave Landrum, director of advocacy at the Alliance, said: "We read in the Bible 'If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it'. Let's make this a reality on 16 November and join with Christians across the globe praying for our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for their faith."

A range of resources are available to help your church mark the International Day Of Prayer (IDOP):

• A prayer for use in churches, written by our director of prayer, Fred Drummond. Access the prayer for the persecuted church here.
• Access Release International's IDOP 2014 guide, including background information on Prisoners of Faith, Bible teaching and suggestions for prayer and youth activities. You can visit Release International's website here.
• Use Open Doors' resources to hold a Secret Church event –a powerful, interactive worship experience. The idea is simple: you create your own 'Secret Church' and worship in ways which bring you close to the experience of the world's hidden Christians. You can visit Open Doors' website here.
• Download an IDOP resource pack from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), including a video testimony from Christians in Cuba. You can visit CSW's website here.
• Register to attend a special CSW event in London, Glasgow or Perth in November. You can visit CSW's website, here.
• Visit the international IDOP website here.

Don't worry if your church can't mark IDOP Sunday on 16 November. These resources can be used any day of the year, so every church is encouraged to participate.

About the RLC

The Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) is a commission of the Evangelical Alliance that brings organisations working on behalf of persecuted Christians together to speak with one voice. The current RLC members are Release International, Open Doors (UK & Ireland) and Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Each member organisation has its own distinctive mandate, but all feel the issue of Christian persecution is so important they want to speak together regularly to raise awareness of key developments globally, in a significant and collaborative way.