REBUILDING HOPE 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

REBUILDING HOPE 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Over 60 years ago, Brother Andrew began the work of smuggling Bibles to Christians living out their faith in the world s most oppressive countries. Today, six decades later, Open Doors is on the ground in over 60 countries, supporting Christians who are persecuted for their faith. We provide a wide range of assistance including Bibles, discipleship training, emergency aid, vocational skills, trauma counseling, and advocacy to demonstrate to our Christian brothers and sisters that they are not forgotten. We strengthen their efforts so they can serve as Christ s Church to their communities. We consider it a privilege to help rally Christians around the world to come to the aid of these brothers and sisters who minister in the world s most hostile regions. And we hope you ll join us in seeing persecution as an area of ministry you can serve God in throughout the course of your life. 01 Open Doors 2017 Annual Report

Dear Friends, In 2017, at least 215 million Christians experienced high levels of persecution in the top 50 countries included on the Open Doors World Watch List. This means 1 in 12 Christians worldwide face persecution for believing in Jesus. This equates to some heartbreaking statistics for example, 3,066 Christians were killed; 1,252 were abducted; 1,020 were raped or sexually harassed; and 793 churches were attacked. But as devastating as these reports are, they do not slow us down. Instead, Open Doors clings to a great hope. As we continue to pray for and practically support these Christians, we confidently trust Jesus promise that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church. If anything, in the face of increasing need, we become even more determined. As persecution grows, our response must grow too. That s why this year, Open Doors took on ambitious new initiatives you ll learn about in the pages to come. In the Nineveh plains, we set out to help rebuild entire villages that had been destroyed by ISIS. In Nigeria, we carried out the largest famine relief program our organization has ever undertaken. And in America, we rallied Christians to send thousands of letters to underground believers in North Korea. As you flip through the pages to come, though, I hope you ll join me in remembering that this story isn t about statistics. It is about the people these numbers represent. We are constantly inspired by the courageous faith of the Christians who follow Jesus in the world s most difficult places. And they inspire us to do our very best to do more than ever before and to help more people than ever before for the sake of the Kingdom. Dr. David Curry, CEO, Open Doors USA 02

OUR WORK We believe the Church is one Body, and that God is at work in even the hardest places. We stand with Christians around the world who risk everything to follow Jesus, providing them with physical and spiritual aid through your support and partnership to remind them they are not alone. We are present in over 60 countries from Nigeria to Nepal, Egypt to Eritrea, Myanmar to Mexico, covering regions in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America where Christian persecution is at its highest. 03

We know God has not left His people, and we won t either. We work closely with ministry leaders on the ground to meet the needs of Christians through the local church helping God s Church to be God s Church. We listen to the cries of persecuted believers around the world we pray with them, and we get to work. We are Open Doors, and we believe every Christian should be free to follow Jesus. 04

PERSECUTION FACTS 2017 was a tumultuous year for Christians. Violence and oppression impacted millions of Christians around the world in fact, one in 12 Christians experienced high levels of persecution for their faith. The following is just a snapshot of what Christians went through around the world. This is what the Church of Jesus is facing as it seeks to follow Him and live out the gospel: 215 MILLION FOLLOWERS OF JESUS EXPERIENCE HIGH LEVELS OF PERSECUTION FOR THEIR FAITH 05 Open Doors 2017 Annual Report

3,066 Christians killed 793 churches attacked 1,020 Christians raped or sexually harassed 1,240 Christians forced into marriages 33,967 Christians forced to leave their homes 06

GLOBAL IMPACT 67+15+18+C Training resources In 2017, your gifts contributed to the global effort of Open Doors to support the Body of Christ, to care for the needs of God s family and to allow the gospel to reach even the most difficult places your gifts helped the Church be the Church. Thank you for partnering with us and with your global family. Here is just a small snapshot of what God did through your support: 15% 18% Bibles 2,479,000 Bibles, Christian literature and training materials delivered 1 67% Christian literature 07 Open Doors 2017 Annual Report BIBLES DISTRIBUTED CHRISTIAN LITERATURE TRAINING RESOURCES 442,000 Bibles, New Testaments, Gospels & Study Bibles 1,650,000 Books, tracts, magazines, music & movies 387,000 Training materials

