Russia (MNN) — While the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia are months away, one ministry is already recruiting people to join them in outreach.
The Director of SOAR International Ministries Richard Page says SOAR will be, “working with the local churches in an outreach that they’re planning for the community there.”
SOAR will be working with Russia Inland Mission. Speaking through an interpreter, the
Vika Mangioni, Vladimir Samoylov, Richard Page talk to MNN’s Greg Yoder via conference call.
Director of Russia Inland Mission Vladimir Samoylov says, “Our main goal is to organize and lead three Christian Fun Zones.” Those Christian Fun Zones will be operated by local churches from the community.
According to Samoylov, “The most important part of it isn’t that people will have a great emotional time of having the Olympic Games and see their favorite athletes, but being able to know more about God.”
MNN’s Greg Yoder in the studio talking to the SOAR team via the telephone.
Specifically Samoylov says, “We need people who will come and work with children on the streets and will have little small competitions with them and teach them sports and tell their testimony to them. We need people who will work with people who will share their talents with those who come to the Fun Zones.”
But, the fun zones can’t happen with the Russian churches alone. They need American Christians, too — people like you to help make it an international outreach effort. Page says, “We’ll have about three weeks [of ministry and] we need about 30 people for each week. So, if people stayed longer than a week, we wouldn’t need as many people.”
Why is SOAR talking about this now? Logistics. In order to get that many people to Sochi, they need to act within the next five weeks. Airline tickets, visas, and tickets to Olympic events need to be purchased so volunteers can enter the Olympic areas where the Fun Zones ministry will be taking place.
The Christian Fun Zones will reach out to all spectators, not just Russians.
Is God calling you to be involved in this outreach? The 2014 Winter Olympics are from February 7-23. If you’d like more information about SOAR International Ministry’s Winter Olympic Outreach to Sochi, click here.
