The focus of Slavic Missionary Service has always been the salvation of souls and the edification of the saints in every ministry and in every generation. When the former Soviet Union disbanded and disintegrated, SMS primarily sought to plant new churches and prepare "called" Christians for service. With God's help, a select group of national workers was chosen in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. That group has conducted many different conferences, organized various evangelistic outreaches and has seen many souls welcomed into the kingdom of God. As God gives wisdom and strength, these SMS missionaries will continue to serve the Lord in their churches and communities.
The most important projects of SMS at this time include the following ventures. The ministry of the rehabilitation center in Zhigulovsk, Russia is growing rapidly. Already, the building is filled to capacity. Plans to build a new brick building are slated in the future, but funds are needed. The present building can house ten individuals. Hopefully, the new building will be built larger in order to accommodate more individuals.
In Bendery, Moldova, Grace Church has been involved in many evangelistic outreaches. But the church van can longer be used for many of the ministries, because it is very old and repairs are becoming very expensive. Therefore, a new (used) van needs to be purchased in order to continue outreach to the community and to the surrounding towns.
In Gomel, Belarus, the building adjacent to the church needs to be renovated. This building will be used for ESL classes, as well as ministry with the youth of the church and possibly for ministry with street children. A young missionary from Russia awaits it completion in order to come and labor for the Lord.
Next year, SMS desires to assist the summer camping ministry to the deaf in the western region of Ukraine. Our SMS missionary and his wife were not able to conduct any youth camps this summer due to a lack of funds. SMS hopes to raise enough funds for a youth camp that will run for eight to ten days and accommodate 65 to 75 young people. (One camping program will cost approximately $7,000.)
Many other projects have already been started by our missionaries. Churches continue to be built in different areas. Conferences continue to be conducted to prepare the Christian community for service. And evangelistic outreaches are planned when possible. A few of our current missionaries are not receiving full support at this time. Consider assisting one of our national workers partially so that they can freely serve the Lord in ministry without any financial obstacles. With your help, SMS can accomplish God's work in the Slavic countries.
