Who we reach

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations ..." (Matthew 28:19)

The gospel is equally valid for all people, no matter what their nationality, skin colour, background or sex. All peoples, cultures and generations are different. For personal encounters and purposeful assistance, we provide projects and programmes suited to the various groups of people.

Children and young people

"The future belongs to our children", is often quoted. The question is, what kind of future awaits them, especially in the countries of the East. And so the great challenge is to lay a good and firm foundation for the younger generation, offering them a life with a perspective. For this reason our involvement for children and young people includes the following projects:

Children's magazine TROPINKA and books for children

Audio books

Children's clubs

Summer camps

"Follow me" - a Bible correspondence course for children

Ethics classes in schools

Sports programmes

"Learning instead of begging"

After school programmes for Roma children

"A gift box filled with love"

Senior citizens

Older people in particular struggle to survive every day. Left alone, many of them live in flats for which they can hardly afford to pay the rent and running costs, or are in homes. Many of them lack food, clothing, medicines or fuel. But most of all they suffer from loneliness and the feeling of being forgotten. We assist senior citizens with:

  • The food-box project "Bread of Life"
  • Clothing and shoes
  • Medical and practical assistance
  • Soup kitchen
  • Christian magazines and books
  • Radio programmes
  • Home visits by our partners' workers
  • Contact with other senior citizens in churches
  • "A gift box filled with love"
Families

Families are the core of society. Intact families give their children stability and provide them with a sound basis for leading a well-adjusted life as adults, and are characterised by mutual care. Unfortunately, many family relationships are unsettled, as at least one of the parents is very often addicted to alcohol or drugs, or is out of work. In many families, physical violence, abuse, marital problems and neglected children are a daily occurrence. As a consequence, many children take to the streets or are put into children's homes. What children go through affects them life-long to such an extent that many of them become involved in criminal dealings or become addicts themselves. We help families with:

Family camps

Workshops on marriage and family

Workshops for women and men

Christian magazines and books for adults and children

"A gift box filled with love"

The blind

Because of their handicap, it is very difficult for blind people to participate in community life. Many are left to their own devices and receive little or no support from public authorities. Their world is not only dark, but also lonely. For the blind we provide:

Christian audio books, audio Bibles and audio magazines

Food boxes

Clothing and shoes

Radio programmes

Home visits by our partners' workers

Christians who are persecuted or under pressure

In some of the former Soviet Union countries, in particular in central Asia, Christians are under increasing pressure. Although officially all these countries have freedom of religion, religious legislation is becoming more and more harsh and ambiguous. This makes it increasingly more difficult to preach the gospel, organise church life or publish material with Christian content. Attacks on church halls, smear campaigns against Christians and even assaults on pastors and church members are on the increase, especially where former muslims are concerned. The Christians in central Asia live in constant danger of being reported just by anybody because of their faith, for owning a Bible or other Christian literature, or for confessing to the Gospel. Islamic leaders do what they can to spread their influence and to further restrict Christians' opportunities. For Christians under pressure we are active with:

Prayer

Christian literature on the internet and in the language of their country

Advocacy for the concerns of Christians who undergo criminal proceedings

Material aid

Peoples without the Gospel

By area, Russia is the largest country on earth. Over 130 peoples and ethnic groups live in Russia alone. In the huge area of the former Soviet Union there are many places where no Christian has ever set foot. Entire ethnic groups have never heard the Gospel. Many follow their animistic-pagan customs and practices. With the help of our literature, it is possible to reach the remotest areas with the word of God. Radio programmes from the Caucasus can reach people beyond the national borders where there are no Christian churches. There are also some ethnic groups who have heard of Christ but do not have the Bible in their own language. Our activities for these peoples include:

Christian literature

Radio programmes

Indigenous missionaries

Translation work in the languages concerned

Refugees

Wars, natural disasters, economic factors and also the persecution of minorities for ethnic or religious reasons lead to people having to leave their home countries. Refugees are often unwelcome and left to their own devices. For this reason they are dependent on assistance.

Workers from our partner organisations interact with these people with caring, unreserved respect and offer them assistance. This includes standing by them so that they can find their bearings in the new surroundings and adapt to the local conditions. Refugees are given practical help and provided with clothing and shoes. Using our Christian literature and media as well as with personal contacts, our workers call their attention to Jesus Christ and invite anyone interested to church. This helps them to become integrated and to make contacts with Christians who offer them support and can become friends. Our activities for refugees involve:

Indigenous missionaries

Relief aid

Christian literature

Radio programmes

Migrant workers

In Russia's large cities, many migrant workers hope to find work which will enable them to provide for their families who have normally been left behind in their home countries. A large proportion of migrant workers come from the countries of central Asia. They are not particularly popular and have trouble settling down, far from home and without their own families. Our missionaries make contact with them, give them literature in their own language and arrange contacts with Christian churches and groups involved with migrant workers. Our activities for migrant workers include:

Indigenous missionaries

Christian literature

Emigrants

We view ourselves as a missionary society which spreads the Gospel throughout the peoples of Russia, Eastern Europe and central Asia. Members of these peoples are scattered throughout the whole world. Our mandate also includes these people. Our magazines are sent to people of Slavic background on almost every continent. For example, we have a partner in the USA who evangelises amongst the people of Slavic background living there, supplying them with our literature. Our work for emigrants involves:

Slavic missionaries

Christian literature

Online radio programmes