I Will Stand with Christians in hard places

Harvest 2021

We can’t show their faces.
But God has numbered every hair on their heads.
Will your church stand with these Christians in hard places?

In the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, fearless Christians are stepping out in faith and living the gospel in hard places, no matter the cost.

And this is why BMS World Mission is inviting your church to support them. With your support, we can send Bibles, equip isolated Christians to access Bible training, partner with church planters and pray for persecuted believers, and share stories that will inspire your whole congregation.

Will you stand with the World Church to make disciples and help Christian communities flourish in hard places hostile to the gospel?

Illustration of Z - one of the Christians in hard places who shares her story

Hear the stories of three fearless BMS-supported believers. Watch I Will Stand now.

Download this video to share with your church – completely copyright free!

Illustration of K - one of the Christians in hard places who shares his story

What is I Will Stand?

I Will Stand is a video appeal resource designed to help your church pray for and financially support Christians in hard places. As a result of their faith, many have been rejected by family and some have been attacked and nearly killed. But, because of their commitment to Christ, all of them are standing firm in their faith and they want to keep proclaiming the gospel. In order to do that, they need your church’s support.

How can my church help Christians in hard places?

This harvest, host an I Will Stand service and ask your congregation to do three things.

Pray: pray for BMS-supported Christians in hard places, like those featured in I Will Stand. You can find prayer points from them in the I Will Stand Leader’s Guide so you can lift them to God.
Give: donate to support fearless Christians in hard places sharing the gospel in incredibly challenging contexts, because, through your donations, your church can provide Bibles, theological training, or even support a church planter for a whole year.
Share: share one or all of the I Will Stand stories (all available at the bottom of this page) on social media using #iwillstand and tagging @bmsworldmission. These stories deserve to be heard, so let’s share them and raise awareness of the challenges and triumphs of our brother and sister Christians in hard places.

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Illustration of J - one of the Christians in hard places who shares her story

These easy-to-use resources will help you plan your I Will Stand service

Download the I Will Stand Leader’s Guide for ideas to help you inspire your church to stand with courageous Christians in hard places. As well as sermon and service inspiration, it includes fundraising ideas and prayer points.
Our faith contexts are often so contrasting. However, use our World Church PowerPoint quiz to engage and inform your church family about what it’s like to be a Christian in hard places.
The I Will Stand reflection video shares verses from two of the Bible passages that encourage the believers in I Will Stand when they are feeling alone or afraid (Psalms 23 and 27). In order to create connection through scripture, you could play it in your service as you give your church some time to pray for their brothers and sisters.
Print the downloadable I Will Stand poster and share the trailer video ahead of your I Will Stand service on social media and in church to promote your I Will Stand event.

Find the full list of I Will Stand resources at the bottom of this page.

Resources

I Will Stand feature video

We can’t show their faces.
But God has numbered every hair on their heads.
Will you stand with them?

I Will Stand is BMS World Mission’s 2021 Harvest appeal. It features three inspiring stories from believers from the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. And they are stories that your whole church needs to hear.

Let the unshakeable faith of these Christians encourage you. Let God speak to you afresh through their powerful testimonies. And then stand with them and other fearless believers living out the gospel no matter the cost by giving and praying.

Will you stand?

Video length: 7 minutes 44 seconds (Scroll down to watch, or click to download)

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I Will Stand Leader’s Guide

Discover the stories of courageous Christians living the gospel in hard places no matter the cost in the BMS World Mission I Will Stand appeal. Use the Leader’s Guide to plan your service, to encourage your church family to stand together with bold believers across the world.

The I Will Stand Leader’s Guide includes a sermon guide, prayer points, activity and fundraising ideas, and price points so you can see the exact impact your giving could make.

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I Will Stand gift envelope

Place gift envelopes on chairs before a service, along with pens. Collect the envelopes containing both cash and cheques and post them to BMS at: PO Box 49, 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 8XA.

Please do give your congregation plenty of time to fill in their details on the envelopes before taking up your offering. And remember, you don’t even have to open the envelopes. Just send them straight to BMS and let us do the hard work!

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I Will Stand live – interview with Ben

Ben’s story features in the BMS I Will Stand video. In this interview with BMS writer Laura Durrant, recorded as part of I Will Stand live, Ben shares more about his work in evangelism and also some advice for the UK Church.

Click to download or scroll down to watch the interview now!

Video length: 8 minutes 56 seconds

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I Will Stand live – interview with Z

Z’s story features in the BMS I Will Stand video. We can’t show her face or share her real name for security reasons. In this interview with Senior Editor Hannah Watson, recorded as part of I Will Stand live, Z shares more of her own story and also what it means to her to feature in the video.

Click to download or scroll down to watch the interview now!

