U.K. media consultant Peter Wooding interviewed Russian Ministries’ President Anita Deyneka about the late summer evangelistic summer camps that are running in the former Soviet Union. Many of these evangelistic summer camps are reaching children in difficult places such as Dagestan and Ingushetia.

As School Without Walls students and other young Next Generation Christian leaders  are busy running summer camps in more than hundred locations, help is urgently needed to complete their goal of reaching more than 5,000 needy children across the former Soviet Union.

“We’re looking for partners who would want to be part of this marvelous movement to help children who still face so many problems the turmoil in their countries and  from the legacy of communism,” said Russian Ministries President Anita Deyneka.

Already a month into the evangelistic summer camp program, Deyneka says help is urgently needed to reach the goal of impacting over 5,000 kids: “It has been magnificent so far,” explains Deyneka, ” with children coming to camp and responding to the counselors and staff, but what is  challenging is having enough funds.  With another month of summer camps to go, we need at least $75,000 to finish the summer strong. It costs just $50 per child to attend one week of camp—and every one of those dollars is an investment into a changed life.”

There are so many  children who come to camp from tragic backgrounds, children with alcoholic parents, street kids, orphans, children with disabilities, tuberculosis and HIV.  One of the toughest places where Russian Ministries is running camps right now is in Chechnya where all the children have known in their lives is war.

Deyneka says the impact on these vulnerable young lives goes far beyond summer camp: “That is one of the best aspects of the camps. It’s not just that one week, but our national co-workers, who lead the camps, keep a connection with the children. The camps build a bridge into a future of ongoing relationship with the children and their families and communities.  The children want to keep in touch, and so doors oepn.  The campers often return to their non-churched families and talk about camp and what they learned, and in some cases, parents have come to know the Lord and come to church.

“The community also sees these young Christians who care about the children and care enough to organize the camps. This leads to all sorts of wonderful paths for the future not only for  the children but also the communities. The camps are a great blessing in themselves but the ripples afterward are just amazing in the ongoing impact in the lives of the children.”

With more than ten years of Russian Ministries’ summer camp ministry, many of those that were children from the beginning, now come back each year camp counselors, and then become involved School Without Walls as students at Russian Ministries’ non-formal training program that provides Christian discipleship and leadership.

But help is desperately needed now to ensure this legacy continues. To find out how you can help send a child to camp, click here www.russian-ministries.org and click on the donate now tab.

Right now, as a special thank-you for a camp gift of $50 or more, we are offering original artwork either by a Russian Christian artist, Anastasia Taran or an American Christian artist, Pamela Alderman.

Anastasia (pictured at right) is wheelchair bound, and childhood rheumatoid poly-arthritis has gnarled her hands. But this gifted young woman joyfully serves God and uses her art for His glory. Pamela’s watercolors express the joys and trials of life. She has captured the joy of a young Russian girl for us in the print we’re offering.

When you give to our evangelistic summer camps, you’ll help
• at-risk children whose homes are orphanages and state-run institutions,
• special needs children in Zaporozhye, Ukraine,
• mothers and children living with HIV/AIDS in Moldova and
• children who live in the difficult-to-reach regions of Central Asia and the Northern Caucasus.

A $50 gift will help send one child to one week of summer camp, and give him or her a Bible or Christian literature.

A gift of $100 will double your impact, and give two children a week at summer camp and place a Bible or Christian literature into their hands.

An investment of $200 will give four children the opportunity to meet Jesus at one of our evangelistic summer camps, and $300 will help send six children to camp. A gift of $400 will help send eight children to camp, and each of these children will receive a Bible and/or Christian literature especially geared for him or her.

An even greater investment of $500 or $1000 will help send 10 or 20 children to one of these life-changing summer camps.

When you give online to our evangelistic summer camp ministry, your gift can start making a difference in the lives of children in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Read about our evangelistic summer camp ministry in the Northern Caucasus region of Russia.

From July 31-August 7, join Russian Ministries at Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference, where you’ll meet Gennady Terkun, national ministry director in the Northern Caucasus, and hear how God changed his life as . . .

