Founder of Open Doors, Brother Andrew, passes away at age 94

The 94-year-old founder of Open Doors, Brother Andrew, has passed away.

Open Doors was founded by Brother Andrew, who passed away at the age of 94.

God’s smuggler, whose real name was Anne van der Bijl, became famous for smuggling Bibles across the Soviet Union in a blue Volkswagen Beetle.

On Tuesday, he passed away peacefully in the company of his loved ones.

Brother Andrew’s labor on behalf of the persecuted Church was to include smuggling Bibles beyond the Iron Curtain, an activity that plainly alarmed the Soviet Union, as seen by the 150-page KGB report written about him.

His book, God’s Smuggler, tells the inspiring tale of his courage and has been translated into 35 languages and sold 10 million copies worldwide.

In June of 1981, a team of 20 people from Open Doors secretly entered China on a specially designed barge to smuggle Bibles into the country. This operation, codenamed “Project Pearl,” is considered one of the largest Bible smuggling operations ever.

Some Chinese Christians waited on a beach and were subsequently given a million Bibles, which they secretly distributed around the country.

After the Berlin Wall came down, Brother Andrew began to focus on the Islamic world, where he felt Islam’s rapid expansion presented the biggest threat to Christianity across the globe.

In 1993, he was knighted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands for his efforts, and in 1997, he was awarded the Religious Liberty Award by the World Evangelical Alliance.

In 2018, Jeremy Hunt, then the British foreign secretary, complimented Brother Andrew in a letter for his efforts.

Specifically, Hunt wanted to praise them for their “exceptional and daring support” of the persecuted Church throughout the years.

As a young reader of “God’s Smuggler,” I can attest to the fact that your work has motivated many individuals all across the globe to advocate on behalf of the powerless and the afflicted.

Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland, said on his passing “When Brother Andrew first began his ministry, he probably didn’t think that within 60 years it would reach millions of Christians all over the globe. The legacy he leaves behind is very exceptional.”

Corry, Andrew’s wife of 59 years, passed away in January of 2018. Five of his children and eleven grandkids will carry on his legacy.

We will announce the specifics of a private memorial ceremony at a later date.