"One of the families we met was forced to flee after the father had been brutally gunned down in front of his teenage son. The pretext for the violence? A dispute over shop prices," says Release Chief Executive, Paul Robinson.
"Another man we met was thrown into prison for trying to create a room for his Sunday school, which had been meeting in the open air. He and his children received death threats - and still are - and his father was detained and tortured.
"Despite changes to the constitution, freedom of religion is still way beyond the grasp of many Egyptians - especially in remote areas away from Cairo.
"What we're seeing today is a modern day exodus from Egypt, as Christians are leaving the Middle East in droves. Yet Egypt's Coptic community is still the largest Christian presence in the Middle East. It would be a tragedy if they felt compelled to leave. Release International is calling on Christians everywhere to stand with them this week in prayer," said Robinson.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt says persecution and terrorism has forced many of Egypt's brightest and best to leave the country.
'Many families and educated people in the churches have left, escaping an unknown future for their children - especially after the period of burning churches and killing Christians in 2013. We have lost many of our good leaders, fleeing to the States, Canada and Europe. And this affects our ministry, our population and our leadership capabilities in Egypt,' said Fouad Youssef, former Evangelical Fellowship secretary general.
Release International is pressing Egypt to make good its new constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion in practice.
The organisation is also urging Christians in the UK and Ireland to "stand with Egyptian Christians in prayer" this week, with the aim is to support the suffering church and halt the exodus of Christians from Egypt.
