Eric Mock from SGA says, “What we found is that when the fall of the Soviet Union occurred, that they were hungry to know more but with the inrush of those wanting to come into the former Soviet Counties came all the different teaching.”

Some of the unbiblical teaching SGA seeks to combat in the region includes ideas that good works are not essential and that God’s Word is not authoritative, Mock explains.

Providing Theological Foundations

Pastors training students in a seminary located in Irpin, Ukraine.
(Photo courtesy of SGA)

SGA currently supports several seminaries throughout the former Soviet Union. These schools offer graduate-level training for those looking to become pastors, worship leaders, and Sunday School teachers.

Mock says, “We want these schools to be nationally led and nationally multiplying, so these schools are set apart with now incredible national teachers.”

Teachers graduating from these schools may then teach at SGA’s training centers to help other students learn. “There are extension centers now all across Russia, as well as in Ukraine and in Belarus,” Mock adds.

For SGA solid theological training is the key to supporting local church ministries and other ministries across the former Soviet Union. In places like Yakutia in Russia, Biblical training is transforming communities.

Mock adds that for three years now, SGA has been teaching local Christians in their own language in how to study and understand the Bible. Now students who have received this training are teaching others in their church about the Bible.

“Before these villages were steeped in paganism, and from these villages have come men who are now being saved by God, being transformed by His Word, and led by the Spirit.”

Supporting Biblical Training

Students receive training in Minsk, Belarus. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Despite radical change happening from communities receiving Biblical training, it is often difficult for SGA to gather resources for it.

Mock says, “We really need help because the training institutions are the most difficult to support.”

“It’s a lot easier for people to be excited about ministry to orphans… but we have to undergird all the ministry with the right training.”

Mock explains that on one visit to an orphanage he met a young girl with 13 teddy bears. Each bear represented a gift for her from a foreign visitor on mission work in the area. Yet, when Mock asked her about Jesus, she had never heard of Him.

“I was astounded as I realized that so many of the ministries, even though well-intentioned, have not taken the time to really develop a great foundation in theological training,” Mock adds.

To support theological training in this region, click here to donate. You can also connect with SGA to get involved here.

Pray that more students in the former Soviet Union would have access to Biblical training. Ask the Lord to use that training to support ministry in the area and spread clear teaching about the Bible.

Header photo courtesy of Debby Hudson via Unsplash.

However, Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) says in churches across Eurasia, youth ministry covers teens and young adults, and they’re not there to be entertained. Instead, young people consider themselves as active members of the Church and seek out their own ministry opportunities.

Mock gives an example of young people in a Russian church who heard about nearby villages that didn’t know Jesus. 

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

“The young people actually went out to some of these villages and started picking up trash [and] started taking the time to walk around and be a blessing to people they have never met before. They [would] go to the playgrounds and start fixing the playground equipment that might have been broken down and doing repairs and painting things,” Mock says.

“The locals couldn’t believe that someone that wasn’t from their town was taking the time to make a difference. That opened the door and they began sharing the Gospel with different people.”

Then there’s the story of Dmitri, a 23-year-old young man who saw a need in Eastern Ukraine for Christ’s hope amidst intense conflict.

Mock says, “He and his friend both went out there and not only were they delivering food, but even in the midst of all the conflict…they’re being youth leaders out there [and] enabling the youth to be used even in the middle of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.”

SGA mobilizes the Church to be the hands and feet of Christ across Eurasia, and young people are an active part of their ministry.

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

“Several months prior to Christmas, they were the ones that were preparing the programs,” Mock says. “Many of them are the ones that are performing in the dramas for the Christmas programs [and] are the ones Christmas caroling from house-to-house. They are the ones that are leading the Emanuel’s Child-supported Christmas ministries. When they complete the Christmas outreach, they begin a series of follow-up…. By the time they get into March, they’re preparing for summer camps, and by the time they get through summer camps, they’re looking for other outreaches.”

Young people also fuel SGA’s Orphans Reborn program. They are often the ones visiting with the orphans, playing with them, and ministering to them.

