Six ways to help children pray for the persecuted church

I’m a child of the 80s – I grew up loving the A Team, the Rubik’s Cube, and began supporting Everton —back when they were the best team in England! Something far more significant was happening in my heart, though I didn’t realise it at the time.

My parents had worked as missionaries in a remote part of Indonesia, so mission and stories of global faith were normal in our family. One Friday night they took me and my siblings to a mission meeting. I was about five at the time and a speaker told us about a young woman named Galina Vilchinskaya. I couldn’t pronounce her surname, but her first name stayed with me. Galina was in her early twenties, living over 7,000 miles away in Siberia, and she had been arrested and sent to a prison camp. For simply running a summer camp for children - children like me.

We have brothers and sisters all around the world who follow Jesus in places where it’s really tough—and children and families can stand with them in prayer, just like I did

That thought landed deeply. From that evening on, every night before bed, I prayed the same simple prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, please be with Galina in prison.”

It wasn’t long or deeply theological. I didn’t understand cold war geopolitics or persecution. I just believed Jesus could help her. And I prayed that way for years—never knowing what became of her.

Fast‑forward to September 1998, just a few weeks after I started working for Open Doors. One afternoon I was sorting through an old cupboard full of retro black‑and‑white magazines from the 1980s. I picked one up… and there she was. Galina Vilchinskaya, on the front cover. Staring back at me.

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I read the article eagerly. I discovered that my small, childlike prayers had joined thousands of others around the world. Open Doors and other organisations had run a global prayer campaign for her. After several years in a Siberian gulag, Galina had been released. God had strengthened her, sustained her and ultimately brought her freedom – not only that she had led countless others to faith whilst in prison.

That moment marked me. It reminded me that children’s prayers matter. Small prayers matter. Your prayers matter. Jesus doesn’t ask us to pray like experts—He invites us to pray like children: simply, honestly, and with trust.

There’s a whole world of faith, courage and hope waiting to be discovered—and your prayers might just be part of another Galina’s story

That’s why I love what Open Doors do today to help children discover that God’s family is bigger than biology. We have brothers and sisters all around the world who follow Jesus in places where it’s really tough—and children and families can stand with them in prayer, just like I did.

Open Doors has brilliant resources to help families and children do exactly that. The World Watch List Prayer Passport and Activity Map let children “travel the world,” learn about different countries, meet courageous Christians, and pray for them in a fun, interactive way. Packed with facts, activities and challenges, it’s perfect for families, Sunday schools and children’s ministries.

Here are six ways you can use it and other resources to fuel your family’s prayers for the persecuted church:

1. Eat your way around the World Watch List – pick a country one a week (or a month) where Christians face persecution. Learn a little about that country, and pray specifically for the people, the church and situations there. Use the Prayer Passport to help with this.
2. Pray when they play – during the football men’s World Cup this summer something like 12 countries playing are places where Christians face persecution: Mexico (one of the hosts), Qatar, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Colombia. Follow the fixtures and pop up some prayers when they play. Open Doors will be posting prayer updates on social media when matches are taking place – to help you kick off about persecution.
3. Share age-appropriate stories – Read or watch stories of children and families from the persecuted church. Choose stories that inspire faith and courage, not just fear or sadness, and discuss what life is like for Christians in other countries. Open Doors have a five part Sunday school resource to help too.
   
4. Write letters or draw cards – Many organisations run letter-writing or card-making campaigns where children can send encouragement to persecuted Christians and their families. Drawing a picture or writing a short message is a powerful way to let the persecuted church know they aren’t alone.
5. Make it interactive – Try living like a persecuted Christian: try whispering prayers, hide your Bibles, read the Bible by torchlight, sleep on your floor or spend a night in a tent (live a for night like millions of Christians in sub-Saharan Africa do daily), or literally keep quiet for a period of time and remember those silenced – those who share our faith but not our freedom. Or even run a Secret church gathering.
   
6. Mark a day of prayer – Join in with the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (1st November this year) – look out for resources from organisations from Open Doors, or invite one of our speakers along, or set aside a special family day each year to pray, talk, and maybe fast a meal together as a sign of empathy and support.

So grab your very own Prayer Passport and let’s go. There’s a whole world of faith, courage and hope waiting to be discovered—and your prayers might just be part of another Galina’s story.