Sharing the Treasure: Providing Through People

As food prices in the community soared, a small fellowship of believers in Central Asia saw an opportunity for ministry. Poverty and food insecurity were prevalent in this region before COVID-19, and when the pandemic hit, this church witnessed many of its neighbors struggling to feed their families.

This group of approximately a dozen believers didn’t have many resources, but it still sought to be used by God to be a blessing in its community. Using funds collected through group offerings, it was able to give money for necessities to two families in need. Then, the congregation prayed, asking the Lord to enable them to support others through providing food in a time of crisis.

On the other side of the world, God was answering. He lead Mila,* a Central Asian believer living in the United States, to begin raising money to help churches in her homeland. He prompted those she contacted about this need to give, and Mila sent the funds that came in to Central Asian churches—including the small fellowship that had been asking the Lord to provide them with the resources to reach out on a larger scale.

Just days after it prayed, this congregation received enough money to purchase food for 13 families. Members prepared relief packages, which they gave away in their community, inviting each family to the church.

Through the generosity of believers across an ocean, this faithful fellowship was able to tangibly demonstrate God’s love and provision to people like Azaz and his wife and five children. Azaz had left his homeland to seek a job to support his family; but, due to coronavirus lockdowns, he was unable to find employment. Without any form of income, feeding their family became a great and ongoing struggle. “Receiving a food package was a real miracle for us,” he shared.

So often, God does what seems unlikely or impossible through people. He works through the willingness of His followers, enabling his people to be instruments of Christ-honoring transformation through tangible expressions of love and service.

We don’t always see how the Lord uses our willingness as part of His plan to faithfully provide so that His followers can participate in accomplishing His purposes. However, we can rejoice that He wastes nothing. (1 Corinthians 15:58) He sovereignly works through every gift, using all we release to Him for His eternal glory.

Dr. Steve Coffey, Director of Christar U.S., began work with Christar in 1989. He and his wife, Beth, initially served among North African immigrants in France. In 2001, they returned to the U.S. for Steve to lead the Christar Church Planting Division. In 2005 he became Director of Christar. Before serving with Christar, the Coffeys worked for a year in a humanitarian project in the Red Sea hills of Sudan among the Beja people. Dr. Coffey’s education includes an undergraduate degree in history education from Liberty University, a Master of Divinity from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Strategic Leadership from Regent University. The Coffeys have three children and four grandchildren.