Our Story

Our mission

Persecution Project Foundation provides active compassion for the persecuted. We bring crisis relief and spiritual hope to victims of civil war, genocide and religious persecution. We also provide on the ground assistance while restoring hope and rebuilding communities through the love of Christ.

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
-James 2:15-17

All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. –2 Timothy 3:12

God does not expect us to stop the violence. He does, however, expect us to do what we can for its victims.

Our History

The Persecution Project Foundation (PPF) was founded in 1997 by Brad Phillips for the purpose of mobilizing Christians to engage in Active Compassion for the Persecuted. In 1998, Brad travelled to war-ravaged Sudan and shot hours of video chronicling brutal persecution against Christians in Southern Sudan by the National Islamic Front government.

This began a long journey, taking Brad and PPF through virtually every corner of Southern Sudan. PPF helped local pastors plant churches, supported orphanages, provided emergency relief to refugees—and kept taking pictures.

In 2004, PPF expanded its work to include a growing number of refugees on the Darfur border fleeing the genocide further north. Wells were dug, a clinic was built, educational services were provided, and pastor training classes were initiated.

It’s a work that continues to this day… please join us.

About Brad Phillips

As a teenager, traveling throughout war-ravaged areas of Africa with his dad, Brad Phillips witnessed the reality of religious persecution in terms of blood, disease, starvation and death.

In 1997, he launched a grassroots effort to mobilize American Christians to intercede on behalf of the persecuted church in Africa. That campaign led to the founding of Persecution Project Foundation (PPF).

Committed to exposing religious and racial persecution in Africa, Brad has presented evidence to Members of Congress and the President of the United States and become a respected and reliable authority among the media—including CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBN, FOX News, The Washington Times and USA Today.

Witnessing firsthand the indescribable suffering of Christians in Southern Sudan, he knew he had to do more.

Operating out of a base camp in northern Kenya, Brad flew thousands of metric tons of emergency humanitarian relief to victims of persecution, ethnic cleansing and genocide throughout Southern Sudan and Darfur—into what the U.N. categorized as “red no-go” areas.

In addition, Brad and his ministry partners founded an internationally recognized boarding school. They launched Radio PEACE, Sudan’s premier Christian radio station, broadcasting in six languages. And they continue to provide water wells, build schools and churches, train indigenous pastors and evangelists and distribute bibles and discipleship materials.

Discipleship Update

By Brad Phillips, PPF President

I love the Gospel message and the Gospel witness. It runs completely counter to everything our “old nature” tells us to do. The world says, “Live for yourself.” The Gospel says, “Die to yourself.” The world says, “Feed your self-esteem.” The Gosepl says, “Feed your soul by esteeming others.” The world says, “Make time for yourself.” The Gospel says, “Spend your time helping others.” The world says, “Look out for no. 1.” The Gospel identifies “No. 1” as “not us.”

When people live according to Gospel precepts, the world changes. The world changes, because it doesn’t know what to do with such a crazy way of life. Look at the life of Christ. He was King of Kings. He was a miracle worker. His friends and enemies saw Him heal the sick, save the lost, and even raise the dead.

But did Christ use these “super powers” to destroy His enemies – or save Himself? No. He used His power to serve others. This confused and bewildered His enemies. They could not find anything with which to accuse Him – except that He claimed He was the Son of God. This, of course, was blasphemy – unless Jesus was telling the truth!

Jesus and His Apostles spent much of the New Testament showing that they were telling the truth. And one way they did this was by offering themselves to others as living sacrifices. They filled the earth with their good deeds, their uplifting spirits, their conviction of sin and offer of forgiveness even unto death.

I’ve learned through my work with PPF that the Gospel is not about getting people to say a scripted prayer or getting some kind of formula just right in order to be saved. It’s about loving others and hating sin – and hating our own sin before hating the sin of others. It’s about modeling the life of Christ in all we do. It’s about pouring ourselves into serving the least attractive, the least important in our society.

I witnessed this when I took my children with me into Southern Sudan to deliver a container of shoes donated by our friends at Samaritan’s Feet. My heart was touched as I watched my children wash the dirty feet of dozens of victims of persecution.

I was reminded, yet again, that the power of the Gospel is not in what we say, but in what we do. We came from the richest nation on earth. We travelled to one of the poorest. And we washed the feet of the world’s persecuted people. We shared the message of hope and eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord; our Friend; and our Servant Leader.

Thank you for empowering us to be your hands and heart in Africa.