Kazakhstan (MNN)–Five Central Asian states have Christian minorities, many of whom settled in the region during the Soviet regime.
However, in the days since the Soviet regime collapsed, borders opened and with that came a change in many of the religious laws. Missionary movements grew, particularly in Kazakhstan, and with that movement came an equal amount of resistance, notably the enforcement of a new religion law, signed on July 8 by President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
Although Kazakhstan has not always been an easy country in which to launch evangelistic projects, that’s subtly changing in the form of grassroots movement.
Global Aid Network’s Scott Hendricks says they’ve recently joined several other ministries partnering on the ‘Power To Change’ campaign throughout Central Asia.
Excitement is growing for GAiN USA, because for them, Kazakhstan is a new field. What makes this project unique is that it builds on the mistakes of the past. Hendricks explains, “The ‘Power To Change’ campaign is people using testimonies of how Jesus Christ came into their heart. There’s a whole booklet and they rent ads, they run it on TV and there’s an 800 number for them to call in. A lot of ministry is going on and we’re just excited about being there and being part of it.”
Hendricks says the project is a good fit for the partnerships between the indigenous churches and the campaign. As for response, “It’s overwhelming the number of people that are calling in that 800 number. The Christians there, the churches, are the ones who are answering and talking to them, so it’s enabling the churches to do ministry.”
Teams just wrapped up a trip to the area. They brought in aid to rehab centers, juvenile correctional facilities, children’s homes, and boarding schools.
