The ministry of Open Doors began in 1955 with a young Dutchman 'brother Andrew' who smuggled bibles into the persecuted churches of Eastern Europe.

Since then the ministry has expanded to support persecuted Christians world wide, especially in areas where conversion is against the law.

Sudan
Sudan's Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments has threatened to arrest church leaders if they carry out evangelistic activities and do not comply with an order to provide their names and contact information, Christian sources have said.
The warning, in a letter to church leaders of the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC), arrived a few days after President Omar al-Bashir told cheering crowds that, following the secession of largely non-Islamic South Sudan, the country's constitution will be more deeply entrenched in Sharia (Islamic law).
"We will take legal procedures against pastors who are involved in preaching or evangelistic activities," wrote Hamid Yousif Adam, under secretary of the Ministry of Guidance and Religious Endowments, to church leaders. "This is a critical situation faced by our church in Sudan,"said the Rev. Yousif Matar, secretary general of the SPEC.
Sudanese Christians are living beneath a blanket of fear since South Sudan seceded on 9 July 2011. Sudan has moved up in Open Doors' World Watch ranking to 16, from 35, with the situation between north and south becoming increasingly volatile.
Christians in (north) Sudan celebrated Christmas amid threats from officials in Khartoum. Three members of the Sudanese Church of Christ were detained by national security agents in Khartoum on 23 December, because they were Christians and therefore suspected supporters of southern military forces. More recently, two Christian leaders were kidnapped by South Sudanese militia loyal to Sudan's Islamic government in Rabak, central Sudan. Although they were later released, the incident added to fears that Christians will increasingly become targets for Islamic hostility.
Open Doors supports the church in Sudan by providing Bibles and Christian literature, leadership training and livelihood projects.

To find out more about Sudan and other countries on the World Watch List go to www.opendoorsuk.org/countries

• That church leaders would have wisdom and grace to respond to increasing opposition
• That tensions between the north and south would be resolved, rather than deteriorate to war
• That God would strengthen Open Doors teams serving the church and helping Christians to stand strong in the midst of daily pressures