In communities where following Jesus is often hidden, hope is growing through years of faithful presence. From youth camps that offer safe spaces for honest conversation, to everyday acts of care like tutoring, feeding programmes and livelihood projects, quiet transformations are unfolding among Muslim families. Read the full story here.
“After years of faithful presence, workers are now seeing the fruits: Muslim men and women choosing to follow Jesus – mostly quietly, but profoundly.”
Across the country, Muslim communities, once concentrated in only a few regions, now stretch far and wide. Some neighbourhoods are entirely Muslim with distinct ways of life, while others are mixed, where Muslim families live alongside Catholics and other Christians.
For years, SIM workers have been quietly and faithfully present in these areas. Many serve where less than 1% profess faith in Christ. Yet long-term relationships have opened doors, especially among young people.
Youth camps that change lives
In 2024, colleagues launched youth camps specifically for Muslim youth. These camps offer something many rarely experience: the freedom to speak openly outside community expectations. Conversations have begun to flow. Young people have shared struggles with depression, anxiety, bullying and the pressures of social media. In that safe space, some have encountered the hope of Jesus for the first time.
At the first camp, several placed their faith in Christ, with some later baptised. Plans are now underway for a follow-up camp focused on youth with leadership potential, nurturing a new generation of influencers among their peers.
Bearing fruit
Much of this ministry grows out of long-standing work in these communities. Many families face economic challenges, so practical help creates natural pathways to meaningful relationships. Across various neighbourhoods, SIM teams and partners run:
- Sponsorship programmes for schooling
- Feeding programmes, including one serving 100 children three times a week
- Livelihood initiatives such as sewing projects, solar installation, and driver’s licence assistance
- Preschools
- Tutorial sessions before and after school
- A livelihood project for women making wallets from used coffee sachets which are marketed in the USA
Through these programmes, workers meet both children and parents, creating everyday opportunities to share values-based lessons often rooted in Scripture.
Two colleagues in a 100% Muslim community have seen doors open through livelihood projects with women. Because the women must travel outside their neighbourhood for product checks, these moments away from home have become precious times for discipleship and Bible study.
Quiet transformations
After years of faithful presence, workers are now seeing the fruits: Muslim men and women choosing to follow Jesus – mostly quietly, but profoundly. Community centres have become hubs of life where mothers cook, children learn and relationships grow naturally. Over time, these simple routines have sown seeds of hope that are beginning to sprout.
From youth camps to preschool classes, from livelihood work to tutoring, God is at work through long-term, relational ministry. As more doors open, workers continue to pray for wisdom, safety and opportunities to share Christ’s love in ways that honour both culture and community.
A story of impact
The worn leather of his shoes squeaked against the cracked pavement as he walked home from school. His stomach grumbled, a familiar ache that echoed the hollowness in his heart. His name is I*, and his world was a tapestry woven with threads of hardship. He lived in a cramped, one-room shack with his mother, eight siblings and other relatives. His father died when he was young, leaving a gaping hole in their lives and a crushing weight on their shoulders. His mother worked tirelessly doing laundry, her hands perpetually rough, her back perpetually bent.
I* loved school. He dreamed of becoming a doctor when he grew up. He saw the glimmer of hope in his mother’s eyes when she promised to buy him a new book, only to have that hope extinguished by the harsh reality of their meager income. So, he worked as a laborer at a nearby construction site. The weight of their poverty pressed heavily on his dreams. He felt a growing sense of despair, a gnawing fear that his aspirations were nothing more than fleeting dreams.
One day, we met him on one of our community visits and that sparked a relationship with him and his family. We took him on as one of our Ethnic Community Engagement scholars and he started to attend studies and Values classes. At one point he said, “I want to know more about Isa Almasih’’. We took him to the recent youth camp and he learned more about himself, and more importantly, about God and Isa Almasih. He was one of the youths that prayed the sinner’s prayer at camp!
He may have been poor, but he was rich in spirit, in imagination, in the power of his words and faith in God.
Would you be willing to contribute to the sponsorship programme or provide additional assistance to local workers in need of support? Your donation will have a lasting effect on families. Visit here and reference the following project numbers: 98296 – Ethnic Community Engagement or 98295 – Missionary Assistance Support Scheme. For more information, please contact the SIM NZ office.
