We serve Christians around the world whose brave faith in Jesus means they are, beaten, threatened, imprisoned, tortured, falsely accused, disowned and hated.

CHURCH ON THE RUN

The church in sub-Saharan Africa is on the run, with 16.2 million Christians forced to flee their homes because of violence and conflict. Church on the Run is a fundraising activity that invites your church to get sponsored to run, walk, swim, cycle or move anyway you can to raise vital funds for your persecuted family in Africa, like Pastor Barnabas in Nigeria.

JUMP TO THESE SECTIONS

Will you get moving / How to be a church on the run / Get fundraising / What your money could achieve / Resources / Sign up / FAQs

Will your church get moving for them?

“We have been starving, but any time it becomes critical, you assist us. If not for the help of your ministry, I don’t think it would be easy for us to live. But with the aid of this ministry, they cared for us.”

Pastor Barnabas

GET FUNDRAISING
  • The simplest way to raise sponsorship is through JustGiving, and we’ve set up a campaign page that you can link to your own fundraising pages. That way everyone can see what different churches and groups are doing and see the total amount being raised! Here’s how to create your own page…

  • #2 Hit the ‘Start fundraising’ button
  • #3 Either sign in or create a JustGiving account
  • #4 Set up your fundraising page

    When asked “Are you taking part in an activity?”, choose the ‘Just fundraising’ option. Skip the question about fundraising for an occasion. Now your page will be automatically populated with information about the Church on the Run challenge (but you can edit it to reflect what you are planning to do).

  • #5 Share the page with your friends, family and church to raise money!
  • #6 Want to use Sponsor Forms?

    If you’d prefer not to use JustGiving, you can instead print out copies of this sponsorship form and give them to everyone taking on the challenge.

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WHAT YOUR MONEY COULD ACHIEVE…

The money you raise will help Christians, like Pastor Barnabas, who have been affected by violence and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa, providing basic needs that could include food, shelter, clothing and medical care.

EVERY £30

Every £30 raised could meet the basic needs of three believers in Africa for a month.

EVERY £500

Every £500 raised could meet the basic needs of a group of 50 believers in Africa for a month.

Every £1200

Every £1,200 could meet the basic needs of ten believers in Africa for a year.

DOWNLOAD THE HOW-TO GUIDE

Everything leaders need to get planning, prepping and fundraising. Download it at the link below…

Download now…

DOWNLOAD ALL RESOURCES IN ONE ZIP FILE

Get promotional posters, social media assets, a powerpoint and the ‘How-To’ Guide in one handy zip file at the link below!

Download now…

SIGN UP TO BE A CHURCH ON THE RUN!

Thank you for being a church on the run! We’d love to hear about your plans, so please fill out this form to let us know what you’re doing and how we can best stay in touch with you to cheer you on and provide you with all you need to get on the move.

    Organiser’s details…
    Church/Youth Group details…

    FAQS

    What should my church on the run look like?

    That’s entirely up to you! You get to choose the activity, distance and approach based on what best suits your group. For example, you might like to run, walk or cycle a distance together, or each person in your group does their activity and all your efforts are cumulated together to reach a particular target. Feel free to be as creative and challenging as you like!

    Can I do the challenge on my own, or must it be with a group from my church?

    Good question! You don’t have to take on the challenge as part of a group, but doing so can help bring greater awareness and momentum within your church. It also reinforces the message of the challenge – namely, your church getting on the move to help the church on the run in sub-Saharan Africa.

    However, if you can’t do with your church, please don’t let that stop you! You could do it with your friends and family, or on your own. Whatever you can do, we’re cheering you on and we’re so thankful for the funds, prayers and awareness you’re raising for our persecuted family in Africa.

    I’m not a runner, can I still get involved?

    Absolutely! Running is not for everyone, but maybe something else is – like walking, swimming or cycling, or something a bit more unusual, such as hopping or skipping. You might even want to do a mixture of activities. It’s doesn’t matter what you do, so long as you’re moving. Get creative and do what best suits you!

    How much do I need to raise?

    There is no set target, but we’d encourage you to set your own target because this will give you something to work towards, and it helps encourage donations. You might like to think about a target that reinforces the cause – like £1,620, which highlights the 16.2 million displaced Christians in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Can I claim Gift Aid?

    If you have set up a JustGiving page, the Gift Aid donations will reach Open Doors automatically without you needing to do anything more. If you have cash donations, we recommend you download a sponsor form and ask your donor to tick the gift aid box if they are eligible. Then just include your sponsor form when you send us the cheques and we’ll do the rest!

    What’s the best way of sending money to Open Doors?

    We recommend setting up a JustGiving page, as it’s quickest and easiest way to fundraise. As long as you have selected Open Doors UK as your charity, the money will come to us without you needing to do anything more. Facebook is also an easy way to set up a fundraiser and share instantly with your friends. If you have cash donations or sponsor forms, pop them in an envelope with details of your name, address and fundraiser and send them to our lovely Supporter Services team. Currently, we don’t have any facility for you to pay your money in online but we’re working on it so watch this space!

    What else can I do?

    Thank you for supporting our persecuted family through this challenge and for wanting to get more involved! Please sign the Arise Africa petition, if you’ve yet to, and encourage your family, friends and church to do so, too. Have you also thought about volunteering with us? We have several roles and opportunities available – check out our website to see if there’s one that perfect for you!

    How else can I get my church involved?

    There are so many other ways for your church to stand with our persecuted family in sub-Saharan Africa. If they haven’t already, encourage people to sign the Arise Africa petition, which calls for protection, justice and restoration for Christians in sub-Saharan Africa.

    The goal is to present one million signatures to the UK government, United Nations and African Union in 2026. You might also like to look at Scattered Church, which invites you to pray and worship with your persecuted family.

    We also have an amazing team of staff and volunteer speakers, so if you’d like one of them to come to your church to share more about Arise Africa and the wider work of Open Doors, let us know by getting in touch…

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