Church in Chains is an independent Irish-based charity (CHY 15443) which encourages Irish Christians to pray and act in support of persecuted Christians worldwide, with a special focus on CHINA, EGYPT, ERITREA, INDIA, IRAN, MEXICO, NORTH KOREA, PAKISTAN, TURKEY and UZBEKISTAN. 

Church in Chains publishes the latest news in a quarterly magazine, a monthly news summary and on this website.

Church in Chains works with a number of international partners in prayer and advocacy campaigns (by means of letters, petitions, vigils, meetings with Ambassadors etc.) on behalf of persecuted Christians.

Church in Chains channels aid to families of prisoners and  provides Bibles, Christian literature and assistance to Christians who are in poor circumstances because of their faith.

Church in Chains was previously known as Christian Concern for Freedom of Conscience (CCFC) and began in Dublin, Ireland in the mid-1970's when a group of evangelical Christians joined together to campaign on behalf of Georgi Vins, a Russian Baptist pastor, who had been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for his Christian ministry. After much international protest, Pastor Vins was released in 1979.

In 1981, CCFC was reactivated to campaign on behalf of The Siberian Seven (seven Pentecostal Christians who took refuge in the basement of the American Embassy in Moscow in a bid to emigrate from the Soviet Union). The Siberian Seven were finally allowed to leave the Soviet Union in 1983.

These two campaigns had led to a greater awareness in Ireland of the plight of Christians in the Soviet Union and so CCFC continued its work - highlighting the cases of three more prisoners - Anna Chertkova, Nikolai Goretoi and Galina Vilchinskaya (who were all released after some time).

In 1986, CCFC produced the first issue of Church in Chains magazine and began to publicise the cause of persecuted Christians in other countries around the world. The work developed and in later years, Irish Christians were involved in visiting Christian believers in the USSR, Kazakhstan, China, Egypt and Morocco - bringing with them the greetings of Christians from Ireland. Church in Chains magazine has been published, on a quarterly basis, since 1986. It is the only Irish produced magazine in this field. You can obtain a copy of the current issue by emailing info@churchinchains.ie.