get sponsored to go screen-free · • guts and courage, our guide to the places where following...

blackoutGET SPONSORED TO GO SCREEN-FREE

How-to mini-guide with stories, actions and prayers

READ ME BEFORE YOU GO SCREEN-FREE!

what?Blackout is a sponsored challenge to go screen-free for up to 48 hours. It’s a chance to shut down our devices and still our social networking to instead raise money, prayer and awareness for silenced, hidden and persecuted Christians.

why?Around the world, millions of Christians have no voice. Many are persecuted, threatened, beaten, arrested, tortured and some are even killed for their choice to follow Jesus. Recent research shows that Christian women and girls face persecution because of both their gender and their faith, and the things they experience often go unseen and unnoticed.

By getting sponsored to switch off your screens, you’ll raise money for projects restoring dignity, hope and value to Christian women and girls who have suffered persecution.

NO INSTAGRAM.NO WHATSAPP.NO SNAPCHAT.NO SPOTIFY.NO YOUTUBE.NO TIKTOC.NO GAMING.NO NETFLIX.NO SCREENS.

Plus you can use the time you’re not spending with a screen in prayer, making a massive noise before God for your persecuted family.

when?Blackout 2019 is taking place from 7pm on Friday 25 October to 7pm on Sunday 27 October (but, if the dates don’t suit, you can do Blackout whenever you like!)

i need help!Spending anything from 6-48 hours without a screen might seem pretty daunting, but don’t freak just yet. We’re here to help. This guide includes a bunch of reflections and actions to help you focus on why you’ve shut down your screens, plus why not get your whole youth group involved? There are a bunch more resources and downloads (including stuff to help groups and youth leaders join the Blackout) at opendoorsyouth.org/blackoutpack

blackoutGET SPONSORED TO GO SCREEN-FREE

BLACKOUT MINI-GUIDE P3

opendoorsyouth.org/blackout

get sponsored and prepared• Go to justgiving.com/campaign/

blackout2019 or use the form we’ve sent you (you can download more at opendoorsyouth.org/blackoutpack) and ask people to start sponsoring you.

• Use the social media images, flyers, posters and PowerPoint slide to tell your family, friends, CU, church, ANYONE what you are doing and why.

Funds raised as part of Blackout 2019 will go towards projects restoring hope, dignity and value to Christian women and girls who are vulnerable to persecution because of their faith and gender. Read the stories near the back of this guide to find out more.

shut down your screens• Simple. Turn them off, all of them.

Start with the phone...

• Use the sticker we have sent you to cover up your favourite screen, just to help with the temptation to pick it back up.

This is about giving up our screens so we can bring our attention to where it belongs: on God, the almighty creator and loving Father. It is also about making a noise through prayer for persecuted Christians.

how to blackoutBy getting this special guide, you’ve already committed to giving up screen time for up to 48 hours. But here’s what to do now!

reflect and raise prayerBlackout is about going silent online so we can make a massive noise in prayer before God. As you’ll read over the next few pages, persecuted Christians need our prayers. They need us to seek God with them - to ask for healing, boldness, courage, perseverance and change.

As Brother Andrew, the founder of Open Doors, says: “Our prayers can go where we cannot...there are no borders, no prison walls, no doors that are closed to us when we pray.”

Use the stories in this little booklet to guide your prayers, plus download prayer posters, a prayer guide and loads more helpful material at opendoorsyouth.org/blackoutpack

other helpful things• Guts and Courage, our guide to

the places where following Jesus costs the most*

• The latest Cost magazine*• The book, God’s Smuggler, by

Open Doors’ founder, Brother Andrew

• A Bible

* These are available for free – contact [email protected]



opendoorsyouth.org/blackout opendoorsyouth.org/blackoutopendoorsyouth.org/blackout

This year, the money raised through Blackout will go to projects working to restore hope, dignity and value to Christian women and girls persecuted because of their faith and gender. Use the sponsor forms we’ve provided, or set up an account at justgiving.com/campaign/blackout2019 to help you collect money. Here’s what you could achieve.

what you couldhelp make happen

Raising £90 could feed 10 widows in Nigeria each month who have been impacted by persecution

Raising £255 could provide persecution survival training for 10 women, so they know their legal rights and what the Bible says about persecution

Raising £488 could provide trauma counselling and vital monthly aid for eight women refugees who have fled homes because of persecution

Blackout is about getting sponsored to go screen-free. That means you’ll raise money to help persecuted Christians.