“a conscious slave of the devil and an influential criminal.”

These words don’t fit with the man who is speaking them. Today, Gennady Terkun is more likely to share a Christmas present with a needy child, or baptize young people who have chosen to follow Jesus in the Northern Caucasus than to choose to do evil.

Flashback to 1987, when perestroika was just beginning, and a younger Gennady sat in a prison, where he exercised a cult-like hold over the other prisoners. About that time, some Christians came to the prison and shared the gospel with the prisoners.

“I was enraged,” recalls Gennady. “Their preaching about Christ was destroying my authority and cult practices.” He shot off an angry letter, intent on destroying the believers and their faith.

His letter made its way to one of the Christians who had come to the prison, and that began a two-year correspondence between Gennady and this bold believer.

“Gradually, the simple truth of the Good News found its way into my heart,” Gennady says. In 1991, Gennady made another conscious choice: to follow Jesus and point other prisoners to Him.

No longer imprisoned in sin, Gennady began Bible studies in prison and met Next Generation Christians from the Association for Spiritual Renewal (ASR-Russian Ministries’ national partner). “One of them became my mentor, and helped me with advice, resources and a vision for ministry.”

By God’s grace, Gennady’s prison sentence was shortened by five years, and he was released in 1996. “The day after my release,” Gennady points out, “I attended an ASR training seminar in Krasnodar.” Gennady began traveling throughout the region, sharing the good news of Jesus.

Gennady also received training in church-planting at Project-250 seminars-Russian Ministries’ early training for young Next Generation Christians in the former Soviet Union.

Ten years ago, Gennady moved to Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia and began overseeing the ministry in North and South Ossetia, Chechnya and Ingushetia.

In the course of these ten years, God has used Gennady and his wife, Vera, in strategic, far-reaching ministries from aid and counseling in the aftermath of the 2004 Beslan public school terrorist attack, to ongoing bridge building to Muslim families and their children at evangelistic summer camps, to regular trips to the volatile regions of Chechnya, South Ossetia and Ingushetia for children’s events such as summer camp follow up and special seasonal events.

From July 31-August 7, you can meet Gennady Terkun at Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference in beautiful western Michigan. Gennady will share more of his story of faith as well as the latest news from his ministry. Joining Gennady will be Anita Deyneka, president of Russian Ministries, and Greg Yoder, weekly anchor for Mission Network News.

Plan to have a vacation with a purpose this summer and join Russian Ministries at Maranatha.

Contact Maranatha directly for more information. Be sure to register for Week 6.

See you by the lake!

Read how Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camp ministry is helping to bring gospel peace and hope to Chechnya this summer.

Click here to read a Christianity Today article that features Gennady Terkun.

Sunday’s Victory Day in Russia commemorated the 65^th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. In Red Square, Russian soldiers joined ranks with troops from the U.S., France, Britain and Poland in marching in the Victory Day parade in Moscow.

Foreign leaders who planned to attend Sunday’s parade included French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Hu Jin Tao. Kyrgyzstan was represented by the head of its interim government, and other leaders from Central Asian countries also attended the showcase in Moscow.

Some observers felt that the Victory Day invitation to world leaders communicated Russia’s desire to strengthen its presence on the global stage.

Victory Day celebrations often have been marred by terrorist attacks, and Sunday was no exception as a bomb exploded in Dagestan near a Russian military base in this Northern Caucasus region.

Russian Ministries encourages Christians worldwide to continue to pray for stability and peace in this region of Russia and in the countries of Central Asia.

Lasting victory and peace, however, will be proclaimed this summer as at-risk children and troubled teenagers hear of Jesus’ victory over sin and death at Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camps across the former Soviet Union.

This month, a faithful and generous ministry partner has presented Russian Ministries with a matching grant challenge of $15,000 for the evangelistic summer camp ministry.

That means that your investment in the evangelistic summer camp ministry will go even further in helping to send children and teenagers to life-changing summer camps.

