Russia (MNN) — Slavic Gospel Association-supported summer camps have ended across the former Soviet Union. Typically, most of the children attending SGA-supported camps are from unchurched families and backgrounds. Outside of the cities, there are high amounts of alcoholism, dysfunctional families, and children who call orphanages home. These kids come to camp because it is a rare opportunity to play games and have fun.
Summer Camps End
Each year for the past few years, SGA has increased the number of children who can attend summer camps through scholarships to fund kids’ attendance. Currently, the ministry is still gathering this season’s camp statistics, but what happens next?
(Photo courtesy of SGA via Facebook) An SGA summer camp.
“Usually there’s a number of kids that hear the Gospel and then they come to saving faith as a result of the camp. Many of the kids who do come to the camp will come back and begin to attend Sunday school.
“The parents find out about it and they see the positive impact that it’s had on their children, and they’ll start to attend church services as well,” SGA’s President Michael Johnson says.
In fact, a lot of families begin attending a church and find their faith in Christ because a child went to an SGA-supported summer camp. For this reason, camps are a great place to reach not only kids with the Gospel, but entire families too.
Continuing Ministry
However, outreach doesn’t end there. Instead, it’s an ongoing task. The ministry helps provide SGA-supported churches with humanitarian aid, support for pastors, books, Bibles, and Sunday school resources. This helps ensure these churches can disciple and minister to their congregations and communities in between seasonal outreach events. In fact, the next outreach will not be kicking off until the end of December.
(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)
“Every Christmas, we have a program called Immanuel’s Child. All the families from the community, including all the kids that went to camp and their families, and the church family, they’re invited to a big Christmas celebration at the church,” Johnson shares.
“Where each child gets their own children’s Bible. They receive some candy and gifts and maybe some humanitarian aid. Typically, somebody comes in [and] they’ll do a Christmas play or a puppet show…to entertain the kids. And then there’s a clear presentation of the Gospel to everybody [who] was there.”
Last year, through Immanuel’s Child celebrations, SGA-supported churches shared the Gospel with over 25, 000 children. Will you help SGA-supported churches continue sharing Christ and disciple new believers during outreach events and during everyday life?
How to Help
Get involved by finding what area of SGA resonates with your heart, like the summer camps or Immanuel’s child. Whatever you choose, Johnson says it is sure to fall within SGA’s mission to share the Gospel, equip the Church, and help the forgotten.
Even if getting involved is not possible at this time, please pray. Pray for SGA-supported churches, their strength, and their ministries. Ask God to open hearts to the Gospel in the former Soviet Union. Pray children would be impacted during the seasonal outreaches and daily ministry.
Find areas to get involved with SGA here.
Click here to learn more about Immanuel’s Child here.
Read more from SGA on this year’s summer camps here!
Header photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association