£90

£255

£488



opendoorsyouth.org/blackout opendoorsyouth.org/blackout

on your own? with a group?Blackout is pretty simple. You just need to give up your screens for up to 48 hours. Then you pray. You can do that on your own, or in a group.

on your own?If you’re doing Blackout on your own, make sure you download our prayer posters and get our Guts and Courage guide (with the latest World Watch Map in it). Stick them up and turn a wall in your house into a mini prayer space! You might also want to try and get a copy of God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew for a decent book to get into during your Blackout.

in a group?Go big! Set up a prayer room, run a service or gathering and make a massive noise together in prayer. If you’re a youth leader, we have a bunch of youth sessions you can use to explore the faith and passion of persecuted Christians, plus we have some ready-made talks you can adapt and use, too! Plus there are some special Blackout materials you can download to scale up Blackout for a group setting.

Head to opendoorsyouth.org/blackoutpack to see a bunch of extra downloads and resources.




now…Start getting sponsors and telling people what you are doing. Set up a sponsorship page by heading to justgiving.com/campaign/blackout2019 or use the forms we’ve sent you to ask people to support your Blackout. Plus, download some social media images, posters and flyers at opendoorsyouth.org/blackoutpack to help you promote and explain to others why you are planning on going screen-free!

two weeks before…Get a slot in your church service, youth group or small group to share about your Blackout. Use the promo video and PowerPoint slide you can download at opendoorsyouth.org/blackoutpack to help you explain the challenge. Ask people to sponsor you, and even join you too! If you

get preppedGoing screen-free for up to 48 hours sounds simple, but it’s going to be hard. That’s why you need to be prepared. Here’s some of our top tips on how to get ready (you may want to put some reminders in your phone to do some of these things).

haven’t got them already, email us at [email protected] and ask us to send you a copy of our Guts and Courage guide and our latest Cost magazine – these will be great resources to use when you can’t access a screen!

one week before…Ask around your family and church to see if you can borrow a copy of God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew. It’s a great book, and a very popular one, so try and grab a copy to read during your Blackout. Do a final push asking people to sponsor you!

the day before...Head to opendoorsyouth.org/blackoutpack to download and print off some prayer posters and other resources (there’s stuff here for youth leaders too).

one hour before…Take a deep breath. Post the ‘I’m going screen-free’ image on your social feeds along with a quick comment about why you’re switching off – download it at opendoorsyouth.org/blackoutpack. Now, shut down your screens, seal away the smart phone and turn off the TV. You can use the sticker we sent you to put on your fave screen to stop you feeling tempted to turn it on again until the Blackout is over.

blackout rules1.The Blackout weekend lasts from 7pm Friday to 7pm Sunday. You can do the full 48 hours or just a portion of it… it just depends how hardcore you are.

2.During that time, you’ll have no access to any screens. This includes phones, laptops, tablets, TVs and gaming consoles^.

3.No streaming of music, no access to online gaming, TV, social feeds or anything else that you’d do with a screen. This is about disconnecting.

That’s pretty much it.

^Please use your common sense. If you’re in an emergency, use your phone. If you have to do homework, study or work then get online, but only for those reasons (no entertainment).




Through the stories you’ll meet some incredible, courageous and brave young women who are risking everything for Jesus. As well as these reflections, prayers and actions, make sure you have some time with friends, at church or with your youth group. Use this time to form some good habits. Ask friends to pray with you at some points, read your Bible and, if you’re in a youth / small group that will meet during your Blackout, use some of the time to share the stories, actions and prayer points in this guide.

during yourblackout




groups Don’t forget that there are other resources you can download from opendoorsyouth.org/blackout that will help you run a session with a group or host a dedicated service, as well as materials to help you set up prayer spaces too, so make sure you download them in advance! Use your creativity; make this a memorable event.

