Release International, a British Christian ministry that assists believers facing persecution in about 30 countries, has adopted a new name: Voice of Persecuted Christians.
The organization said the change draws on a phrase that has appeared in its logo for years. Its chief executive, Paul Robinson, said the new name better captures the ministry's aim of bringing the testimony of persecuted Christians before churches in the United Kingdom, according to a statement from the group.
"We believe the new name better reflects what our ministry is about," Robinson said, describing its purpose as enabling persecuted Christians to speak "into the life of the church here in the UK."
The ministry works through local Christian partners to address both the material and spiritual needs of those who suffer for their faith, the statement said. Within the UK, it calls on individuals and congregations to support that work through prayer and practical help.
Robinson said the group had come to view its ties with persecuted believers as mutual rather than one-directional. "They give something to us, that speaks into our lives as Christians," he said. Their example, he added, calls other Christians toward "a deeper discipleship" and a readiness to bear the cost of following Christ.
Founded in 1968, the ministry initially aided Christians in Eastern Europe living under Communist rule, behind what was then called the Iron Curtain, according to the organization. It took the name Release International in the 1990s as its reach expanded into other regions.
The group traces its early work to Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor who spent 14 years in Communist prisons for his faith and later wrote "Tortured for Christ." After his second release in the mid-1960s, associates viewed him as well suited to speak on behalf of persecuted Christians, and a group of Norwegian Christians helped him leave Romania, the ministry said.
Robinson said the ministry's work and methods remain the same. "We remain committed to loving and serving persecuted Christians," he said, adding that the group believes it "has something vital to offer the UK Church."
The new name and logo appear on the organization's website and in its communications beginning this week, the ministry said. Its website is now voiceopc.org.
