The Voice of the Martyrs | |
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Abbreviation | VOM |
Formation | 1967 |
Purpose/focus | Human rights of Christians |
Region served | Worldwide |
The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is the name of several related Christian organizations founded through the influence of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand in such countries as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States[1]. These VOM missions aim to raise awareness about the many thousands of Christians annually who are killed, tortured, imprisoned or harassed for their beliefs. These organizations also provide practical assistance to persecuted Christians throughout the world. They are funded through donations of supporting churches and individuals. There is no world headquarters for The Voice of the Martyrs, as each organization is an independent, self-supporting entity.[2][3][4]
Contents |
All VOM missions are members of an international group of autonomous missions which voluntarily cooperate through the International Christian Association (ICA). While each country's mission has its own goals and performs actions on its own, they also cooperate through the ICA in sharing information and jointly funding international projects.
ICA members are guided by five main purposes, stated to be[5]:
The Voice of the Martyrs was founded in 1967 by Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Lutheran/Anglican pastor, who had worked with the underground church in Romania after it was taken over by the USSR in 1944.[6] As a consequence, he was imprisoned for 14 years for preaching Christianity but was eventually freed to the west after a ransom was paid for his release.[7]
In 1966, Wurmbrand testified before the Internal Security Subcommittee of the US Senate about the treatment that Christians received under Communist governments, raising world-wide interest in Christian persecution, and through his influence several missions were founded around the world to help support Christians who suffered under Communist persecution. After the fall of communism in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, these missions expanded their focus to include those suffering religious persecution in Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist societies.
Each mission associated with The Voice of the Martyrs publishes a regular newsletter for distribution in their own country. Each issue focuses on Christian persecution in a specific global region, and offers testimonies as well as outlets for readers to aid those featured.
Kids of Courage, formerly LINK International, is a quarterly 8-page publication of The Voice of the Martyrs-USA for children ages 5–12. Kids of Courage publications also include activity books, a VBS curriculum[8], and websites[9][10].