• $50 will help give one child one week at summer camp and place a Bible or Christian literature into the hands of that child.
• $100 will double your impact, and give two children the opportunity to meet Jesus at one of our evangelistic summer camps.
• $150 will help send three children to camp.
• $200 will help send four children to camp and provide Bibles and Christian literature for them.
• An even greater investment of $500 or $1,000 will help send ten or twenty children and teenagers to a life-changing week of summer camp.

As a special thank-you for your gift, you will receive a print of original artwork by a Russian Christian artist, Anastasia. Anastasia not only was orphaned as a young child but also copes with a physical disability. Neither has stopped Anastasia from using her artistic talent for God’s glory.

Help us meet the matching challenge today with an online donation to the evangelistic summer camp ministry.

If you’re on Facebook, you can also join the evangelistic summer camp cause.

From 3,000 gifts to four times that number in its second season of ministry, Gift of Life-Russian Ministries’ Easter outreach and gift distribution-brought the good news of Jesus’ resurrection to orphans, hurting children and teenagers.

In all, 13,190 gifts and Bibles/Christian literature were given away this Easter season. The gift boxes for the children included candy, toys and children’s Bibles. Teenagers received a special edition of the Gospel of Mark that included testimonies from young people, who have discovered new life in Christ. This Easter, 34 national evangelical churches and 30 organizations and business in the Zaporozhye region also support the Gift of Life project.

On April 23, an orphanage in Volnyansk, Ukraine, welcomed a music group, amateur and professional soccer players and clowns as young Next Generation Christians from the THEME youth club in nearby Zaporozhye arrived to share Resurrection hope and joy with the 150 orphans there.

“Looking into the younger children’s eyes, you see a sincerity that will all too soon be marred by disillusionment, and possible anger and resentment,” related one young Christian leader.

“But those who have not yet lost hope seek in us faithful friends, whom they can see more often than just Christmas and Easter,” continues this young leader. “Some children did not want us to go . . . . Lord willing, we will visit them again. As Christ said, ‘And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name, welcomes me.’ ” (Matthew 18:5)

Seasonal outreaches such as Gift of Life at Easter, or Project Hope at Christmas are some of the many ways School Without Walls students and other young Next Generation Christian leaders connect with needy children and at-risk teenagers throughout the year.

In just a few weeks, Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camps begin all across the former Soviet Union.

School Without Walls students and graduates not only initiate this outreach but also mobilize their churches and other young Christian leaders to be a  part of the summer camp ministry.

Russian Ministries would like to help send at least 5,000 children and teenagers to a life-changing week of summer camp. One child + one week of summer camp = one changed life.

Be a part of this divine math today with a secure online gift to Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camps. A gift of $50 will help send one child to camp and provide one Bible/Christian literature, a $100 gift will help send two children to camp and provide Bibles/Christian literature for them and a gift of $200 will provide the same for four children. Make a secure online gift today.

Join Russian Ministries on Facebook and become part of the summer camp Cause.

Russian Ministries continues to call on Christians worldwide to pray for peace in Russia, especially this Easter Week as Christ’s death and resurrection are celebrated.

Just two days after the rush-hour bomb blasts in Moscow on Monday that killed 39 people at two subway stations, a car bomb exploded in Dagestan in the Northern Caucasus. This blast killed at least 12 people, including a top local police official.

Read more about this bombing here.

Russian Ministries has a strong presence in the Northern Caucasus region through its School Without Walls program, special evangelistic outreaches at Christmas and Easter and evangelistic summer camps. Many of these ministries focus in areas where some say suicide bombers are trained and where extremists have established terrorist training camps.

Under the national leadership of Russian Ministries’ Northern Caucasus ministry coordinator, School Without Walls students and their churches are planning for summer camps for children and youth to help raise up a new generation of Christian leaders, whose feet will be shod with the gospel of peace.

