Persecuted Pastor Saeed Abedini Leads 30 to Christ in Iranian Prison

Sep 27, 2013 11:08 AM EDT

The wife of the American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith says her husband remains bold for Jesus Christ in prison, Charisma News reports.

Pastor Saeed Abedini's wife, Naghmeh, recently spoke to students at Liberty University about her family's plight. She said in spite of being tortured and asked to deny his faith in Christ and return to Islam, Pastor Saeed has been a light for Jesus in Evin Prison, one of the worst in the world.

"They've told him many times that they would free him and allow him to return to our family, the kids and I, if he would deny his Christian faith, and he's stood strong in that prison. He's led many, many - over 30 people - to Christ in that prison," she told the audience, according to religiontoday.com.

A special prayer vigil for Pastor Saeed was held worldwide Thursday -- the one-year anniversary of his imprisonment in Iran.

It was also the day Iran's new president made his first trip to America to address the United Nations.

"Now is the time to speak out, to urge Iran to release Pastor Saeed," Jordon Sekulow, executive director for the American Center for Law and Justice, said in an email, according to Charisma News.

Saeed Abedini, a 33-year-old pastor, father, and husband from Idaho, is imprisoned in Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran. On July 28, 2012, during a visit to Tehran to visit family and to finalize the board members for an orphanage he was building in Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard detained Saeed, asserting that he must face criminal charges for his Christian faith, reports beheardproject.com.

After intense interrogations, Abedini was placed under house arrest and told to wait for a court summons.

"On Sept. 16, 2012, instead of receiving a summons telling him where to appear, five members of the Revolutionary Guard raided Saeed's parents' home in Tehran, confiscated many of Saeed's belongings, then took him to an unknown location, according to beheardproject.com."After four days the Revolutionary Guard informed the family that Saeed was in solitary confinement in the notorious Evin Prison."

The American Center for Law and Justice has also joined with Pastor Saeed, launching a letter-writing campaign to Iran's president on a new website. It's a critical effort - and they need your response.

The goal is 52,000 letters for the 52 weeks of his illegal imprisonment, according to the ACLJ.

Take action! Click here to donate, sign a petition, write a letter on his behalf or share related content on social media. You can sign the letter or write one of your own, and the ACLJ will deliver it to Iran's president.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and its globally affiliated organizations are committed to ensuring the ongoing viability of freedom and liberty in the United States and around the world.

Watch his wife's full address here: www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GLjnrIlVYr4