SLAVIC GOSPEL ASSOCIATION

SGA PRAYER ALERT: Another Crisis for the Beslan Church

Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him (Isaiah 58:7)?

Dear Partners in the Gospel,

I am confident that you have been watching the news reports concerning a catastrophic conflict in the little 'breakaway' Republic of South Ossetia and in the nation of Georgia. It began last Thursday in the contested territory, which is located on Russia's southern border in the Caucasus Mountains region of the former Soviet Union. The hostilities between the Georgian and Russian armies have already resulted in several thousand civilians being killed and an estimated 100,000 people having lost their homes.

The refugee families from South Ossetia have flooded north into the cities of North Ossetia, and into the southern Russian regions of Kabardino-Balkaria, Rostov, Stavropol, and Krasnodar. In all of these regions we have SGA-sponsored church planters and partner UECB churches.

You may recall the horrible terrorist attack on Beslan School No. 1 in North Ossetia in September 2004. Many of you prayed for Pastor Sergei Totiev, pastor of the Beslan Baptist Church, and his wife, Bella. The terrorists, who slaughtered 330 children and adults, killed two of their children. In the months and years that followed, Pastor Sergei led the Beslan Baptist Church's wonderfully fruitful ministry to the entire grieving city.

Concerning the current crisis, Pastor Sergei told us yesterday that "wounded survivors and homeless refugees are everywhere." All of the UECB churches in North Ossetia are sending people to visit the suffering injured in the area hospitals. They are trying to help the refugees with food and clothing. And you can be sure that they are seizing every opportunity to share the Gospel with them.

Sergei said, "It is really difficult to comfort people whose relatives were killed in front of them." They tell of bombings, people crushed by tanks, and others being burned alive. Many of them are from the city of Tskhinvali, where reportedly not one house is still standing. And some of these refugees from Tskhinvali are Baptist believers.

Temporary shelters have been set up in government buildings, but many of the families of Beslan — people who are well acquainted with grief — have taken refugees into their homes. But they cannot provide all of the food and necessities that the displaced people need. A great deal of help is needed, especially for the purchase of food and everything for children, baby foods, and hygiene items.

The US Government has pledged to provide humanitarian relief to the war victims in Georgia. And the Russian Christians are accepting responsibility for humanitarian relief to the South Ossetian war victims who have fled to southern Russia.

Please join with us in much prayer for this crisis situation:

Pray that the Lord would bring a lasting peace to this region, which has been in turmoil for many years.

Pray that the Lord would touch the hearts of many North American Christians to come alongside the Russian Christians by providing funds that can be used to supply the critically needed humanitarian aid, Bibles, evangelistic literature, and Christian books.

Pray that — through the faithful ministries of our Christian brothers and sisters in the region — the Lord would bring many thousands of suffering refugees to repentance and grant them faith to embrace Christ as Savior and Lord!

Thank you in advance for your prayers.

In His love and service,

Bob Provost
President, Slavic Gospel Association

You can read more about this conflict here. If you would like to contribute toward help for the refugees from South Ossetia and the other regions affected by this conflict, you can do so here.