In an act of costly solidarity with the global persecuted church, Release International CEO Paul Robinson is training to carry a large wooden cross to the summit of Scafell Pike — England's highest mountain at 978 metres — in the middle of the night. The 'Light Walk Challenge', scheduled for 14 June 2026, will see Robinson and a team of supporters begin the ascent at 1am, aiming to reach the summit at dawn for prayer and worship.

The challenge is explicitly symbolic. Persecuted Christians around the world carry a cross that is invisible to most Western believers — the daily weight of discrimination, imprisonment, violence, and the threat of death for their faith. Robinson's physical act of carrying a literal cross through darkness to reach the light of dawn is designed to make that invisible burden tangible, and to invite the UK Church to stand in solidarity through prayer and financial support.

Release International works in more than 30 countries, supporting persecuted Christians through pastoral care, practical assistance, and advocacy. Their annual Persecution Trends Report, published in 2026, documents the scale of the challenge: an estimated 365 million Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution or discrimination for their faith, with the situation worsening in countries including North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, and Eritrea.

The Light Walk Challenge is both a fundraising initiative and a prophetic act. It invites the comfortable Western Church to reckon with the cost of discipleship in contexts where following Jesus is genuinely dangerous — and to respond not merely with sympathy but with practical generosity. Sponsorship for the challenge will fund Release International's work supporting persecuted believers and their families.

Paul Robinson's willingness to take on a physically demanding challenge at the age of — and in the role of — chief executive sends a clear message: the persecuted church is not a cause to be managed from a distance. It is a family to be stood with, whatever the cost. The UK Church is invited to join him on that journey, even if only through prayer and a donation.