Pre-Olympics prayer campaign announced for China

Open Doors USA is calling on Christians to join a concentrated prayer campaign for China as that country gears up to host the 2008 Olympic games.The initiative,called "One Minute/One Year/One Country" -- asks Christians to pray for at least one minute daily at 8:00 p.m. Beijing time starting August 8, 2007,a year before the games kickoff.Paul Estabrooks,who is the minister at large for Open Doors, is pleading for people to join them in prayer."We're asking people to pray,which is the best thing we can do.It's the least we can do and it's the most we can do,and so that's what we are asking people to do.And we're just asking for a minute a day,"Estabrooks continues."With busy people,that's at least the minimum amount we should be able to give."
Reports of Christian persecution in China are on the rise,especially against members of unregistered house churches.Estabrooks says there are several reasons for the crackdown.
"It appears to be that general attitude that the government has of fearing that Christianity could become a subversive political force,"says Estabrooks."I think my personal take on it is they look back over 15 years to the collapse of the Soviet Union and especially communist regimes in Eastern Europe, where the church became a focus for political dissent."Estabrooks says that the Chinese communist government fears Chinese Christians could bring about the same collapse in China.However,he says that is not the goal of the Chinese church,which has had the "longest lasting revival movement that's ever been recorded in church history."Those who take part in the prayer campaign will receive a monthly prayer e-mail calendar and other updates.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/07/preolympics_prayer_campaign_an.php
As in the days of Noah...