C28+15+12 8+4+76+12C 45+ Medical, literacy, education 23% Persecution training 18% Counseling 13% 8% 4% 75% 13% Leadership training Community development Relief, aid & shelter Microfinance & support 46% Discipleship People benefited from social 854,000 economic development RELIEF & AID 640,000 Provided with relief, aid & shelter MEDICAL & SOCIAL SERVICES 112,000 Supported through medical, literacy & education People discipled, trained, 533,000 mentored and counseled DISCIPLESHIP & COUNSELING 248,000 Discipled through mentoring, Bible study & counseling PERSECUTION PREPAREDNESS 124,000 Trained in persecution awareness & preparation COMMUNITY SUPPORT 69,000 Served through community development TRAUMA COUNSELING 93,000 Counseled through trauma & family life Select highlights from the global ministry of Open Doors 08

REBUILDING THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE EAST: 678 HOUSES RESTORED ON THE NINEVEH PLAINS When ISIS militants invaded the Iraqi town of Qaraqosh, Musa and his wife, Ishba, were two of 12,000 Christian families living in the Nineveh plains forced to flee their home overnight. For three years, they lived displaced. Last year, they returned home to devastation. Everything in their home had been stolen. The windows and door were completely destroyed. 09 We are thankful to you, to be back in our home. And we are grateful that you are helping us, also with your prayers. Noor, a believer in Qaraqosh The destruction was terrible, but with your help, we were able to repair all the windows and door, and we could do some other repairs on the house, Musa shares with one of our on-the-ground ministry partners. We are very happy to be back here. We re in our own house again. RENEWED HOPE AFTER ISIS In 2017, Open Doors restored almost 700 homes in the Nineveh plains, giving Christians like Musa and Ishba renewed hope in the wake of the war with ISIS. With your support, we were able to restore 286 houses in Qaraqosh, Father George, a church leader in Iraq, told us. That means 286 families have

returned to their homes. By the end of 2017, we finished 1,054 of the 2,658 of houses that are on our list to be repaired. In the Nineveh plains region of Iraq, where the city of Qaraqosh is, there are nearly 700 homes rebuilt and more to come. Qaraqosh needs to become beautiful again, he says intently. THE CHURCH IS ALIVE! Remarkably, the Church in the Middle East that was labeled in news headlines as dead, over and nonexistent is finding new life again. In total, more than 50,000 Christians have returned to the Nineveh plains, with more hoping and planning to come back home as reconstruction continues. We are very happy to be back here. We re in our own house again. This is our land, this is what we ve inherited. Musa, a believer in Qaraqosh 10

BRINGING RELIEF TO CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA: 9,000 FOOD SURVIVAL KITS DISTRIBUTED In 2017, Christians in northern Nigeria found themselves trapped between the terror of Boko Haram Islamic militants and the devastation of starvation. The picture turned increasingly bleak for Christians. When they fled their villages and made their way to displacement camps, Christians soon learned that persecution had followed them. Many believers were denied food rations in Muslim-majority camps. RUSHING FOOD SURVIVAL KITS Open Doors went into action with a rapid response campaign and rushed 9,000 famine survival kits to communities of hard-working Christians on the cusp of starvation in northern Nigeria. The reality of what Nigerian believers have endured is extremely difficult. Last summer, a young Christian girl shared with an Open Doors field worker: 11 One day we went to school and came back to discover our house had been burned with our father inside, she says. Life has not been easy for us since. Some organizations come to provide food, but most of it goes to our Muslim brothers and Christians don t get it. But thank God for Open Doors.

