Ministries Making a Difference
YouVersion turns 15, equipping parents to disciple their children, ministering to Ukrainian children, helping Philippine families under volcanic threat
In the 15 years since YouVersion launched in the App Store, the free app has been downloaded more than 575 million times. YouVersion now reports 95 installs, 1,070 verse shares, and 3,200 annotations, highlights, or bookmarks of a verse every minute of the day, according to Lifeway Research. The app has also grown from hosting the Bible in two languages to now 2,000 languages with goals to feature at least some portion of more than 7,000 languages in the next 10 years.
The Lilly Endowment awarded a $1.25 million grant to Assemblies of God to establish its “Fostering Faith in Families” initiative, focused on equipping parents and caregivers to disciple their children and pass on their faith and values. It will also work to strengthen ministries in local congregations. Resources are expected to launch in 2024.
In 2022, Child Evangelism Fellowship’s (CEF) Hope for Ukraine campaign helped more than 134,000 Ukrainian children in camps, at orphanages and in online activities. More than 8,900 children attended camp in person and more than 500 made professions of faith, according to CEF. Workers in Ukraine continue to meet with children there, often near bunkers where they can shelter in the event of Russian missiles. CEF earns one star and an “A” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 86.
SAT-7 staff living in the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region are working to provide hope and discipleship to fellow believers facing persecution for their faith through broadcasts, on-demand videos, and social media. SAT-7 has two stars and an “A” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 100.
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) is providing help for families in the Philippines who were forced to evacuate due to the threat of a volcanic eruption. Teams are helping with five evacuation centers and distributing care packages that include food and hygiene items. NCM has five stars and an “A” transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database and a donor confidence score of 96.
Main photo: Photo courtesy of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Philippines
Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.
