Discussion on Persecution Ministries

[Paula]

I sometimes donate to Voice of the Martyrs because I recognize that I am living a privileged life and I want to support my persecuted brothers and sisters. Recently while looking on their website I found a specific ministry devoted to those being persecuted by Islamic extremists. I rarely hear about this in any detail, let alone an entire ministry devoted to it, so I thought I'd share it here and see what everyone else thinks or if they have heard of it or another similar ministry. The ministry is called i-am-n and you can read about it here:

https://www.i-am-n.com

I think it's important to point out that while western culture is increasingly hostile towards Christianity it hasn't gotten that far yet. Reading these stories puts it all into perspective.

We should all be praying for those suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ.

[Cow Poke]

Excellent post, Paula. I have been supporting VOM since about 1984. I was introduced to it by Georgi Vins, a Russian pastor who spent considerable time in jail. He was a guest speaker at my Church in Tyler, Texas, and became a good friend.

[Cow Poke]

lao tzu, who can't post here because it's a "Christians only" area, pointed out in the Shoutbox that Charity Navigator reports VoM as only spending 19 cents on the dollar to the actual beneficiaries. I've used Charity Navigator before, and it has caused me to seriously reconsider my charitable giving.

Here is the link for your own perusal.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/inde...0#.Vnwmr1JHOUg

Thanks, Jesse!

[Paula]

Excellent post, Paula. I have been supporting VOM since about 1984. I was introduced to it by Georgi Vins, a Russian pastor who spent considerable time in jail. He was a guest speaker at my Church in Tyler, Texas, and became a good friend.

It is amazing how often other Christians can be courageous in the face of persecution. It sounds like Vins accomplished a lot in his life.

lao tzu, who can't post here because it's a "Christians only" area, pointed out in the Shoutbox that Charity Navigator reports VoM as only spending 19 cents on the dollar to the actual beneficiaries. I've used Charity Navigator before, and it has caused me to seriously reconsider my charitable giving.

Here is the link for your own perusal.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/inde...0#.Vnwmr1JHOUg

Thanks, Jesse!

Thanks (to yourself and lao tzu) for passing along that information. Usually the concern when giving to a charity is whether or not the charity is legit or a scam organization but organization efficiency is also an important dimension to consider. I've never been on the Charity Navigator website, seems really informative. You mentioned its caused you to reconsider your givings in the past, so I am guessing you find it to be fairly reliable and accurate? I will have to examine the findings more closely.

[Jedidiah]

lao tzu, who can't post here because it's a "Christians only" area, pointed out in the Shoutbox that Charity Navigator reports VoM as only spending 19 cents on the dollar to the actual beneficiaries. I've used Charity Navigator before, and it has caused me to seriously reconsider my charitable giving.

Here is the link for your own perusal.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/inde...0#.Vnwmr1JHOUg

Thanks, Jesse!

To be fair VoM does do a lot more than charity type benefits. Charity Navigator is a good resource, but sometimes a little deer look is needed for a good evaluation.

[Cow Poke]

Thanks (to yourself and lao tzu) for passing along that information. Usually the concern when giving to a charity is whether or not the charity is legit or a scam organization but organization efficiency is also an important dimension to consider. I've never been on the Charity Navigator website, seems really informative. You mentioned its caused you to reconsider your givings in the past, so I am guessing you find it to be fairly reliable and accurate? I will have to examine the findings more closely.

And I haven't yet drilled down to see how they spend the money - sometimes, salaries of executives are "overhead", but they're the ones actually doing the work... I just don't know on this particular one.

Back in the day, our Church used to support Georgi Vins directly, and he would visit our Church once a year or so.

[Paula]

To be fair VoM does do a lot more than charity type benefits. Charity Navigator is a good resource, but sometimes a little deer look is needed for a good evaluation.

Those were some of my thoughts when reviewing the report on the organization. For example, this I am N division seems to be about spreading awareness as much as supporting those fleeing Islamic extremists. I figured that is a cause I could support since not only are these my spiritual family members, it is also a reminder to myself when I am tempted to get a bit cowardly that I have it easy.

[theophilus]

Id any of you have doubts about VoM because of its Charity Navigator rating you might want to consider giving to Open Doors instead. Here is its CN rating:

http://www.charitynavigator.org/inde...4#.Vn0-cPkrKUk

and here is its website:

https://www.opendoorsusa.org/