Pakistan (MNN) – In the last couple of years, FMI Pastor Vazir and his church made the decision to reach out to their community and bless the children there with the Gospel.
VBS Growth Beyond Belief
Pakistan Bible reading. (Photo courtesy FMI)
Then, this summer the number of Christians in Pakistan began growing after Pastor Vazir essentially put his church’s VBS program on wheels.
“He ran 55 different VBS programs across the city of Lahore and outlying areas this summer, over the course of the three months this summer,” FMI’s Bruce Allen shares.
“Seven thousand people attended those VBS programs and nearly 2,800 people placed their faith in Jesus Christ as a result.”
That’s more people who came to faith than what FMI recorded last year in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan combined. According to Allen, this impact is right in line with Pastor Vazir’s track record, as he has planted eight churches across Pakistan.
Part of the strategy to his success involves reaching kids with the Gospel, which then opens the doors to their families. But, there was something else that helped make these VBS programs a success.
“In developing this ministry team that has fanned out in the Punjab province, what they wanted to do was identify places where there were a ton of children and youths, without a VBS program, but at least had Christians living in the community who would be there on site for follow-up,” Allens explains.
“Because, you know, the discipleship process is important just like the evangelism process is important.”
Help From the Snapshot Tool
And believe it or not, the Snapshot Tool packets, which are provided to churches through FMI’s “Tangible Resources Fund,” has helped congregation members both learn how to evangelize and to feel like they have the ability to do so.
(Photo Courtesy FMI) Snapshot Tool in use.
The packets also helped exponentially grow evangelism in the area. It helps by taking evangelism off the shoulders of the pastors and redistribute it amongst both the pastors and his congregation.
The Snapshot Tool Packet is specifically used to help jumpstart conversations and learn what spiritual needs other people may have. In short, it helps spark useful communication between Christians and non-Christians about daily life and spiritual matters. Click here to learn more about the Snapshot Tool Packets.
How to Help
So please, praise God for the Gospel in Pakistan and ask him to grow and strengthen these new Christians’ faith. Also, pray for the Christians following up with discipleship. Pray they’d know how to nurture and guide these youths and evangelize with their families.
Illiteracy is a common and vast problem across Pakistan, especially among Christians. Pray for these kids and their families to learn how to read and eventually study the Bible on their own.
And finally, pray for God’s provision in these communities for these churches and Christians who evangelize and disciple in Pakistan.
To donate to FMI’s “Tangible Resources Fund,” click here!
To learn more about the FMI’s work in Pakistan, click here!