ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 2126, Garden Grove, CA 92842-2126 USA
E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com, Web Site: www.assistnews.net


Monday, December 22, 2003

THE OMEGA PROJECT: A BIBLE FOR EVERY RUSSIAN JEW WHO WANTS ONE!
A British couple have launched a new project to provide a free special Bible to Russian Jews

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

HELSINKI, FINLAND  (ANS) -- For the past 10 years, a British couple, Frank and Leena Arthur, have been reaching Russian Jews with a special edition of God’s Word called The Holy Scriptures. It has striking illustrations of the Star of David and Menorah on the cover, and inside is a special feature that highlights the Scriptures concerning their future, their land, and their Messiah. (Pictured: Special Bible for Russian Jews ).

“There are at least a million Jewish homes in Russia, and our goal is to get a Bible into the hands of every Russian Jew who wants one. It’s so strategic to give God’s Word to the Russian Jews today,” said Frank Arthur from his MediaServe office. “They have never been more open, and we know we stand on the verge of a harvest of unprecedented proportions. In fact, the Lord has been speaking to us from Isaiah 49:5-6, saying ‘I have commissioned you to bring my people of Israel back to me… You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.’ (Pictured: From Siberia with love! A happy Jewish family thanks us for their Bible).

“We understand this to mean that the Bibles we distribute to the Jews in Russia will be used of God to bring these people back to Israel and to Himself. Then the Holy Spirit will be poured out in fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ezek 36:27).

A MILLION JEWISH HOMES IN RUSSIA TO BE REACHED

“Over a quarter of a million copies of this complete Bible have been distributed in partnership with others. But there’s been a growing sense of urgency to reach the Jews in Russia, particularly in Siberia. So earlier this year, through one of God’s divine connections, we launched The Omega Project – to systematically mail a free offer of the Bible to every Jewish home in Russia. By the end of this month, we shall have completed the first 100,000 homes, and thousands have already requested a copy of the Bible. There are at least a million Jewish homes in Russia to be reached.”

He then spoke about The Omega Project. “My wife Leena and I have been pioneering literature projects around the world for the past thirty years. In 1993, the Lord called us to distribute His Word to Russian Jews. It began with a simple thought: If only the Russian Jews could see for themselves how much God loves them and what wonderful plans He has for them. If only they could read God’s Word for themselves… (Pictured: Russian Jews are hungry to read God’s Word for themselves).

“That thought quickly led to another: They need Bibles, but a Bible with a difference – a Bible to touch their hearts! Instead of a cross, we put striking illustrations of the Star of David and Menorah on the cover, and called this Bible, The Holy Scriptures. Inside, we added a special feature -- a selection of God’s promises to the Jews, which include the Messianic prophecies. Today, this Bible is known and loved by Russian Jews around the world, and more than a quarter of a million copies have been distributed so far! We know of many who have found their God, their Messiah and their place in His plans through the pages of this Russian Bible.

“Now, we hear the shout of the Lord and the sound of the trumpet in our hearts — we sense that the present open door to reach the Jews in Russia will soon close! Russian Jews are presently the Jews who are most open to God’s Word. We know we must maximize this opportunity. God bless you as you heed this cry from our hearts.

A LEAP OF FAITH!

“Earlier this year, through one of God’s divine connections, we launched The Omega Project. Working with a Messianic congregation in Russia, we took a leap of faith and began mailing out from within Russia 6,000 postcards to Jews in a remote Siberian city, offering a free copy of our Russian Bible with the distinctive Star of David cover. Within five weeks, over 6% had responded!

“We have since mailed out a total of 100,000 cards to Jewish homes in remote Siberia. There are at least a million Jewish homes in Russia, and our target is to reach 20,000 each month. It is a step of faith, but we believe that the Lord wants us to be at this level. The mailing process is under the trustworthy oversight of Brother Mark, who has ten years experience working with Jews in Russia. (Pictured: Thousands of Russian Jews receive packages like this one).

“We have 59,323 addresses to Russian Jews in just one Siberian city alone, and access to hundreds of thousands of such addresses in cities all over Russia. Our vision is to give a free copy of the Bible to every Jewish person who wants one. This Bible has been described as ‘Absolutely the best Bible for the Russian Jews.’

“The Omega Project is focused today on Jews living in Russia, because we sense this may be the last opportunity to reach them. The offer of a free Bible is sent to individual Jews on a city-by-city basis. To accept our offer, they fill in their address on the card and mail it back to an address within Russia. Our team then sends a copy of the Bible.

“We are thrilled to see how the Lord is using The Omega Project. Last week, we received another 434 requests for Bibles from individual Jews who are hungry to read God’s Word for themselves. The person counting the response cards said, ‘I felt such a strong presence of the Lord as I was counting the cards!”

Prominent Jewish evangelist, Jonathan Bernis, wrote to Frank and Leena Arthur when they launched The Omega Project and said, “I want to encourage you in your dream of getting a Bible into the hands of every Russian Jew who wants one. We will be praying for that and for finances for you also!”

Arthur said that when an old Jewish man in Ukraine received a copy of this Bible, he pressed it to his chest and said, “This has been the dream of my life!”

Alexei Abramov, a young Jewish man in Moscow, said, “I read the Messianic prophecies featured at the back of the book and realized that Jesus is my Messiah. Now, as a follower of ‘Yeshua,’ I live to tell others!”

Margrith Schmidt of Operation Mobilization wrote, “I listened with tears as an 80-year-old Jewish man told me how he had suffered at the hands of the Nazis in World War II. He accepted a Bible, but immediately put it face down, as it hurt him to see the cross on the front. A few weeks later, I visited him again, this time offering your Bible with the Menorah on the cover. Very happily, reaching out his hand to receive it, he said: ‘This is the book for me; this I want to read!’”

Arthur went on to say, “Please ask the Lord whether you are to help with The Omega Project. We must put a Bible into the hands of every Russian Jew who wants to have one. There is no better gift! Thousands have already come to know their God and Messiah through this special edition of God’s Word. The impact extends to Israel, too, as Russian Jews make Aliyah—the Word is calling the nation back to God. We must reach the Jews in Russia while there is still time. Will you help us?”

For details on how you can help with this project, please e-mail Frank Arthur at omega@mediaserve.org.

(Some names have been changed to protect identities.)
Dan Wooding is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times). Wooding is also a syndicated columnist, and was for ten years a commentator on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 41 books, one of which is "Blind Faith" which he co-authored with his 93-year-old mother Anne Wooding, who was a pioneer missionary to the blind of Nigeria in the 1930s. Copies of this book are available from the ASSIST USA office at PO Box 2126, Garden Grove, CA 92842-2126. His writings are on the ASSIST Website at: www.assistnews.net
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