PRAYER POINTS:

• Pray that Christians would effectively point others to Christ, the Prince of Peace.
• Pray for Next Generation Christians and their ministries, especially in the tense Caucasus regions, where the ethnic, political and religious hatred reportedly inspired the terrorists.
• Pray for the Easter evangelistic outreaches that take place this Easter weekend in the Northern Caucasus and other regions in Russia and Ukraine.
• Pray for young Next Generation Christian leaders as they prepare for the evangelistic summer camp ministry.

Northern Caucasus summer camp on YouTube

CLICK HERE TO GIVE TO OUR CAMP OUTREACH.

The summer of 2009, 8,283 campers attended 111 sessions of evangelistic summer camps*, organized by School Without Walls students, other young Next Generation Christian leaders and churches across the former Soviet Union.

At Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camps, children and teenagers . . .

…discover God’s love

In Moldova, cancer is one of the major causes of death. Tragically, early detection and treatment are rare, and children with cancer have a low survival rate.

Young Next Generation Christians in Moldova wanted their evangelistic summer camp to be a place of hope and joy for these children and their caregivers. The camp’s theme for the week was, “Searching for Great Discoveries,” and 15-year-old Sasha was about to make the greatest discovery of his life—God’s love.

Battling brain cancer, Sasha lived with his grandmother, and one by one, his friends and classmates stopped hanging out with him as they heard he had cancer.

Once friendly and outgoing, Sasha was now hardened to life and people. When he arrived at camp, he ignored everyone.

One of the camp leaders decided to do something about the barrier Sasha had erected, and asked the teenager for some help . . . and God’s love began to melt the heart of this hurting teenager.

The next day, Sasha talked with the other campers, and helped with activities and games for the parents. The last day of camp, Sasha confessed that he hadn’t planned on making friends at camp, but he did.

His grandmother added, “Thank you for inviting us here. At this camp, I learned that when things are very hard God is nearby and He hears us. We will definitely attend church when we return home.”

Learn from His Word

Sergey had been to enough camps to last him a lifetime, and hated every single one.

When Sergey was invited to one of Russian Ministries’ evangelistic camps in Moldova, his first reaction was to say, “No. I thought it would be just like all the other camps, but my mother convinced me to go.”

It only took a couple of days for Sergey to settle in, and realize that this camp was different from the other camps he had attended. “This camp had a warm, open atmosphere,” explained Sergey.

The fourth day of camp, Sergey picked up a Bible for the first time in his young life, and read the first six chapters of the gospel of Matthew. “I am so grateful to this camp for changing me, and I think for the better,” said Sergey. “I will keep coming to camp until they kick me out!”

Grow in Their Faith

Tanya and Valya are both seventeen years old. Both like to cook and both live at the same orphanage in the Rovno region.

The two girls also spend their summers at one of Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camps.

Each summer, Next Generation Christian leaders from Rovno have a summer camp for orphans all over the region. “We’ve known Tanya and Valya for a few years now,” explained one of the Next Generation leaders. “We have a ministry in their orphanage and they’ve been coming to camp.”

This summer, the girls helped out the camp staff with younger children from the orphanage. “They acted like leaders,” said one of the camp leaders.

Tanya and Valya remember when these Next Generation Christians first came to their orphanage and told the children that Jesus loved and cared for them.

This summer was Tanya and Valya’s last summer at camp.

They’re “graduating” from the orphanage and will head off to cooking school together. But the girls won’t forget the Next Generation Christians who came to the orphanage and told them about Jesus, and gave them opportunities to grow in their faith at summer camp.

Thank you for your part in helping to send these children and teenagers to our summer camps, and for giving them opportunities to discover God’s love, learn from His Word and grow in their faith.

*Number of children reached/total number of camps:

Russia: 2900 campers/39 camps

Ukraine: 2730 campers/31 camps

Belarus: 2188 campers/36 camps

Moldova: 465 campers/5 camps

Total number of campers: 8,283

Total number of camps: 111

For the past four summers, young Next Generation Christians in the Northern Caucasus region have traveled to Grozny, Chechnya to hold an evangelistic summer day camp for Chechen children.