What are you going to do without any screens to distract you? Don’t panic, we’re here to help. Use the simple stories, prayers and actions over the next few pages to keep focused on your persecuted family at key times during your Blackout.



top things to do during blackout1. Use the stories, reflections, prayers and actions on the following pages. There’s five of them, so that’ll keep you busy for a bit!

2. Go for a prayer walk. Pray for your street, town and for the people you’ll read about in this guide.

3. Read Guts and Courage, our little devotional about the places where following Jesus costs the most - it comes with a map to help you pray too. Order it for free at: opendoorsyouth.org/guts

4. Get hold of a copy of God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew and have a read of it.

5. Try creating a Blackout poem, prayer or Bible verse. Grab some old newspapers or magazines and a Sharpie. Write a prayer or piece of poetry by crossing out all the words in the article except the ones you want to use. Alternatively you could cut out the words you want to use and create a prayer, poem or Bible verse with your found clippings. Check out instagram (@opendoorsyouth) for some examples!

6. Do some real-life social networking. Tell your friends you ‘like’ them to their faces. ‘Share’ a cuppa with someone. Get your mates to ‘follow’ you and ‘comment’ on what you’re doing (it’s just like Instagram but even more in the moment)!

7. Set up a prayer wall. Use the downloadable posters at opendoorsyouth.org/blackout and get crafty designing your own with prayers and Bible verses. Stick them up on a wall in your room or at church as part of an interactive prayer time.

8. Talk to people. Tell them that you’re going screen-free because around the world Christians are being silenced because of their faith in Jesus - you could even share some of the stories in this guide.

9. Write to your MP and tell them you are concerned about the rise in persecution of Christians around the world. Ask them what they are doing to help change things. You could even tell them about one of the people whose stories are included on the next few pages. You can get your MPs details and address at the UK Government website before or after your Blackout (just Google, ‘Who is my MP?’ and it’ll be the top hit).

10. Light a candle. Create some light in the darkness and use it as a way to pray for light and hope to break through for your persecuted family.

11. Play some prayer pool. Every time you pot a ball, pray for a country which is that colour on the current World Watch List (which comes with our free Guts and Courage devotional - order it now at opendoorsyouth.org/guts).

12. Try some Blackout bingo! Meet up with some mates who are also doing Blackout and listen out for the times any of them say the following words. Keep a note of who says what and the first to say all of the following has to do a forfeit. Adapt the challenge and add your own words too!TV / Google / Snapchat / Phone / WhatsApp / Spotify / Instagram / YouTube / Netflix

13. Get involved in the See. Change. Moneybox Challenge! With your Blackout pack you should have also been sent a little See. Change. Moneybox. Grab a few pennies and see if you can drop a coin straight into the money box slot. It’s pretty tricky, so take your time and see how high you can go...

Jesus tells a story of a man who is looking for pearls (see Matthew 13: 45-46). The man is searching and when he finds a pearl of great value, he sells all he has so he can buy it.

So, was Jesus into jewellery? Not really. This story isn’t about pretty gems, but about our focus. What is it, if anything, that makes us tick? What would we be prepared to give our all to have?

Maizah found her pearl when she met Jesus. And ever since she’s been prepared to lose all her security and family to keep that precious relationship with Him.

She’d been brought up in a strict Muslim family in Libya. She didn’t question her family’s faith very much, but one night everything changed:

focusMAIZAH, MIDDLE EAST

REFLECTION ONE “The room had been dark, but all of a sudden there was a man shining like light. He didn’t look unreal, but I felt I couldn’t touch him. He kept standing next to me. I felt happiness in my heart just because of his presence. ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,’ he said. Then he was gone.”

