Story number 1 for 23 Oct 2002

(Iraq)-Headlining today’s news, as a military attack seems imminent in Iraq, an evangelical ministry is asking Christians to pray. According to Open Doors International’s President Johan Companjen, there are many Christians in Iraq, and they could face hardship if war breaks out with the United States. “It will be tough because the church the Christians are identified with the west. Most Muslims, they see Christianity as a western religion, which is very unfortunate because it’s not. Jesus was born in the Middle East. That is a misconception that we see and the Christians really fight that every day.” However, Companjen believes this could also be a great time for the church in Iraq. He explains. “We have learned in Open Doors – almost 50 years of serving persecuted Christians, that a time of crisis is also a time of opportunity. And that’s what we hear often. They say pray for us. Don’t pray that it will go away, but that we will be faithful, that we will be strong, trusting the Lord because this is the time that He does things that we’ve never dreamt of.”