Today is the Day of Prayer and Fasting for World Evangelization
The Udmurt who live in Russia's Ural Mountains may be obscure to you, but they are "near and dear" to our loving Father. The 750,000 Udmurt live mostly in small farming villages where income is low and the suicide rate is high. The Udmurt of Russia are known as the “people of the woods.” Perhaps this is because they are skilled in wood-making, or perhaps it is due to their past worship of wooden images. Though the Udmurts were Christianized by the Orthodox church after becoming part of Russia in the 16th century, they did not truly experience the gospel. Pagan beliefs such as the worship of idols are still apparent among the population. The good news is that 150 Udmurts have experienced true faith in Jesus Christ and many of these converts were won by their own brothers who were spreading the gospel as home missionaries. But the Orthodox church, which is the official church of Russia, is not pleased with the missionary activities and often tries to quiet or remove the home missionary from each village. Less than one quarter of 1 percent claim faith in Jesus Christ. We challenge you to set aside a meal or an entire day of meals to fast and pray for the Udmurt. Please join us in prayer and fasting for the Udmurt people of Russia today.
The IMB has a fabulous web site for more information about the Udmurt people including where they live, slideshows showing who they are and a heart breaking story of an Udmurtian father. You can read about people all over the World, what God is doing and how you can be involved at the IMB website.
The Udmurt who live in Russia's Ural Mountains may be obscure to you, but they are "near and dear" to our loving Father. The 750,000 Udmurt live mostly in small farming villages where income is low and the suicide rate is high. The Udmurt of Russia are known as the “people of the woods.” Perhaps this is because they are skilled in wood-making, or perhaps it is due to their past worship of wooden images. Though the Udmurts were Christianized by the Orthodox church after becoming part of Russia in the 16th century, they did not truly experience the gospel. Pagan beliefs such as the worship of idols are still apparent among the population. The good news is that 150 Udmurts have experienced true faith in Jesus Christ and many of these converts were won by their own brothers who were spreading the gospel as home missionaries. But the Orthodox church, which is the official church of Russia, is not pleased with the missionary activities and often tries to quiet or remove the home missionary from each village. Less than one quarter of 1 percent claim faith in Jesus Christ. We challenge you to set aside a meal or an entire day of meals to fast and pray for the Udmurt. Please join us in prayer and fasting for the Udmurt people of Russia today.
The IMB has a fabulous web site for more information about the Udmurt people including where they live, slideshows showing who they are and a heart breaking story of an Udmurtian father. You can read about people all over the World, what God is doing and how you can be involved at the IMB website.
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