Not long after this, war broke out in Libya and her family moved to Egypt. They lived next door to a Christian woman. Maizah started to go and visit her:

“One day, I told her about the man I saw in my bedroom. She told me it was Jesus, and she showed me a Bible verse in which He said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.’”

Maizah was secretly baptised. Not long after, she returned to Libya and was part of an underground church. However, some of the group were arrested. Maizah was told the police were searching for her. She fled again.

Since then her family have discovered her new faith. They have threatened and disowned her, she’s been beaten, escaped from a potential forced marriage to a Muslim cleric and been told she’s on a list of people that will be killed. But she found Jesus, her precious pearl, and was prepared to give up everything else to have Him.




respond: worshipInspired and challenged by Maizah’s courage and love of Jesus? Gather around you some of your most valued possessions (if it’s a screen, don’t turn it on!). Pray that you’d be like Maizah and that you’d find your pearl in Jesus, not your possessions. Let God show you how much he loves you too.

Read Ephesians 3:16-19 a few times. Pray that you’d know the love of God that the verses describe. Now read through Psalm 103, stopping after each verse to thank God for who He is and for His love for you. Finally, pray for Maizah and those like her that have given up everything because of their love of God.

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“Some time ago my family started going to church and believing in Jesus, but people from our village opposed us. They brainwashed my father and now he no longer considers himself a Christian. Now, only me, my mother and brother are believers.”

Sarika is 15 and from Central India. She’s working hard at school, she has exams coming up – but it’s not easy to study and focus when her dad is so opposed to what she believes.

“We are not allowed to go to church, but we still go in secret. My mother and I have experienced the presence of Jesus Christ and His love in our life; this is why we do not want to leave Jesus. Even if my father scolds and tortures us, we do not want to leave our faith.”

holding onSAKIRA, INDIA

REFLECTION TWO

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After her dad found out that Sakira was planning on getting baptised, he beat her mother. He’s put idols of Hindu gods around the house and is trying to make his family worship them. Sarika and her mother keep refusing, despite the pressure – they pray to Jesus instead.

It can’t be easy for Sakira and her mum. But their commitment to keep going despite questions, pressure and intimidation is incredible. We all face doubts and questions, and Sakira has many, but she’s holding onto God and the promises of His love and faithfulness. Spend a few minutes looking up the following passages and pray that Sakira and her mum would know the truth of them now. Once you’re done, go back through the passages and pray the same for yourself.

Philippians 3:8Habakkuk 3:17-19Romans 8:38-39




respond: encourageSakira has asked for prayer: she needs our encouragement. Don’t we all love getting proper letters that aren’t spam or bills? So, spend the next 20 minutes writing a short letter or prayer to her. Include a Bible verse, try ones like those listed to the left – the Romans 8 one is top notch. Make sure you keep the note positive and show her she isn’t forgotten.

When writing please don’t criticise her dad or the Indian government and don’t mention Open Doors. When you’re done, read through the letter and use it as a prayer for Sakira. Then, send the letter to us at the address on the back cover of this guide and we’ll make sure it gets to her!

In February 2018, Leah Sharibu was at school in Dapchi, northern Nigeria. It was near the end of the day, and she and her classmates were getting ready to have dinner. All of a sudden, gunmen from an Islamic extremist group stormed the school and kidnapped her, along with over 100 other girls. After a month, the surviving girls were released. All except one. Leah.

Leah wasn’t released because she refused to give up her faith. The extremists said she could only go free if she converted to Islam. She didn’t. She chose Jesus over her freedom. Courageously, in the face of threats, violence and captivity, she’s sticking with Jesus, knowing that doing so could cost her everything. Some of Leah’s friends were able to pass on a message to her mum, after they were released:

“My mother you should not be disturbed… My God, whom we have been praying to with you, is showing Himself mighty in my trying moment… I am confident that one day I shall see your face again. If not here, then there with our Lord Jesus Christ.”

worthLEAH, NIGERIA

REFLECTION THREE

Leah made a choice that she knew could cost her everything. And her choice raises some immense questions for us. What does Leah know about Jesus that meant she would be prepared to give up her freedom for him? What was so important or precious that she couldn’t just deny her faith?