There have been summers where the sounds of exploding bombs were a backdrop to teaching and singing, and armed security guards patrolled camps.

“Nowadays it’s calm in Chechnya. Still our pilgrims feel a bit uneasy,” reports Gennady Terkun, Russian Ministries’ ministry director in Vladikavkaz, Russia.

While fighting in Chechnya has eased, many children are still affected by the war. Marina, a young Christian leader from Vladikavkaz, asked the children to draw pictures of their homes and families. One girl turned in a blank sheet of paper, with the caption: “This is my house.”

Moved to tears, Marina was even more motivated to share with the campers the hope that Jesus gives, and to help them understand the peace of God.

Victor traveled from Chisinau, Moldova to help with the children’s camp in Grozny. “I’m very thankful to the Lord for the chance to join the team that was bound for Grozny,” says Victor. “My attitude to this country has changed. The news reports on Chechnya are often one-sided, but the campers helped change my attitudes about them and their country!”

As a father, Victor was touched when the young campers would rest their heads on his shoulder, and show other signs of affection. “We were able to show these children that the world is not as cruel as they might think it, and they were able to show me that I shouldn’t judge a whole country because of one tragic event, or horrible things done by a small group of terrorists.” (Victor was referring to the Beslan school tragedy that took place in 2004.)

Even when the campers figured out that their camp leaders were Christians, not Muslims, the children kept returning to camp. “We played with them and talked with them a lot,” recalls Victor, “and they shared with us their impressions of camp, their worries as well as their Chechen traditions.”

Your online gift to Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camps helps build these bridges to Muslim families today.

It has been four years since young Next Generation Christians from Mari-El, Russia held their first evangelistic summer camp for orphans in the region. In that time, these national Christians have watched children become teenagers, and have had the joy of seeing these young people grow and mature.

“Today about a dozen teenagers attend various evangelical churches, go to Sunday schools, and even help us set up and run camp-related events,” reports Eugene Dushakov, the summer camp coordinator.

Throughout the year, Eugene and other Next Generation Christians continue to build relationships with their campers. “We’ll visit their school and show Christian movies,” explains Eugene, “or sometimes we’ll take them to town just to walk and talk with them about the crucial things in life.”

Eugene recalls the first time he met Vasya four years ago. “When I first met him, he literally could not put together a simple sentence without using foul language.”

The boarding school staff had all but given up on the boy, and no one believed that he would ever change. But Eugene and other young Christian leaders stayed in contact with Vasya, and eventually they won his trust and became good friends.

“Today, to our great joy, we have witnessed some real changes in Vasya. He wants to achieve something in life, and not just go along with the crowd. Because of Vasya, the teachers and the staff of the boarding school are convinced that our summer programs and children’s ministry are effective,” relates Eugene.

“I want to thank you once again, dear brothers and sisters, for your help in making this camp a reality.”

One child + one week of summer camp = one changed life. Invest in summer camps today with a secure online gift.

It’s a simple equation that has eternal investments.

Alexander’s journey from despair to hope began two years ago at Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camp in Moldova. The week before he arrived at camp, 15-year-old Alexander had contemplated suicide. He had stood by helplessly when his older brother, a drug addict, leaped to his death from the roof of a multi-story building. Alexander blamed himself for his brother’s death, and lived with a heavy burden of guilt and shame.

At home, his alcoholic father did nothing to ease Alexander’s guilt, and his mother visited fortune-tellers who declared the family cursed, and predicted that Alexander would also take his own life.

Alexander was ready to end his life, but God intervened when some Christian young people from a local evangelical church invited Alexander to summer camp.

At camp, Alexander discovered God’s love and grace. Now filled with joy, instead of despair, Alexander returned home, became involved in the church—and every day brought more changes in his life.

Last summer, Alexander returned to camp with 11 of his friends, where they heard about Jesus for the first time. Stas, one of Alexander’s friends trusted Jesus and is following Him. The two boys are pictured at right.

A secure online gift to summer camps will help more teenagers like Alexander and his friend discover God’s love.