"The voice of the underground church." VOM is an international organization dedicated to providing awareness of and assistance for persecuted Christians around the world. The organization was founded by Richard Wurmbrand in 1964 after he and his family were imprisoned, tortured, and eventually ransomed for $10,000 as a result of his underground ministry in Romania.
Their five-fold mission, according to their literature, is:
- To give Christians Bibles, literature and broadcasts in their own language in Communist countries and other restricted areas of the world where Christians are persecuted.
- To give relief to the families of Christian martyrs in these areas of the world.
- To undertake projects of encouragement to help believers rebuild their lives and witness in countries that have suffered Communist oppression.
- To win to Christ those who are opposed to the gospel.
- To inform the world about atrocities committed against Christians and about the courage and faith of the persecuted.
The general thrust of the organization is neatly summed up by a t-shirt they sell: "Christians still die." Their goal is to first make Western Christians aware that persecution, imprisonment, torture, and death for Christian evangelists still happens in the world today, and then to provide Christians with the means to do something about it.
VOM publishes a monthly newsletter and as a series of books and videos about the state of Christian persecution in nations around the world, as well as a Web site at www.persecution.com. They promote and accept donations on behalf of international missionaries and encourage prayer for Christians who are currently imprisoned or otherwise persecuted.