Our church will be floodlit in red for the duration of November to raise awareness of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. This will be following the example of other great churches and cathedrals around the country. At present, Christians suffer greater hostility across the world than any other religious group. A recent report suggests that 200 million Christians, or 10 per cent of Christians worldwide, are socially disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their beliefs. This is deeply disturbing and the floodlighting of our churches in red is to remind people of this. If the right to express religious beliefs freely is taken from people, then their humanity and dignity will be as well. Christianity risks being wiped out altogether in some regions of the world, such as the Middle East. It is time for governments and international bodies to highlight the human rights abuses faced by Christians in the Middle East and to respond to them. If they don’t, then Christianity will be wiped out in this region in a systematic and violent way. During November, nobody passing our church at night will be able to turn a blind eye to it and nobody, believer or non-believer, Christian or non-Christian, should turn a blind eye to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.