Another Open Doors representative shares a conversation with a pastor in Lassa, Nigeria, who called her to describe the impact of the relief. Through tears, he told her: Please tell the people who gave towards this aid that we will never forget what they have done for us. This aid you gave us will last people up to three months. We have never experienced such help. You have done what the church in Lassa could not do because we have become so weak. pastor in Nigeria The money you included in each parcel is amazing. We have never experienced such help. A Nigerian Christian man added: You have brought relief to so many people. 12

MORE THAN 3,000 LETTERS AND PRACTICAL AID DELIVERED TO SECRET BELIEVERS IN NORTH KOREA In 2017, Open Doors launched an intentional and intense initiative to encourage our family of the estimated 300,000 secret believers in the #1 persecuted country. Through your prayers and support, we empowered pinpoints of light to shine brightly in the darkness of North Korea. Through your prayers and support, we empowered pinpoints of light to shine brightly in the darkness of North Korea. We gave Christians in the United States the opportunity to write messages to North Korean believers and we delivered them to the underground church through an undisclosed radio program. In total, Open Doors supporters wrote more than 3,000 messages of encouragement to Christians in North Korea to help secret believers stand strong in their faith. We ve learned from past letter writing campaigns that these notes often reach the hands of believers who are facing significant hardship. 13 Open Doors 2017 Annual Report

And through our underground network of partners, Open Doors supporters generosity provided our ministry partners with Bibles, emergency food, medicine, safe houses, training and critical resources that they distributed to Christian families. GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES We heard from North Korean Christians that knowing believers are praying for and supporting them and cheering them on in the faith gave them the perseverance to stand strong. One secret Christian in North Korea told us: We just found out that God has mobilized Christians outside our country to pray for us and help us financially. We are astonished that God loves us so much. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts your support and prayers make us stronger. 14

2018 WORLD WATCH LIST 28 45 16 31 36 15 34 17 35 Each year, Open Doors releases its World Watch List, a breakdown of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to follow Jesus. 33 25 5 40 11 46 6 29 43 27 12 4 48 22 2 10 8 21 7 1 19 19 41 24 20 9 50 18 3 44 26 23 32 15 Open Doors 2017 Annual Report 13 38 For the 2018 release, Open Doors USA held a press event in Washington, D.C., where several persecuted Christians told us what it s like to live in the day-to-day reality in some of the most difficult countries.

Egypt, #17: Tabitha s story While the large-scale attacks against Christians in Egypt make waves in media around the world, the day-today persecution of believers happens constantly and often goes unnoticed. Tabitha s* experiences as a young Christian woman in Egypt show this reality. Treated poorly at her school for being a Christian, Tabitha also witnessed a vicious attack against her father by radicals who singled him out for being a Christian. But Tabitha also shares God is sparking the faith of young Christians throughout Egypt. India, #11: Samuel s story Samuel* is a church leader in India, where persecution has been on the rise each year over the course of three years, India has gone from #25 to #11 on the World Watch List. Samuel explains how Christians are driven from their homes by radical Hindu nationalists, discriminated against and violently oppressed for their faith. Thousands of people have been forced to reconvert to the Hindu fold, he says. Samuel and other church leaders around India are trying to equip Christians in the country to remain strong in their faith. Vietnam, #18: Joseph s story They think Jesus was American, Joseph* says. He is speaking of the way many people and authorities in Vietnam think about Christianity they believe it to be a threat from the West. The communist government tolerates Christianity somewhat in the cities, but in more rural areas, village authorities cooperate with regional governments to brutally crack down on churches and people of faith. Joseph works with secret churches in Vietnam including one in his own home. * name changed to protect the identity of the person 16

ADVOCACY twitter.com/vp/media 17 Hope for the Middle East Petition Delivered to the United Nations Noeh, a 13-year-old boy from Iraq, together with a delegation from Open Doors, delivered a petition signed by 800,000 people in more than 60 countries to the office of the UN Secretary General, urging help for Christians in the Middle East. This effort, part of the Open Doors Hope for the Middle East Campaign, raised awareness of the dire situation faced by believers in the Middle East. Open Doors 2017 Annual Report Meeting with Vice President Pence at the White House In December 2017, Open Doors USA CEO David Curry and Advocacy Director Kristin Wright were able to introduce Noeh to Vice President Pence at the White House. Noeh gave the Vice President a gift of marbles that he had found in the destroyed ruins of his home on the Nineveh plain, after his town was liberated from ISIS. Vice President Pence told Noeh that, help is on the way, saying that he wanted to return the marbles to Noeh once his home is rebuilt.

