05/30/2019 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – “I was just 17, fresh out of high school,” one of ICC’s field staff­ers from South Asia said, recall­ing the first time he experienced persecution for his faith. “We were doing open air preaching when we were brutally beaten. The attackers wanted to burn our vehicle that was filled with New Testaments and Gospel literature.”

This first brush with persecution became the catalyst for his career at ICC. Like Moses, he was called by God suddenly to be a defender of God’s children – a calling that eventually turned into a career.

“God gave me unusual courage to stand up to the attackers and that courage has stayed with me until today as I work for ICC,” he said. The attackers dispersed, and God’s people were saved.

Operating in approximately 30 countries around the world, ICC identifies, devel­ops, and employs local Christians as field staff. These individuals serve as the hands and feet of ICC in their countries. As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NIV), “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” Without them, we could not effectively reach the persecuted around the world.

While this may sound simple, I can tell you from experience that being the hands and feet of Christ in a persecuted country is not. In fact, it is both complicated and challenging. ICC field staffers wear many hats: they are journalists, covering stories of persecution; project managers, overseeing ICC’s aid work; and human rights activists, advocating on behalf of their communities. In many cases, field staff must fulfill all of these roles simultaneously.

Field staffers also face the challenge of operating in hostile countries. For many, publicly associating with ICC would have dire, and even deadly, consequences.

“Serving the persecuted through ICC has been a blessing; however, it has also been challenging at times,” one field staffer from South Asia explained. “At times, advocat­ing for the victims of persecution puts me in greater risk of being identified and tar­geted by the groups involved in attacking Christians.”

Field staff must also cope with the destruc­tion and brokenness left behind by incidents of persecution. ICC’s field staff in Nigeria frequents some of the most persecuted regions in the world.

“I see some of the most terrible, grue­some, brutal murders,” he said. “Dead bod­ies of the young and old, of men, women, and children. It is sometimes so difficult for me to find the appropriate words of sympathy and condolences. Sometimes, I just groan in silence.”

In the face of these challenges, ICC’s over­seas staff remains remarkably committed to serving the persecuted Church. For most, this is truly a calling on their lives.

As we continue to serve the global persecut­ed Church, it is important to remember those on the frontlines. Those who are the hands and feet of Jesus, serving the persecuted. These dedicated men and women can truly be count­ed among the modern heroes of the Church.

“Being an ICC field staffer is like becom­ing the thirteenth disciple of Jesus Christ … I am fulfilling his commands of feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoner, caring for the sick, and clothing the naked.”

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