Praying for ALL the Persecuted: A Global Gathering

Andrew Brunson

Andrew Brunson and his wife Norine were involved in starting churches, training, aid to refugees, and a house of prayer in Turkey for 23 years. Specifically, Andrew pastored the Izmir Diriliş (Resurrection) Church, a small evangelical Presbyterian congregation in the city of Izmir until he was falsely accused of terrorism in October 2016. Andrew was then held in Turkish prisons for two years until--due to a worldwide prayer movement and significant political pressure from the U.S. government--he was finally sentenced and then dramatically released to the United States in October 2018, where he now resides. Today, Andrew and Norine run their ministry WaveStarters, an organization primarily focused on the persecuted church, the Muslim world, and preparing the next generation for leadership and how to stand under pressure.

Sam Brownback

Sam Brownback served as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from February 2018 to January 2021. He served as Governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018. Prior to that he represented his home state in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. While a member of the Senate, he worked actively on the issue of religious freedom in multiple countries and was a key sponsor of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Prior to his public service, Ambassador Brownback practiced law and taught agricultural law at Kansas State University. He earned a B.S. from Kansas State University and a J.D. from the University of Kansas. Ambassador Brownback currently serves as co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit and is a Senior Fellow at Global Christian Relief. He is also chairman of the National Council for Religious Freedom.

Mariam Ibraheem

Mariam Ibraheem is a Sudanese Christian who was imprisoned for her faith in December 2013 and later sentenced to death. She was born to a Christian mother and a Muslim father, but the Sudanese government considered her a Muslim because of her father. She refused to recant her faith; therefore, they declared her an apostate and imprisoned her along with her 9-month-old son, Martin. While in prison she discovered she was pregnant, and her sentence of torture and execution was postponed until after her daughter was born. Mariam gave birth to her daughter, Maya, in May 2014 chained in a prison cell for her faith. Mariam’s story gained international attention, and many advocated for her release. Mariam and her children were released soon after Maya’s birth, and they eventually moved to the United States. A rare living martyr, Mariam received continued international publicity and spoke before the European Union and Pope Francis. She continues to speak publicly about religious freedom issues and on behalf of those who are oppressed globally.

Rev. Dr. Elijah Brown

Rev. Dr. Elijah M. Brown is the General Secretary and CEO of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). Founded in 1905, the BWA is a Christian World Communion that draws upon 400 years of shared Baptist history with 253 member bodies in 130 countries and territories representing over 51 million baptized believers and 176,000 churches. As General Secretary and CEO, Rev. Dr. Brown has the overall leadership responsibilities for the BWA and is its chief representative within the Baptist family and to governments, global organizations and institutions, and other Christian World Communions and faith traditions. Elected as the ninth General Secretary and the youngest in the history of the BWA, Rev. Dr. Brown brings strategic and visionary leadership as the principal leader to the Baptist movement as well as a ministry passion for the vision of the BWA to "network the Baptist family to impact the world for Christ.