Be an Advocate!
Go beyond the theory. Serve your persecuted family. Grow in your gifts.
We need you! We’re looking for passionate, inspired and quality young people to join our expanding ADVOCATE PROGRAMME. It’s an informal course for people aged 17-24 that works alongside your existing work or study commitments. We’re developing and improving our current programme and would love you to be involved!
“I’ve been amazed at how God has used me! Through God’s power in me, I have led a school assembly, written to my local MP, set up a blog and I am in the process of planning a church service focused around persecuted Christians.
Personally, however, finding out more about what it means to be a part of God family, has been the best part. Whether we can practice our faith freely, or live under persecution, we are all children of God, whose love never changes or fails.”
Becky (Advocate Graduate)
Why?
Ben was 16 when he was kicked out of his family home in Southeast Asia for becoming a Christian. His family and whole community rejected and beat him. He fled not knowing where to go, fearing for his life, but trusting God.
The vision
Our vision is to put Ben’s story, the story of the persecuted church, on the agenda of every church throughout the UK and Ireland. We refuse to live in a world that doesn’t care and speak up for our persecuted brothers and sisters. We see God on the move; changing lives and communities in some of the toughest places on earth to follow Jesus. Ben now lives with a Christian family after attending an Open Doors conference and becoming friends with some young people his age. He continues to follow Jesus, and is praying for opportunities to witness to his parents and old friends.
Join us, to make a stand for people like Ben, and truly be a part of the Body of Christ.
Our vision is to see ADVOCATES in every area, in every town, across the UK & Ireland.
What Advocates do
We want to release your ideas and passion. Put simply: we believe in you. When you become an ADVOCATE we’ll invest in you, to help you use your gifts to make a noise for the persecuted. We’ll be holding 3 weekend conferences over the course of a year. These are times to get inspired and learn from the persecuted church, grab new skills, and get a real sense of being part of God’s worldwide family. And of course you will get to know other ADVOCATES and the Open Doors team.
You’ll get stuck in with some key Open Doors campaigns (including 1 event in Westminster!) and to use your freedom to inspire people to join you. You can join the Open Doors team as they speak at events, as well as jumping on board at Summer festivals. Nice!
We’ll keep in touch via WhatsApp, email and the odd phone call or coffee somewhere. Lastly, we’ll plug you into shiny new regional ADVOCATE HUBS. Online or face to face, we’ll encourage you to connect regularly so you can pray, dream and scheme together.
How long?
We ask that you commit to a minimum of one year, but your time as an ADVOCATE will last for as long as you feel God calls you. As you journey with us, we commit to building your influence and leadership ability, to help set you on a path of life-long activism.
This is not a gap year!
Whatever stage of life you are in, we believe it is possible for you to be an ADVOCATE. Whether in college, uni, work or a gap year, being an ADVOCATE is to be part of the body of Christ. To call yourself an ADVOCATE is to simply put a name on your commitment to pray and act for the persecuted and to strengthen the Church so that the gospel may be shared across the globe.
Some of our old Advocates share their thoughts…
Interested?
Sound like something you’d be up for? Email us if you have any questions.
We’re just working out a new Advocates application process. Applications will open again soon!
