In Depth:  Kyrgyzstan

letter from Kyrgyzstan

Exciting developments are taking place in relation to the Slavic Gospel Association’s (SGA) support of the production and distribution of the Scriptures in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. We have a day of opportunity to advance the cause of the gospel in this predominantly Muslim country through the provision of God’s word in the Kyrgyz language. A Kyrgyz Bible for Kyrgyz people!

Bible ‘sets’ have been prepared and distributed – a specially designed Bible story book along with a full copy of the Scriptures. The Bible story book will appeal to children and also to Kyrgyz parents who love storytelling – it is an ingrained feature of Central Asian culture. By God’s grace, it will also provide an introduction to the reading and study of the Scriptures themselves. We know that the entrance of God’s word brings spiritual light and life.

Luke Randall

A Protestant leader has said that he fears churches may be forced to close following the implementation of concerning new laws which restrict freedom of religion in Kyrgyzstan.

The new Religion Law and an Amending Law came into effect last month. The legislation dictates that religious activity can only be conducted in public with state permission, and that religious groups must be registered to legally exist, with a minimum registration requirement of 500 adult members, up from the 200 required previously.