When you support School Without Walls, it’s more than an academic exercise. It’s support of a generation of godly, young national Christian leaders, who are ready to pick up the baton of faithfulness from the previous generation, and confront the realities of a changing society.

Even in the high-risk regions of the former Soviet Union, School Without Walls students are reaching out to the needy as the helping hands of Jesus.

School Without Walls students from Kabardino-Balkaria are no strangers to the violence that rocks their Northern Caucasus region.

In early spring, police killed a rebel leader in a shoot out on the streets of the capital city of Nalchik.

In July, School Without Walls students went to Makhachkala, Dagestan to hold an evangelistic summer camp for children in the community. A week after the students returned home, a pastor of one of Makhachkala’s largest evangelical churches was gunned down.

But, according to a recent report from Sergey, the School Without Walls coordinator in Kabardino-Balkaria, none of this has slowed down the students’ outreach and ministries in this region.

We have School Without Walls programs in Prokhladny and Nalchik. The School Without Walls students from Prokhladny regularly visit an orphanage, where they sing, tell the children about Christ and play soccer, volleyball, checkers, chess and other games with them. The students have also connected with the youth of the orphanage. Some of the children regularly read the Bible and pray. The students are accepted and liked by the children. Vadim, one of our School Without Walls students, has become friends with one boy. Vadim watches out for him, and recently bought him a new soccer uniform. The two of them now play soccer together, both wearing their new uniforms.

When the students drive up to the orphanage, one can often hear the joyful cry, “The Baptists have arrived!” and everyone runs out to meet the students.

School Without Walls students from Nalchik decided to take on missions work in the city of Tyrnyauz. For two years now, a small group of 12 believers has had no church leadership or support. These young leaders travel there to help out with Sunday morning services, encourage the believers and help them share the good news of Jesus in the community. This ministry is just beginning, but we have plans to develop it and reach many Balkars, who need Jesus.

Interested in supporting a School Without Walls student? Find out more here.

“We believe that the ministry of the puppet teams today is one of the most effective means of reaching children,” declared Sergey Rakhuba, senior vice-president of Russian Ministries, at the opening of the seventh annual puppet festival on August 10.

The four-day festival, in Melitopol, Ukraine by the Azov Sea, attracted 180 people involved in puppet ministries from over 30 cities in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.

Reporting on the festival, Anna Stepanchuk, a writer and young Next Generation Christian from Ukraine, observed that the time is right for national believers and the church to use the arts as a means of evangelism and bridge-building between the church and non-believers.

Even though Rakhuba noted a “certain cooling” among some Christians towards evangelism, he praised the young people and School Without Walls students at the festival for their creative potential and energy in reaching children with the good news of Jesus.

Mikhail Cherenkov, vice-president of Russian Ministries’ in-country affiliate, the Association for Spiritual Renewal, voiced his support for the puppet ministry. “We believe in this ministry! We believe that through this Christian puppet ministry, we can change people’s lives.”

Cherenkov underscored the significance of this ministry as he reminded these young Next Generation Christians that by “participating in the puppet ministry, we are participating in a fight for our future and our children.”

The puppet festival’s purpose was to help participants connect with each other to exchange experiences, grow and develop in creative ways and encourage and motivate each other for more effective ministry.

Over the four days, puppet ministry teams attended a variety of workshops such as acting, sewing puppets, playwriting and puppet handling. Each puppet team also presented a puppet show. These performances showcased a variety of stories performed by puppeteers of all ages and skill-levels.

“Our team got lots of ideas that we can put to use in our own presentations. It is a big blessing! People are very busy today, and won’t [take the time to] listen to a sermon. But puppets are interesting. They stop, listen and the seeds of God’s Word are planted in their hearts,” shared Elen Polubotka, leader of the All for Jesus puppet ministry team from Kakhovka, Ukraine.

As the workshops and performances came to the end, the puppet ministry teams and other participants left the festival, refreshed and recharged to go and reach the Next Generation for Jesus across the former Soviet Union.

Russian Ministries estimates that over 200,000 children and their caregivers are exposed to the gospel each year through the puppet ministry.

This ministry update is based on a report by Anna Stepanchuk.

The best way to evaluate Russian Ministries’ School Without Walls program is not with tests or grades, but by the practical ministry results that take place in the regions and communities where School Without Walls programs exist—and where students and graduates live and work and worship.