Open Doors Advocacy Director Kristin Wright with Sam Brownback Across the USA Open Doors supporters played an integral role in advocating for the nomination and confirmation of a new Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Sam Brownback, a champion for religious freedom around the world, now occupies this position, as of early 2018. Open Doors supporters also advocated for Christians in Nigeria and other countries around the world, speaking out on their behalf. On Capitol Hill Open Doors USA CEO David Curry and Advocacy Director Kristin Wright continued to build relationships with key U.S. State Department officials and members of Congress. They spent increased time at the White House, providing information on persecution of Christians. The U.S. State Department continues to use the Open Doors World Watch List in their research on religious persecution around the world. 18

2017 OPEN DOORS USA FINANCIALS RESOURCES RECEIVED Contributions...$23,468,398 Books and ministry products...$20,745 Other revenue...$202,770 TOTAL REVENUE... $23,691,913 RESOURCES UTILIZED Bible and literature distribution... $3,718,308 Training... $3,482,433 Public awareness and local ministry... $5,138,475 Research and advocacy...$724,130 Socio-economic development... $4,114,305 TOTAL PROGRAM EXPENSES... $17,177,651 Administration... $2,312,225 Fundraising... $4,021,047 TOTAL EXPENSES... $23,510,923 Net assets at the beginning of the year... $5,529,544 Net assets at the end of the year... $5,710,534 19 Open Doors 2017 Annual Report These financial results are for Open Doors USA only.

C24+4+30+20 C17+10 With your help in 2017, Open Doors gave more money to programs in the field than any time in our history. Our rapid growth has been enabled by thoughtful and strategic decisions to invest in core mission support. More specifically, the staff, systems and technology necessary to reach more Christians in the United States while generating more support for the global Body of Christ. Here at Open Doors, our vision is to make the needs and stories of those persecuted for their faith unavoidable in our country. We have much work to do. However, through prayer, stewardship and your support, we are fiercely optimistic we can reach our goal. God is calling us to be part of His story: Strengthening the Body of Christ and advancing the Great Commission in the hardest-to-reach places. Thank you for joining us. Your prayers and gifts are a true blessing. 22+ 30% PROGRAM EXPENSES Socio-economic development Research and advocacy Public awareness and local ministry 4% 24% 22% Bible & literature distribution 20% Training 73+ ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY Programs for the Persecuted Church 73% 10% These financial results are for Open Doors USA only. 17% Administration Fundraising 20

GET INVOLVED Right now, in 2018, increasing numbers of Christians around the world continue to be discriminated against, harassed, falsely imprisoned, assaulted and even killed. That s why we re praying God will move in the hearts of thousands of American Christians to volunteer to stand with their persecuted brothers and sisters. But we realize, when you learn of complex world issues like persecution, it might not seem like there s anything an average American could do to help believers living on the other side of the world. But that s not true. Open Doors offers several cost-free, practical ways for you to support persecuted believers. + Using your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to help spread awareness and support as a Social Media Influencer. + Helping your church, Sunday school class, or other group learn about and connect to the persecuted church as a Connector. + Engaging in letter writing, petition signing, and other advocacy activities as an Advocate. + Praying for persecuted Christians as a Prayer Partner. 21 Open Doors 2017 Annual Report PLEASE GO TO OPENDOORSUSA.ORG/VOLUNTEER TO SIGN UP TO HELP IN THESE AREAS NOW!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS OPEN DOORS CORE VALUES David Curry Bruce Dingman Francesca Fajinmi Steve Haas Tim Kachuriak Caryn Ryan Nathaniel Spoelman Roger Spoelman Colin Stewart Daisy Szabo Matthew P. Yates President & CEO Director Director Vice Chair Director Director Director Director Chair Director Secretary + We are part of the Body of Christ; a people-to-people people + We are persecuted Church-driven + We are people of the Bible + We are people of prayer + We live and work by faith + We are devoted to Jesus Christ and His commission + We are motivated solely for the glory of God 22

OpenDoorsUSA.org PO Box 27001 / Santa Ana, CA 92799 USA To contact Open Doors by phone, call 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535)