Russia (MNN) — Snow has fallen, Christmas music is on the radio, and many people are busy preparing for the holiday season. At the same time, Slavic Gospel Association is getting ready for its Christmas outreach, Immanuel’s Child.
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.
- 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.
- Financially support Immanuel’s Child and help SGA provide the resources each church needs to outreach.
- 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.