Video length: 8 minutes 11 seconds

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I Will Stand prayer points document

Download the I Will Stand prayer points as a Microsoft Word document to copy and paste in your service sheet or church newsletter

(Also available as a printable pdf as part of the I Will Stand leader’s guide)

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I Will Stand trailer

Share the I Will Stand trailer with your church a few weeks before your service to let them know what’s coming! It’s a great way to get your church family ready to give and pray to help their brothers and sisters living in hard places across the world.

Video length: 39 seconds

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I Will Stand – Z’s story

Z has been rejected by her whole family because she chose to follow Christ.

She is from North Africa. We can’t show you her face. But we can tell you her story. And we know that, after you hear it, you will want to stand with her.

Z’s is one of three stories that make up the I Will Stand feature video, along with K’s story and J’s story.

Video length: 2 minutes 11 seconds

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I Will Stand – J’s story

J spent years living as a secret believer, afraid to tell anyone about her faith in Jesus.

She is from the Middle East. We can’t show you her face. But we can tell you her story. And we know that, after you hear it, you will want to stand with her.

J’s is one of three stories that make up the I Will Stand feature video, along with K’s story and Z’s story.

Video length: 2 minutes 38 seconds

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I Will Stand – K’s story

K used to persecute Christians, now he faces persecution for preaching the gospel to anyone he can.

He is from Asia. We can’t show you his face. But we can tell you his story. And we know that, after you hear it, you will want to stand with him.

K’s is one of three stories that make up the I Will Stand feature video, along with J’s story and Z’s story. Scroll down to watch K’s story, or click to download!

Video length: 2 minutes 40 seconds

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I Will Stand PowerPoint quiz

How much do you know about the World Church?

This all-age quiz is the perfect way to get your whole church involved in your I Will Stand service. You can choose to download the PowerPoint with the answers after each question or with all the answers at the end. It’s entirely up to you!

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I Will Stand colouring sheet

Get the children (and the young at heart!) involved in your I Will Stand service using this fantastic colouring sheet! Get them to keep their coloured in sheet somewhere they’ll see it often to remind them to pray regularly for the courageous Christians featured in I Will Stand.

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I Will Stand reflection video

Take a moment to reflect on the lives of Christians just like you who are living the gospel in hard places. Use the I Will Stand reflection video during a time of prayer or while you take up your offering.

Video length: 3 minutes 16 seconds

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I Will Stand A4 poster download

Put up an I Will Stand poster to let your church family know when and where your service is happening!

This version is A4 and available to download and print.

An A3 printed version is also available to order.

Both versions include space to advertise the details of your service or event.

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I Will Stand feature video with BSL and subtitles

We can’t show their faces.
But God has numbered every hair on their heads.
Will you stand with them?

I Will Stand is BMS World Mission’s 2021 Harvest appeal. It features three inspiring stories from believers from the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. And they are stories that your whole church needs to hear.

Let the unshakeable faith of these Christians encourage you. Let God speak to you afresh through their powerful testimonies. And then stand with them and other fearless believers living out the gospel no matter the cost by giving and praying.

Will you stand?

This is the British Sign Language version of the I Will Stand feature video, with subtitles. Video length: 7 minutes 44 seconds

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Fideo Mi Wna i Sefyll

Allwn ni ddim dangos eu hwynebau.

Ond mae Duw wedi rhifo pob gwelltyn ar eu pennau.

A wnewch chi sefyll gyda nhw?

Mi Wna i Sefyll yw apêl Cynhaeaf 2021 BMS World Mission. Bydd yn cynnwys tair stori i ysbrydoli gan gredwyr o’r Dwyrain Canol, Gogledd Affrica ac Asia. Ac maent yn straeon mae’ch eglwys gyfan angen eu clywed.

Gadewch i ffydd ddiysgog y Cristnogion hyn eich annog. Gadewch i Dduw siarad gyda chi o’r newydd trwy eu tystiolaeth bwerus. Ac yna sefwch gyda nhw a chredwyr eraill di-ofn sy’n byw’r efengyl waeth beth yw’r gost trwy roi a gweddïo.

A wnewch chi sefyll?

Hyd y fideo: 7 munud 44 eiliad

(This version of the I Will Stand feature video includes subtitles in Welsh)

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I Will Stand service PowerPoint

This editable PowerPoint presentation will make putting your I Will Stand service together easy!

It includes a link to the feature video plus instructions if you’d prefer to embed it. The whole World Church Quiz is included, plus a slide you can use as a template for your sermon notes, and illustrated prayer slides.

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I Will Stand live recording

This is a full length recording of the BMS World Mission I Will Stand live event on 30 September 2021. It includes interviews with the people behind the I Will Stand feature video, top tips for running an I Will Stand service and Q&A sessions. Click to download, or scroll down to watch now.

Video length: 1 hour 2 minutes

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