This model of empowering young people in ministry is a positive example for our Western brothers and sisters in Christ.

Mock encourages, “Don’t discount the younger in the Church as being those who are just given a separate ministry, but instead enable them to not just attend Church but be the Church, to give them the skill set they need and the opportunity to bring much glory to God.”

You can get involved by supporting youth ministry through SGA churches. Click here to give at SGA’s website!

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

Along with giving, your prayers also fuel the Body of Christ in Eurasia. Mock offers these requests:

“Pray as needed for the resources. They need the gas to go out to the village, the gas for the airplanes. We’ve got several airplanes over there that we work in partnership with another ministry. Those airplanes are flying to remote regions with youth and they’re going into these villages and taking the Gospel to them.

“Pray that God, in advance, begins to open up new avenues — whether it be to unreached villages, whether it be to orphanages, whether it be to urban settings in inner cities where people are so discouraged. Pray for the youth to be active in taking the Gospel to a lost and hurting world.”

Header photo courtesy of Akira Hojo via Unsplash.

Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) was recently in Russia’s Yakutia region. Yakutsk, the capital of Yakutia, sees average January temperatures of -42 degrees Fahrenheit.

“We were there visiting and talking about ministry and it was snowing,” Mock says. “In fact, a group of men that had traveled with me were shocked because…it was still late September in the US and the temperatures had not really turned that cold, yet it was snowing in Yakutia.

“When we support the churches there through Bible teaching and through compassion ministry, it drops off into 60 degrees below zero. It’s an incredible cold.”

In these environments, heat is a matter of life or death. Even leaving home to get food can be difficult.

That’s why SGA has a crucial outreach called Operation Winter Warmth. SGA equips their church partners in several countries to share the Gospel, along with distributions of warm clothes, fuel, heaters, and food.

Destroyed building in Ukraine’s conflict zone. (Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

Another country SGA serves is Ukraine. The Donbass region in the eastern part of the country is still a volatile stage for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Mock says, “There are people that remain in that region caught up in the crossfire that are living in homes where even the windows have been blown out. They have blankets up on the windows trying to stay warm. With cold setting in, it’s a fearful time — especially for the elderly or the young kids. Keeping them warm is very difficult.”

Last winter, Mock was in Ukraine distributing aid alongside SGA’s church partners for Operation Winter Warmth.

“Even in the midst of that, standing in the snow about to provide aid to them, they wanted to hear the Gospel first and get the food second.”

Mock reflects, “I remember one man in the crowd turning to me and saying, ‘The government is not providing aid. Their own people are not providing aid. But the local church here, they are providing aid. We want to hear from you. We want to hear what you have to say because we see that you care about us.’”

With the shroud of winter bearing down, SGA is gearing up to meet more needs with Operation Winter Warmth. But they can’t do it alone.

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

A gift of $35 provides heat to someone in need through SGA. Donating just $70 covers heat, food, and warm clothes.

Mock emphasizes the heart of Operation Winter Warmth isn’t just to meet tangible needs, but to see whole lives changed as people discover joy in Christ.

“If it was just for the sake of blankets and heaters, I really would think that we ought not to be a part of it because we really have not restored their lives. The Gospel is central. So the compassion ministry becomes the action we take and the bridge-building that is conducted to convey the Gospel so that their lives will be transformed.”

Click here to give to SGA’s Operation Winter Warmth!

Mock also asks, “Secondly — and actually this is probably a higher priority — is pray. Pray that God would be glorified in His Church as they reach out to people in need, that their lives would be restored for the glory of God, that in the midst of their suffering, they would find hope, peace, and joy.”

Header photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

Each paper star of Bethlehem says, “JESUS LOVES YOU” in the local language. The star’s other side has the handwritten name of a family or individual along with the city they live in, who has committed to praying for that child for the year. (Learn more about Immanuel’s Child HERE.)

