On January 5th, an important event took place in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Barnaul - a children's Christmas concert for children from low-income families was held. This holiday brought together 37 children and 23 parents from 18 families. More than 40 Pathfinders, who gathered from different cities of the UMC for an outreach service, prepared a wonderful program for their peers, and the Pathfinders themselves experienced the joy of being able to minister to children and parents. The whole program culminated with a call from the local pastor to all in attendance to stand on the side of the Lord and accept Jesus as their Savior!

However, that was far from all. At the end of the hour-long program, special food packages were prepared for each family, which included both long-term storage products and products for the holiday. 

How It Began

Four years ago, the youth of the local community held a fundraising campaign for low-income families by posting on social media networks. Many people responded and donated. The youth used the money to buy food for those in need and then delivered it to each individual family. Memories of that action led to the idea to do it again, but with slightly different content, namely, to bring families together and hold a festive program. Having received information about families in need from the head of the Kind Heart Charity Organization, with which the church has been cooperating for about 10 years, a fundraising campaign was held using social media networks. In total, 40,000 rubles were collected. With these funds, food packages were made.

Testimonials

“Alexander, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for such invaluable and much-needed help to the families of Kind Heart! All our families are very grateful to you. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!"

“There are no words to express gratitude to you from our whole family ... It is such a [joy] for many to feel that you are not alone and there are people nearby who are always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need ... May the Lord bless you and everyone who is with you. You are truly doing good... We are very grateful to you for your time and help.”

“Hello, I would like to thank you and everyone who was involved in organizing today's holiday [program]. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! My kids are happy, everything was interesting, a very good grocery set. All in all, a HUGE THANK YOU!"

Feedback from Lilia Vladimirovna, head of the Good Heart: “People who visited you today write that they are very grateful to you for your help! A huge thank you from all parents and children!”

Praise the Lord for such an event and the opportunity to serve those people who really need it!

This article was originally published on the Euro-Asia Division’s news site.