“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.

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