21Wilberforce

10/12/2026

We give thanks for our African Baptist brothers and sisters.

Our President, Wissam al-Saliby, joined the All Africa Baptist Fellowship’s 2026 General Gathering in Nairobi under the theme “Beyond Jerusalem” (Acts 1:8). He participated in the launch of the new Baptist Forum for Good Governance, where former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo gave the keynote. He also met with leaders to discuss religious freedom challenges across the continent.

Many of these believers serve where Christians face insecurity and violence. We’re grateful for their faithful witness and look forward to working together in the months ahead.

Read the full story:

Baptists from across Africa gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, this month for the 2026 General Gathering of the All Africa Baptist Fellowship (AABF). Held under the theme “Beyond Jerusalem” (Acts 1:8), the Gathering celebrated the diversity of the African Baptist family and its shared calling to carry ...

10/08/2026

“This assistance was like manna from heaven.” 🙏

Mrs. Amos Ruth is a widow in Miango, Nigeria, raising her own children and four of her sister’s. The night after she wondered how she’d feed them all, help arrived.

Trained local Christian leaders from the Nigerian Evangelical Fellowship delivered food and essential supplies to 70 of Miango’s most vulnerable families, after years of violence had left them displaced again and again.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). 🌱

🎥 Watch the video for a firsthand look: https://21wilberforce.org/equipped-to-serve-emergency-aid-reaches-displaced-families-in-plateau-state/

Want to stand with these leaders? Give here: https://21wilberforce.org/give/

Local leaders making it possible. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). It’s how we think about the local Christian leaders we serve alongside. They plant and tend in hard ground, and God gives the growth. In Nigeria’s Plateau State, years of violence hav...

10/01/2026

How does war affect religious freedom?

This week at the Global Religious Freedom Gathering in Dallas, our president Wissam al-Saliby joined fellow advocates to talk about exactly that.

One story from the panel stays with us. When Wissam asked a Christian leader in a conflict region how we could help, the answer was: "Our community is divided." Help with unity came first. That conversation is a big part of why our work now includes peace building and reconciliation, not only advocacy.

Christian Daily International covered the discussion, including Bob Fu's warning about digital surveillance and Ted Vail's call for Christians to build trust across denominations. Worth a read

https://www.christiandaily.com/news/conflict-surveillance-disunity-emerging-as-new-religious-freedom-challenges-advocates-say

Please keep believers living through conflict in your prayers.

Religious freedom advocates told a gathering in Texas that armed conflict and state surveillance are undermining the methods Christians have used to defend persecuted believers. They said a divided global church is poorly placed to respond.

09/28/2026

"Do not despair. Do not lose your guard or your commitment to our shared humanity. Keep hope alive!"

That's Dr. Dawari George's message to everyone who cares about Nigeria but feels overwhelmed by the headlines.

Dr. George is a former member of Nigeria's House of Representatives and a Baptist church leader. He now leads Global Freedom Network Nigeria, a 21Wilberforce partner that works with government leaders and local communities to protect freedom of religion and belief.

In our new story, he talks about his journey from the classroom to Parliament, the young team behind GFN Nigeria, and what the world misses when it looks at Nigeria only through the lens of violence.

Read more here: https://21wilberforce.org/keep-hope-alive-dr-dawari-george-on-building-bridges-for-religious-freedom-in-nigeria/

A former lawmaker turned advocate explains why lasting protection for Nigeria’s vulnerable communities depends on government and grassroots working together. Dr. Dawari George has spent his career moving between worlds that rarely speak to one another: the university lecture hall, the executive of...

09/18/2026

09/16/2026

How can we advocate for religious freedom when Christian communities themselves are divided?

In his latest article, 21Wilberforce President Wissam al-Saliby offers four strategic pivots for navigating these difficult situations—while seeking to strengthen religious freedom without deepening existing divisions.

Read Four Pivots for Advocating When the Persecuted Church is Divided and join the conversation.
https://21wilberforce.org/four-pivots-for-advocating-when-the-persecuted-church-is-divided/

Christian advocates for religious freedom should not fall into the trap of idealizing the persecuted church. To recognize the courage and faithfulness of Christians who endure persecution does not mean assuming that their communities are free from the divisions, rivalries, and human failings that af...

09/11/2026

On this 25th anniversary of September 11, we remember the lives lost and the many lives forever changed by violence.

Today, we are also reminded that the work of building peace and protecting human dignity belongs to all of us, across every border.

In South Sudan, Lorna Merekaje has devoted more than a decade to that work—bringing citizens, women, faith communities, and local leaders together to pursue a different future for her country. Her conviction is simple but profound: lasting peace cannot be imposed from above. It must be built by people who choose reconciliation over division.

Lorna’s story is a powerful reminder that even in the aftermath of profound loss, people can choose courage, unity, and hope.

Today, we remember. And we recommit ourselves to the work of peace.

Read Lorna’s story: Building Peace in South Sudan

At 21Wilberforce, we know that defending human dignity and freedom isn’t just about international advocacy. It depends on courageous people who step up to change their own communities—even when the stakes are incredibly high. Lorna Merekaje is one of those people. For more than ten years, Lorna ...

09/02/2026

We are honored to announce the recipient of the 2026 Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award: Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley.

For more than 50 years, Rev. Medley has lived out a simple but profound conviction: faith calls us to pursue justice, defend our neighbor, and stand with those whose dignity and freedom are threatened.

His ministry has taken him from confronting racism and segregation in the American South to standing alongside Muslims facing Islamophobia, advocating for persecuted Christians and displaced communities in Burma, and bringing people of different faiths together in pursuit of peace.

His witness is marked by both conviction and humility—deep fidelity to his Christian faith alongside a willingness to listen, learn, and stand in solidarity with people of other faiths.

As 21Wilberforce President Wissam al-Saliby said:

“We need to learn from the steadfast and humble advocacy of Rev. Dr. Roy Medley—for religious freedom, for peace, for restoration, and for healing.”

The Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award honors those who embody the legacy of Congressman Frank Wolf, a lifelong champion of religious freedom and human rights.

Please join us in celebrating Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley and his extraordinary life of faith, courage, peacemaking, and service.

Tuesday, October 27, 2026
4:00–7:00 p.m.
Hoge Chapel, Columbia Church
Falls Church, Virginia

We hope you will join us for this special celebration!

Learn more and register to attend: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/frank-wolf-international-religious-freedom-award-program-tickets-1994078880611?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

And if you would like to learn more about Rev. Medley’s story, read our earlier profile, Blessed Are the Peacemakers: A Life Shaped by Faith and Moral Courage.
https://21wilberforce.org/blessed-are-the-peacemakers-a-life-shaped-by-faith-and-moral-courage/

08/19/2026

Our latest 21Wilberforce newsletter highlights Christian leaders responding to persecution, conflict, and insecurity with courage, compassion, and a commitment to peace—from Nigeria to South Asia. Read their stories, learn how 21Wilberforce is standing alongside them, and join us in honoring Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley with the 2026 Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Award:

In this issue, we look at the many ways Christian leaders are responding to persecution, conflict, and insecurity with courage, compassion, and a commitment to peace. From Nigeria to South Asia, these stories offer a closer look at those working amid difficult circumstances, the challenges they face...