Outreach Communicates Christ’s Love

SGA’s Vice President of Ministry Operations Eric Mock says when the kids realize there is someone on the other side of the world thinking about them, they often line up, waiting for someone to translate the name and city of the person praying for them.

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

“I’ve been in outreaches where the kids sat all of their gifts aside. They set their Bible aside, although some clutched the Bible, and they want to know who is the family, what is the name of the family that is hand-written on that card. They cannot believe that there’s a person on the other side of the world praying for them and thinking about them,” Mock says.

These simple stars have a profound impact on entire families. Not only do these kids recognize they are known by someone in a far-off land, but that God fully knows them, too.

“I will come back and visit some of these locations a year later. You’ll see little kids with the star taped to the inside of their Bible. Kids who had never been to church before who are now deeply involved in the church and in Sunday school,” Mock says.

“In some cases, their parents have come. We’ve seen parents that have these Immanuel’s Child starts even dangling from the rearview mirror in their car because they’re thinking about…believers on the other side of the world [who] care for them.”

Give a Star of Bethlehem

(Photo courtesy of SGA)

Signing and sending an Immanuel’s Child paper star of Bethlehem costs $25. This donation amount covers the costs of a Bible, a gift, Sunday school materials, and the costs of shipping the paper star. (Other materials are typically bought in-country to support the local communities and provide culturally relevant gifts.)

“We’re talking about the Gospel going out to unreached children and their parents. There couldn’t be anything more exciting than seeing people come to faith. In heaven, the angels are rejoicing, and what a great opportunity that people come, that have never heard of [the] one true God before, much less Jesus Christ, are hearing a message of hope,” Mock says.

Want to participate in Immanuel’s Child?

Call 800-BIBLE-50 or CLICK HERE to give to Immanuel’s Child.

Prayers Needed

Mock says SGA also appreciates your prayers for Immanuel’s Child. Pray for all the church’s requests for Immanuel’s Child resources are met. Ask God to use these paper stars to show kids and their families His deep love for them and to lead them to His truth.

Pray for organic opportunities for SGA partner churches to openly proclaim the Gospel. Mock also asks for prayers for doors to remain open for these churches to continue their Gospel work. Finally, pray for parents and kids to attend Immanuel’s Outreach events and for open hearts, too.

*Only donations for Immanuel’s Child given through the first week of December are guaranteed to be used for this year’s Immanuel’s Child. Funds that do not arrive in time are typically used for the following year’s Christmas outreach. This is due to delayed shipping schedules from the holidays combined with international shipping logistics.

Header photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

Immanuel’s Child

SGA’s Vice President of Ministry Operations Eric Mock says Immanuel’s Child is about more than Christmas, though. Mock says the work of Immanuel’s Child is similar to the description in Colossians 1:28-29.

(Photo courtesy of SGA. Help share the Gospel with these children.)

Through partnerships, SGA resources local churches in the former Soviet Union for the work God has called them to do.

“The focus is year-round discipleship. So, when people give to Immanuel’s Child, not only are they assisting the Church in providing a gift to reach out to many children in the community that the Church would not have had the resources to do. But it also provides a Bible, and it provides Sunday school materials for the kids that return into church hand start attending Sunday school,” Mock explains.

Doors Open During Christmas

During the Christmas season, it is common for people in Russia to open their doors to caroling strangers. Honoring tradition, they will invite carolers into their homes for a meal and are even open to listening to a Bible devotion and prayer. Christmas is an ideal time for Immanuel’s Child to lay a foundation for future ministry.

The churches SGA serves are so dedicated to Immanuel’s Child outreach that they will celebrate Christmas a couple of weeks before the traditional Christmas day to ensure they can participate in outreach.

During Immanuel’s Child outreaches, churches collect tickets with the contact information of people they serve. This information allows churches to follow up once the holiday season is over.

Next Steps

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

With each gift, children receive a paper star that says “JESUS LOVES YOU” in Russian. On the other side of the star is the name of a donor who has committed to praying for that child throughout the year.

