Commonwealth of Independent States (MNN) – It’s been just over a month since the Slavic Gospel Association helped churches celebrate the Russian Christmas through its ministry, Immanuel’s Child. And with the passed time has come the stats on the ministry’s impact.
Immanuel’s Child
(Photo Courtesy SGA via Facebook) Immanuel’s Child gifts.
For those who don’t know, Immanuel’s Child is SGA’s Christmas ministry. Through the ministry, SGA helps provide churches in Russia, and some surrounding countries, with the funds to purchase gifts for children, material to use to share the Gospel, and supplies to put on Christmas programs.
SGA’s Lana Yusov shares; “Just a [few] weeks ago I came back from my trip abroad. This time I visited two Muslim countries Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. One of the main purposes of my trip was to see Christian children’s outreaches and SGA’s compassion ministries. During this trip, I was able to see Immanuel’s child outreaches, ministry to social orphans, [and I] visited missionaries.”
Yusov reports that in Uzbekistan alone, 265 children were reached through the Immanuel’s Child ministry. About 28 of these children accepted Christ and 35 kids began attending local Sunday schools. However, kids weren’t the only ones reached during this ministry.
Another 35 adults, all from unsaved backgrounds, were also reached. Furthermore, even city officials, many who were Muslims, came to the church programs, bringing their families with them.
“Many Muslims who receive Christ, they are the ones who are most persecuted by their relatives, neighbors, and friends,” Yusov explains, sharing the weight of what it means to even just have Muslims interested in the Christian Christmas programs.
Sharing the Good News
In fact, this is one of the greatest things about Immanuel’s Child, is that it opens doors for various individuals to attend church and hear the Gospel, possibly for the first time in their lives.
(Photo courtesy SGA)
“Many children, after Immanuel’s Child outreaches, they begin to read the Bible, then ask questions to their parents, and parents sometimes cannot answer. And parents begin to read the Bible for themselves, or they begin to come to churches and to talk to pastors,” Yusov shares.
“I can say the planted seeds will grow and in some of them it can grow right away, in others, it takes time…but I can say that the children are good witnesses for Christ,” Yusov says. “We’ve known many parents and grandparents who came to God through their children.”
Yet, SGA’s children’s ministry doesn’t end with Immanuel’s Child. Actually, Immanuel’s child acts as almost a springboard into SGA’s Easter ministry, Orphans Reborn.
Fun fact: Easter is even a bigger deal than Christmas in Russia. And it’s through continued ministry, called follow-up ministries, such as Orphans Reborn that SGA and local churches build on the relationships formed through Immanuel’s child.
You Can Help!
To keep these ministries going, SGA needs help from others like you. So please, consider donating to SGA’s children’s ministries. More importantly, though, will you pray?
Pray for God’s provision to fund SGA’s children’s ministries and for support of the churches SGA works with. Also, please pray for continued open doors for sharing the Gospel, for believers to be able to worship God freely, and for those Christians facing persecution.
Finally, pray for SGA workers and also for SGA church partners and partners like you. Pray for their protection and for God’s work in their lives.
Find out more about SGA’s children’s ministries here!
To donate to Immanuel’s Child, click here!
OR, call 1-800-BIBLE50 to donate.