Tradition says that all of Jesus’ disciples (except Judas) were killed for their faith. They had three years with Jesus, then spent the rest of their lives talking about Him. They were completely transformed by Him. If Jesus was a phony, if God wasn’t real, and hadn’t revealed himself through Jesus, then why would a random bunch of guys give their lives for Him? Why, when being tortured and with the threat of death hanging over them, would they not give up their faith? Like Leah, they knew something about Jesus that they were prepared to give everything for. Leah knows what Paul, one of the writers of the New Testament, wrote two thousand years ago: ‘to live is Christ, and to die is gain’ (Philippians 1:21).

1. Do you know Jesus in the same way as Leah and the early disciples?2. Have you had experiences of God that mean you’ll always stick with Him?3. What does it mean that ‘to live is Christ’? What does that look like for you?




respond: prayLeah’s story is hard. She’s not been released, and we don’t know how she’s being treated. She’s a real person, not just a challenging story. We write about Leah to inspire and challenge you, but also to ask you to pray for her.

Now, write Leah’s name on your hand. Then spend 60 seconds just saying Leah’s name; you can whisper or shout. Use her name as a prayer for her. Cheer her on. Picture her hearing you and thousands of others calling out her name. Re-read Leah’s message to her mum and thank God for her courageous faith. Ask God to give her more boldness, courage, protection and, of course, her freedom. And throughout the rest of your Blackout, when you see Leah’s name on your hand, use it as a reminder to pray for her and others being held because of their love for Jesus.

Semira and her mum live in Eritrea, East Africa. Over half of Eritreans are Muslims and although Christianity isn’t outlawed, only a select few types of churches are allowed. Any Christians who are members of unregistered churches can be arrested… hundreds are currently in prison.

Recently, Semira’s dad was taken by police during an illegal prayer meeting. He’s been imprisoned and has been given no release date. The family are facing hard times as Semira’s dad isn’t working – so they have no income. But despite threats and intimidation, Semira hasn’t given up on Jesus. Her mum explains:

shareSEMIRA, ERITREA

REFLECTION FOUR

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“She was given three warnings from the school for sharing her faith and she was told not to talk to any children, even during school breaks.

“One day, some of her fellow students threw rocks at her and she got hit in the stomach. They regularly tell her that she doesn’t deserve to be their friend. Sometimes they also throw rocks at the house.

“My daughter is never scared of the persecution anymore. Even if they keep hurting her physically, she doesn’t care. She always says, ‘God won’t let me down. I am ready until death to follow Him.’”

Spend a while reading 2 Corinthians 4:5-15. Write it out a few times. Which bits of the passage stand out to you? See if you can memorise them or even the whole passage. See how Paul, an early follower of Jesus and church planter, looks at the suffering he goes through for sharing about Jesus. Like Semira, his perspective is different. Paul and Semira can see beyond their current trials and pain to a bigger vision (…’persecuted, but not abandoned’…v9) – a vision so glorious that they want to share it with others, even if that costs them. Amazing, brave faith.




respond: share itWrite down the names of three friends or family members that you would love tosee come to know Jesus. Spend five minutes praying for each one of them. You could make a simple three-stranded bracelet with three different colours of material and use it as a reminder to pray for the three people you wrote down.

Now, spend some time preparing for what would happen if they asked you about your faith. What would you say? Write down why you are a Christian and what it means to you. Pray for opportunities to share your faith with those three people and be prepared to answer! Also pray for those like Semira who are prepared to share their faith despite the consequences. Ask God to use them to bring many to know Him.

“I cannot leave Jesus. I decided not to leave Him because He has given me eternal life and even if I died there, I was sure I would go to Him.”

Susan Ithungu is from Uganda. She’s just 16 or 17 – her exact age isn’t known. Her father, who was a Muslim witchdoctor, was a dangerous and difficult man. So when she chose to become a Christian, she had to hide her faith.

