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Ministry launches ambitious Project Hope Christmas appeal

Russian Ministries is appealing for Western Christians to help provide a message of hope to needy children across Russia this Christmas from war-ravaged South Ossetia to the remote far north to the crowded streets of Moscow, reports Peter Wooding, special to ASSIST News Service.

The charity’s senior vice president Sergey Rakhuba launched this year’s Project Hope appeal by setting an ambitious target: “Last year we distributed 30,000 gift-filled boxes, which include children’s Bibles. This year we’re planning to deliver 50,000 that we can make available together with the evangelical churches to at risk children throughout Russia.”

Sergey says they first launched Project Hope three years ago as a creative way to avoid growing restrictions by the Russian government on Western humanitarian aid.

“Project Hope,” he explained, “is a partnership with the evangelical church in Russia in order to reach out to as many at risk children as possible during Christmas time. Three years ago the Russian government put lots of restrictions on charity aid that was coming in from abroad especially from the UK and the United States.

“The Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes sent by Samaritans Purse were banned from Russia. In response Russian Ministries approached the evangelical churches in Russia, who were receiving these shoeboxes and said ‘because of the Russian government lots of needy children won’t get anything this Christmas and why don’t we try and do something on our own?’

“So we as Russian Ministries with our supporters made empty boxes, we printed Bibles and we sent them to evangelical churches across Russia. They filled those boxes with all kinds of goodies that kids love and made them available to children.”

Sergey says as well bringing a message of hope through these gifts to the children it also provides the Russian churches and particularly their youth with a tremendous outreach opportunity: “This project actually teaches national evangelical churches to participate and give sacrificially. Despite the economic turndown, these people that don’t have much sacrificially give to provide this gift of hope available to children who need to hear the story of Jesus.

“This is one of our most effective outreach programmes. These evangelical churches, especially young Christian leaders, that we train through our School Without Walls programme, deliver those boxes with a special outreach programme available to children in all different locations across Russia.”

Sergey is urging Western Christians to make small sacrifices to help them reach their ambitious goal.

He said, “I encourage people to look forward to share what they have over this Christmas with needy children in Russia. If we don’t give the $2 to provide Bibles for them there will probably be opportunities missed to tell them the story of Jesus. To give $2 towards this project to provide one Bible, that’s a great opportunity. People could miss a lunch at McDonalds and can probably give $10, which will provide 5 Bibles for needy children in Russia. But if people can give more than that and help Russian Ministries to make those boxes and Bibles available and help with the distribution costs, we would greatly appreciate it.”

Sergey explains how important it is to share the message of hope to these children at Christmas, especially during such challenging times in Russia: “As soon as children particularly in orphanages hear this story of Jesus they start smiling. Despite anything of what the Kremlin can tell you, there is lots of need in Russia. Children at risk are the future of Russia and we want them, through this simple but effective and strategic approach to learn how to be better citizens, how to become Christians and how to change their lives in order to change communities, their country and society for a better future.”

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TAGS: Russia Russian Ministries Western Christians Project Hope Christmas appeal Sergey Rakhuba Samaritans Purse

[10/20/2009]

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