Mock says the kids are most excited about the star they receive. The kids will even line up, waiting for someone to translate the name of the person who has committed to praying specifically for them.

“We are already in the process of beginning to ship Bibles in advance to many of the locations in 11 countries. We are receiving countless requests from these churches. Every year, we get more requests than we’re even able to respond to. We’re desperate to try [to] provide them as many resources as we can,” Mock says.

Will you help? Here are three ways to get involved with and support SGA’s Immanuel’s Child.

1. Call SGA at 800-BIBLE-50 (800-242-5350) to request Immanuel’s Child stars and materials to sign and send to SGA’s partner churches.
2.  Financially support Immanuel’s Child and help SGA provide the resources each church needs to outreach.
3. Pray. Ask God to provide SGA partner churches with opportunities to share about Christ. Pray parents will want to know this Christ their kids are learning about in their new Bibles.

To give to Immanuel’s Child, CLICK HERE

Header photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

Far East Russia

(Photo courtesy of SGA via Facebook)

For a comparison, Far East Russia is almost the size of the United States but has five percent of the population. Joshua Project classifies most of Far East Russia as unreached; the evangelical population is below two percent.

Eric Mock of Slavic Gospel Association says the organization feels a sense of urgency to reach Russia with God’s word. The ministry is pursuing this work through its Reach Russia Now Initiative.

“God has raised up in these areas faithful churches who have a heart to bring the Gospel to these towns and villages. And, it’s kind of exciting to see what we’re working with are first-generation believers who have a passion for the Gospel,” Mock says.

“It’s really a modern New Testament church that we are seeing develop.”

Resourcing Local Believers

SGA is coming alongside these believers through its Reach Russia Now initiative in three stages.

Far East Russia (Photo courtesy of Eric Mock via SGA)

“The first is what we call Antioch Initiative Training. That’s church-based training. Half the teachers are Russian speaking nationals from the schools that SGA supports. The other half are faithful pastors here in America who are experienced Bible teachers, where we send them to different regions,” Mock explains.

“The other portion [is] what we call these Gospel Missions. It’s simply putting gas in the tank and providing a few resources so youth groups and missionary pastors, and other volunteers from the Church, are able to go out to these unreached villages…then finally, to send missionary pastors out to these villages to form up a church.”

Churches in Far East Russia are involved with Orphans Reborn and Gospel Missions. In this forgotten area of the world, local Christians are ensuring orphans in the region know they are loved and that God has not forgotten them.

New Grace

These believers are taking the Gospel where it hasn’t been before. In Yakutia, youth have worked with missionary pastors to reach at least 30 villages that previously had no access to the Gospel.

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

Mock says the youth and pastors would come to a village and find ways to start faith conversations. Youth return from these trips with testimonies of communicating the Gospel to people who have never heard of Jesus. These areas struggle with shamanism, alcoholism, domestic violence, drug use, and general hopelessness.

“Now we see people coming with the message of hope, the message of a one true God, and it’s just startling to the people there to think that there’s one God, and that hope comes through grace,” Mock says.

“They embrace this grace.”

Since it is only God who empowers people to tell of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, please pray. Pray for believers in Far East Russia as they build the Church. Pray for the advancement of the Gospel in this region. And finally, pray for God to support and empower the work of these Christians in Far East Russia.

Explore more on Reach Russia Now here.

To support SGA’s work, click here.

Header photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

Women of Far East Russia

Mock describes Far East Russia as an area as large as the contiguous 48 states of the United States, but with 5 percent of the U.S. population. The region presents many challenges for ministry and daily life.

“I was just in Far East Russia, and over and over again, I saw the unsung heroes of many of these ministries. In fact, I told many of the men [that] they married up,” Mock says.

“They have incredible wives who not only cared for family… but also were striving side-by-side. They’re the Sunday school teachers. They’re the Bible study leaders. They are the evangelists. They are the ones that are ministering to the countless widows.”

Mock says these women are an amazing gift to the Church. As a pastor in northwest Illinois, Mock knows firsthand how important his wife is to his ministry, and he knows other pastors would say the same.