Eventually, though, he discovered Susan’s secret: that she was no longer a Muslim and had chosen to follow Jesus. Susan’s father locked her up in a filthy room without food and water. She stayed there for three months – she only survived because her younger brother dug a hole in the ground and to pass her food when their father was not around.

When neighbours finally discovered what was happening, Susan was freed. “When they opened the door [of the room], I felt peace and I knew that God had sent me help,” Susan says.

commitSUSAN, UGANDA

REFLECTION FIVE

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But, she was severely malnourished and suffering from severe health problems – and of course she’s struggled emotionally with the punishment she received. She’s had many operations, and is still on the road to a full recovery, but she says:

“I forgive my father because he did not know what he was doing”.

Susan is an incredible young woman. She’s shown determination and forgiveness. She wants to become a doctor to help others. Her experience of pain and trauma has spurred her on to know Jesus better – she’s committed to Him, no matter what.

As you come to an end of your Blackout, what will you take with you? You’ve given up screens for a bunch of hours or few days, and that will have come at a cost. But that sacrifice pales in comparison to the price being paid by many followers of Jesus around the world. We don’t want to make you feel guilty – Jesus shows that God is perfectly and awesomely full of grace but we want you to be inspired to switch off your screens more often to seek out a relationship with Him. We want you to step out and discover the God whom Susan, Semira, Leah, Marta, Maizah and thousands of others are so prepared to give their all to. You see, Blackout has been about us trying




respond: commitGet yourself some bread and water (or some other food and drink), open your Bible to Matthew 5:6. Do we know what it is to be truly hungry and thirsty? Do we have that same hunger and thirst, that desperation for righteousness, for Jesus? Susan committed to follow Jesus with all she had. She couldn’t give up.

As you come to the end of your screen-free challenge, take a sip of water and a small bite of the food/bread. Dwell on the taste and feeling. As you eat and drink, pray that you would have a new hunger and thirst for God. Pray for help in being bolder in living out your faith, just like Susan and the other girls you’ve read about. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you courage and confidence to know and live for Jesus with all you have. And pray for Susan. Ask for her full healing and that through her many others would know healing, love and freedom.

to raise money and prayer to support them. But, in reality, we need our persecuted family to show us what following Jesus is really about. We hope you’re inspired to keep going and keep following.

after yourblackoutreflectHow was it? A whole bunch of time with no screens. Did you survive? What did you learn, enjoy, find difficult? Were there any stories that challenged you? Did God speak to you?

collect sponsorshipCollect in all your sponsorship money. Don’t leave it too long, and make sure you thank the people who supported you. You might even get a chance to explain what you did in your church or at your small group / youth group!

tell usWe’d love to know what you did, what you learnt and hear your feedback, too. Plus, you’ll need to send us the money you raised. If you used justgiving.com to raise money, we will get the funds automatically, but do email us at [email protected] or tag us on social media to let us know how everything went. You can also send in funds using the donation form at




opendoorsyouth.org/blackout or you can post us a cheque (payable to Open Doors UK + I). Please also send us completed sponsor forms (as we might be able to claim Gift Aid from your sponsors’ donations) and a letter outlining how your Blackout went. Use the address: FREEPOST, OPEN DOORS UK & IRELAND and that will get to us (no stamp needed).

get back onlineMake a massive noise online about what you did and why online. Share your story and those of the persecuted Christians you were praying for. Make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date news and more.

find us at:Instagram opendoorsyouthuk

Facebook Twitter @opendoorsyouth

Open Doors works with Christians around the world who are persecuted for their faith. We are committed to smuggling hope by providing Bibles, training, literacy and livelihood programmes, and advocacy support for people who know the true cost of following Jesus.

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© Copyright 2019 Open Doors.

Registered Charity in England and Wales No. 1125684, Scotland SC043710 and Republic of Ireland 20140984.

get sponsored to go screen-free · • guts and courage, our guide to the places where following...

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