Good News Church youth brings Christ into the Christmas Season
The youth of the Moscow Good News Church are involved in many evangelistic projects and community outreaches. In addition to using music and drama to reach the lost, the youth also have a "creative ministry" through which they make and sell handcrafted items to raise money for their many evangelistic programs. With Christmas approaching, the creative ministry also recently hosted a special course that taught young people how to make Christmas decorations and prepare seasonal foods, reports Rick Renner Ministries.
Because of the long history of communist oppression in the former Soviet Union, the popular holiday in Russia is New Year's rather than Christmas. Russians have a New Year's tree and give New Year's gifts - and even though the Orthodox Church does use Christmas to honor Christ, most Russians pay little attention.
We at the Moscow Good News Church believe Christmas provides an excellent opportunity to evangelize and explain the significance of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection to those who have never heard the Gospel. In the true spirit of the season, the creative ministry team members are using their talents to make crafts that center on Jesus. Then as people inquire about the decorations, these young men and women have an open door to share Christ.
The creative ministry is the vision of Ella Renner, wife of Youth Pastor Philip Renner. Fifteen young women attended the creative ministry's special Christmas-themed course. The creative team meets every month, and each meeting has a different theme. The entire proceeds of this ministry go to support Youth Ministry outreaches, summer camps, and other projects. The creative team members are using their talents for God, learning new skills that they can then share with their friends and family.