“By God’s design, we see this beautiful, complete package where He designed men and women in the covenant of marriage to complete each other…The image of our triune God is most visible when a man and a woman are living life on mission, for the sake of the Gospel, displaying Christ among the nations,” Mock says.

Gulmyra, whose husband pastors four churches, moved with her husband to an area in Far East Russia where shamanism is prevalent. Every week she helps her husband prepare for ministering to various villages. While he is away, the mother of two maintains their home and cares for the day-to-day operations of the church. She also conducts ministry with local women and children.

“She really became a 24-hour a day missionary, not only to her family but to the church that was there,” Mock says.

Reach Russia Now

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association via Facebook)

Today, we want to recognize women like Gulmyra and their hard work while offering a chance to support them through the Reach Russia Now initiative.

Through Reach Russia Now, Christians can help support ministry happening in Far East Russia. A financial gift helps fund missionary pastors and church plants. It also helps support the ministries many women help run, such as Orphans Reborn or Immanuel’s Child.

“This is a great opportunity to build a relationship with these missionary pastors, to send notes to the wives and encourage them,” Mock says.

Learn more about supporting these women, and ministry work in Far East Russia, at our website here!

Want to send an encouraging note to the incredible women in Far East Russia? Call 1-800-BIBLE-50 or visit www.sga.org.

If you would, pray for the encouragement of these women. Pray for their steadfastness, patience, and courage. Ask God to bless their ministries and their marriages and pray for joy in their circumstances.

Header photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

(Photo by Gabriel Gurrola on Unsplash)

“Worship has never been relegated to music alone for worship comes through prayer. Worship comes through outreach. [It] comes through the preaching of God’s Word. All activities of the church, are those things that bring glory to God.”

Mock says one of the most exciting things about the churches SGA serves is how these churches serve God with fervor. Every day there are believers busy in the churches, working on Bible studies and other activities. There is a passion for God ablaze, even in restricted areas. And their work to glorify God manifests itself beyond the Sunday morning hymns.

In fact, Mock has worshipped through music alongside believers in restricted areas. For these believers, worship is far from an obligation; it’s a privilege.

Worship in Restricted Areas

Hidden away in a restricted area of Central Asia, windows closed despite the 110-degree temperature indoors, Mock witnessed believers singing together and sharing their testimonies.

“The pastor was preaching the Word, what an amazing opportunity for worship. No sound systems, no smoke machine…it was just God’s people bringing glory to Him,” Mock describes.

And worship like this, well, it is a witness.

(Photo by Cherry Laithang on Unsplash)

“For an unbeliever to see our worship coming from a heart of a transformed life, to see that it was a life changed, to see that it was more than just singing, it was that the word of God implanted in the heart transforms a person’s life. So, the witness for an unbeliever is not necessarily the style of worship on Sunday morning, but the witness for an unbeliever is this life that has been wholly transformed by the Gospel,” Mock says.

Ask yourself, is my worship inspired by a heart transformed by God?

Let’s pray for eyes that never stop seeing God’s goodness and hearts that praises Him in each situation. Pray also for the strength and encouragement of the churches in Central Asia as they serve Christ. And ask God for a heart that manifests itself as a witness, too.

To learn more about SGA’s work and how to support local pastors and churches, click here.

Header photo by Grant Ritchie on Unsplash.

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

Slavic Gospel Association’s Vice President of Ministry Operations Eric Mock says this time of change is brutal for kids. Torn from their parents, these kids face an uncertain future.

“Add to it that, that orphanage is up in the region of Chernobyl. It’s like double and triple jeopardy,” Mock says.

For teenagers turning 18 and aging out of the orphanage system, many have no place to live, no clothes, and little to no work or skills to help. This makes these young adults vulnerable to drugs, crime, poverty, and prostitution—the same things that first caused their placement in the orphanage system. Perceiving little to no hope for the future, some evenchoose suicide.

