SANTA ANA, CA – Underground, the youth outreach of Open Doors, will hold third worldwide prayer event on Friday, March 2004. With the title SHOCKWAVE, millions of young people from different countries and ethnic backgrounds will give prayers with one heart in chat rooms as well as during prayer meetings throughout the world for the Persecuted Church.

"I think that SHOCKWAVE has the potential to be the single most important event in history in mobilizing people to pray for the Persecuted Church,” says Dr. Carl Moeller, President of Open Doors USA. “Combining the connectivity of the internet with the power of worldwide focused prayer, potentially millions of God's people will unite on March 5 in one massive effort to ask Him to strengthen His Body. Don't miss it!"

Jeff Shreve, Underground coordinator for Open Doors USA, adds that “SHOCKWAVE is a tremendous opportunity for young people to make a difference. We anticipate amazing things happening. Our persecuted brothers and sisters always ask us to first of all pray for them. And that’s exactly what SHOCKWAVE is all about. Prayer changes lives!”

Starting in New Zealand, SHOCKWAVE will go across the time zones, letting the whole world in prayer for about 2000 million members of the Persecuted Church.

According to Open Doors, an estimated 200 million Christians worldwide suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination and alienation. Open Doors, founded almost 50 years ago by Brother Andrew, author of the best-selling book "God's Smuggler," serves and strengthens the Persecuted Church in the world's most difficult areas through training, Bible and literature distribution, community development and personal encouragement.

Jenni, a 2003 SHOCKWAVE participant from Australia, explains about the event: “Many of us joined together in Sydney to pray. There was an incredible sense of unity as we came together from different churches. It was a real buzz to think that many other people worldwide would be joining us in prayer. When I came home I couldn’t help but think how happy God must have been when He saw His global church come together in unity with one purpose in mind. I believe SHOCKWAVE is impacting the world now and will impact it in the future.”

SHOCKWAVE can be done individually or as a group. The SHOCKWAVE message board and chat area can be accessed by going to the Open Doors USA Underground site at www.undergroundusa.org.

To receive a SHOCKWAVE 2004 resource pack, including how to run an event and video clips, e-mail Jeff Shreve at JeffS@odusa.org, call 870-389-6390 or go to the Underground web site.