Highlights from the School Without Walls Annual Report include:

•For the 2008-09 academic year, 1,813 students were enrolled in 62 School Without Walls (SWW) locations in 49 regions throughout Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan.
•Of the 812 SWW students who graduated in the spring of 2009, an estimated 77%-80% are planning to continue active ministry outreach in their communities.
•There were 248 local churches directly involved in the educational process of SWW students.
•During the academic year, 372 national teachers, committed to non-formal education, passed on their knowledge, ministry skills and experience to the students.

Another exciting development in the SWW program has been its expansion into Central Asia, where human rights abuses are commonplace—especially in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

In Uzbekistan, the SWW program must be conducted underground because of the widespread persecution of Christians. The flexibility and informality of SWW make it an ideal vehicle for equipping young Uzbek believers for ministry in a hostile environment.

The annual report gives a more detailed report of SWW in Central Asia.

Dorin, a School Without Walls graduate, sums up the effectiveness of this program: “In all the churches in our region, everyone is talking about School Without Walls. At first I didn’t understand what they were talking about. But after going through the SWW program, I had a desire to teach at SWW. It is my dream to start a SWW in my home village and to teach the youth to get involved in actual ministry that will help our church to expand its influence in our community. I have already talked to my pastor about it, and I believe that my dream will soon come true.”

Download the complete School Without Walls 2008-2009 Annual Report.

To make a secure online gift to School Without Walls, click here.

One of the most serious concerns in the former Soviet Union is the ever-increasing rate of HIV/AIDS.

•Ukraine has one of the fastest-growing rates of HIV infection in the world.

•Moldova—one of the poorest countries in Europe—not only has the highest rate of human trafficking in Europe, but also may soon equal or exceed Ukraine’s HIV-infection rate.

With this sobering backdrop, Samaritan’s Purse, Russian Ministries and its national ministry partner, the Association for Spiritual Renewal (ASR_ hosted a “Prescription for Hope” conference at Russian Ministries’ national ministry center in Irpen, Ukraine.

Through its “Prescription for Hope” project, Samaritan’s Purse has developed materials to help equip and mobilize the church worldwide to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Prior to the June 3-6 conference, ASR translated and developed the “Prescription for Hope” materials to use in the cultural context of the former Soviet Union.

During the conference, the 130 participants heard from more than 15 different speakers from six countries on every aspect of HIV/AIDS—from basic medical information, to the problems of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, to its effects on children. Conference participants also discovered what they, as individuals and the church as a whole, can do about HIV/AIDS.

Between lectures and testimonies, group discussions and other interactive times, these national Christian leaders had opportunities for fellowship and to encourage each other to grasp the enormity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the former Soviet Union and its relevance to the church.

Those who attended the conference not only were equipped to share their newly gained knowledge with others through similar HIV/AIDS lectures and conferences, but also discovered how to support people living with HIV/AIDS—and to show them the hope that is in Jesus.

Oleg, a young Next Generation Christian leader from Ruza, Russia, had struggled with how he would react if a person who was HIV-positive came to his church. “What would we do with him? I thought I probably wouldn’t be able to touch him, but God did a miracle—attending this conference really opened my eyes. I realized that they are people in need of God, and I won’t be infect with  HIV by touching them, and they especially need our support.”

As the conference came to a close, each participant received copies of all of the conference materials, including lecture outlines, storyboards and a flip chart with basic information on HIV/AIDS. All of the material was also made available in electronic form.

“After this conference, I have a great desire to hold a similar conference in Central Asia,” remarked a ministry leader from Uzbekistan, underscoring a strategic aspect of the conference: to equip participants to use the materials to teach others about HIV/AIDS in churches, schools, camps and other venues, and to organize similar workshops in their communities.

Yurii came from Brest, Belarus, planning to discuss other important ministry matters, but left with, in his own words “. . . a huge desire to do HIV/AIDS prevention work. A big thanks to Samaritan’s Purse for their generosity and sacrifice, which have long disappeared in other places.”

Edward, who has been HIV-positive for five years, praised the conference for its depth. “These were not empty platitudes of people or organizations that work for selfish motives. Evident at this conference were care, pain and worry, which come from the truth—from the heart of God. And all of our conclusions sought God’s truth and love, with hope and reliance on Him and His Word.”