Orphans Reborn in Action

In Kyiv, God has raised up one of many churches to reach out to these kids, offer them physical aid, and encourage them in Christ’s love. SGA supports this church through its Orphans Reborn ministry.

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

In ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of these kids, the church members tangibly share who Christ is without even speaking, making their words that much more impactful.

Their presence also shows these kids they are not alone, and the local church deeply cares for and loves them.

“Whether it’s compassion ministry or ministry to the kids, [these churches] need your prayers. They need prayers for open hearts. They need prayers for God to continue to encourage faithful servants that do this work,” Mock says.

“It’s a labor of love. A lot of these faithful pastors and pastors wives are, in my mind, heroes of the faith.”

Pray for these kids in and around the Chernobyl region. Pray for healthy reunited families where possible, and for healing in these kids’ hearts. Ask God to reveal His truth and love to the kids in Ukraine’s orphanages. Pray He equips the local church to carry on the work of showing up for these kids and ministering to their physical and spiritual needs.

To give to Orphans Reborn, click here.

Header photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

Now, the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster of 1986 is joining the list on HBO. But what some viewers may not realize is many people still suffer from the very real present-day effects of this disaster from over three decades ago. Learn more about the history of Chernobyl here.

Mined area in Eastern Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

“Chernobyl was a terrible event…It was really an unexpected and poorly handled event,” Eric Mock says, Vice President of Ministry Operations for Slavic Gospel Association.

“They were doing a particular test, low yield tests on their graphite rod, and they turned the safeties off. When the tests went bad it was too late to turn the safeties on. And of course, [it] melted down into what we know as the Chernobyl disaster.”

The reactor was covered with pieces of graphite after the explosion, which continued to burn and be radioactive. Ultimately, the reactor was encased in sarcophagus to contain the radiation.

Living With Chernobyl Today

Communities near the nuclear plant are now ghost towns, and the radiation that initially drove locals away still remains. Mock, who was recently in Ukraine, can attest to accounts of various forms of cancer and more brought on by the effects of radiation from the Chernobyl disaster.

Representative photo of nuclear plant. (Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash)

“There’s a military station there as well to protect and guard the area around Chernobyl, so the people will not go into what’s known as the radiation zone. The radiation levels have fallen off, but they’re still there, still in the water shelf,” Mock explains.

In Mlachivka, a small village near the Chernobyl reactor, many single parents are trying to raise children. Dozens of kids in the area are “looking for answers in this destitute village.” At a nearby church, kids knock on the doors desperately begging for crusts of bread. Once, local kids were so hungry that they broke into the church building to split a piece of sausage from the refrigerator.

Self-Sacrificial Faithfulness

Maria, a woman from this church, offers what she can by helping these same kids with their homework. Mock says she’s investing in these kids’ lives where other adults from the village cannot. Sadly, many adults in this village struggle with drinking and drugs. Brokenness penetrates the area, but in the bleak reality, God is raising up faithful believers who offer hope.

Immanuel’s Child (Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

“We saw the impact of this church through Immanuel’s child. We see the work that’s going on there supported through our summer camp ministry, and where the world has brought on absolute disaster in the Chernobyl region,” Mock says.

“We see that God has raised up churches. These churches have been ministering to the needs of people even at personal risk to move into the zones to minister the Gospel.”

Some missionary pastors and their families move into areas with higher levels of radiation, knowing the dangers to themselves, to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of their fellow country people. And it is people like these who SGA gets behind to offer support and resources.

While the effects of the Chernobyl disaster are far from over and are likely to continue for decades to come, the hopelessness that pervades is met with Christ’s love and tangible aid.

Responding With Prayer

Pray for those living near Chernobyl and the churches ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of locals. Ask God to make His love and truth evident, even in times when there seems no use for hope. Pray for healing in Mlachivka. You can also pray for the children’s bellies to be filled so they are not left to beg and steal to survive.

Will you support national church workers in Ukraine? Help lift these believers as they minister to locals’ spiritual and physical needs through a financial gift here.

Header photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash.