http://www.baptist.org.ru/templates/default/rss_logo.jpg8484http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/englishhttp://www.baptist.org.ru/news/englishÍîâîñòèFri, 29 Aug 2008 17:47:52 +0400William Yoder, Ph.D.http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1326Caring persons living at distant locations can indeed make significant impact for the cause of peace and reconciliation in the embattled Caucasus region of Eastern Europe.Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:47:52 +0400Aid needed for the victims of war in Ossetia and Georgia M o s c o w -- Caring persons living at distant locations can indeed make significant impact for the cause of peace and reconciliation in the embattled Caucasus region of Eastern Europe. Believers from afar usually cannot hug and console refugees and the bereaved in the Caucasus themselves, but – thanks to the invention of money – other willing and loving persons on location can serve as extensions of our own arms and legs. A focal point for Protestant humanitarian aid in the Russian-controlled areas of North and South Ossetia is the Vladikavkas/Russia-based “North Ossetian Mission of Christian Compassion” (NOMCC). Thousands of children from the war zones are presently camping in schools and other public facilities in the regon of Vladikavkas in North Ossetia-Alania. The mission writes about its volunteers: “We are ready and eager to offer the children suffering from the war in South Ossetia spiritual and material aid.” Programme costs per child are estimated to be no less than 1.000 roubles (28 euros or $42), but the number served will depend heavily on the amount of aid received. The goal is to support between 4 and 6.000 children (totalling 168.000 euros or $252.000). The Russian government has explicitedly requested the mission’s services; Baptist aid shipments out of St. Petersburg have already arrived. The officially-recognised NOMCC was formed in 1990 by Rev. Peter Lunichkin, now the St. Petersburg-based head of Russian Baptist Union social programmes. It has been allied with Germany’s “Light in the East” mission from the beginning and has in that capacity also been involved in evangelistic programmes. A children’s magazine and choir, both named “Tropinka” (Footpath), stem from “Light in the East” (www.lio-mission.de). Other strong NOMCC partners include the US-based “Baptist World Aid” (www.bwanet.org) and Holland’s “Dorcas Aid International” (www.dorcas.net). Another partner, Pennsylvania-based “Mennonite Central Committee”, has just made one of the first larger, material shipments. All of these agencies can channel donations in dollars or euros to NOMCC. NOMCC’s current director is Valeria Lunichkin, (nomcc@nomcc.org or www.nomcc.org). NOMCC played a major role in channelling aid to the neighbouring city of Beslan following the school massacre of September 2004. That horrific event also claimed many Ossetian lives. All of the above non-Russian organisations can also send aid to war victims in Georgian-held territory. A primary channel of Baptist aid within Georgia proper is the 10-year-old “Betheli Humanitarian Association” run by one of Georgia’s two Baptist Unions: the “Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia” (www.ebcgeorgia.org). It’s Archbishop is Malkhaz Songulashvili. Western funds can be sent to Betheli through an account at a German Baptist bank: Spar- und Kreditbank EFG eG, Bad Homburg, Germany. Account Nr. 11474 47, IBAN: DE95 5009 2100 0001 1474 47 BIC: GENODE51BH2 Beneficiary: Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia Betheli reports that it will frequently be using donated funds to purchase relief supplies in neighbouring Turkey. Persons wanting a North American tax receipt are particularly welcome to contribute via: Baptist World Aid - Ossetia and Georgia Relief Baptist World Alliance 405 North Washington St Falls Church, VA 22182 In all cases, proper usage of funding is guaranteed. William Yoder, Ph.D.http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1319Vladislav Vovk, head of the Brethren church-aligned Rucheyok (Little Creek) summer camp in Rumyantsevo near Moscow, reports that his camp is scheduled to reopen for business on 6 September. Yet he has not yet been given formal, legal assurance that his camp will ever be able to reopen.Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:03:43 +0400Biannual Baptist congress has memorable aftermath M o s c o w -- Vladislav Vovk, head of the Brethren church-aligned Rucheyok (Little Creek) summer camp in Rumyantsevo near Moscow, reports that his camp is scheduled to reopen for business on 6 September. Yet he has not yet been given formal, legal assurance that his camp will ever be able to reopen. Its closing occurred in connection with the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists’ (RUECB) biannual congress, which had been held on its grounds from 31 July until 4 August. After a hastily-convened Istra city court ruled on 2 August (Saturday) to halt the congress, the camp was closed and sealed by the police for 30 days after the congress’ official end on 4 August. Over 2.000 Baptists attended the convention at a site with only 350 permanent beds; the closing cited issues of sanitation and fire safety. Electrical power to the camp, which had been cut by the local government a few hours before the congress began on 31 July, was restored on 6 August. Restricting the camp to emergency electrical power had of course further endangered the safety of the congress. Immediately following the conference, RUECB-leadership appealed to the courts to overturn the ruling, which they believed infringed upon Christians’ legal right to freedom of worship in private, non-public settings. Finally, during a 4th court hearing on 14 August, the regional court for Moscow district overturned the ruling on closure for reasons of fire safety. But it upheld the closure on grounds of sanitation and hygiene, which meant that the 30-day sentence remained in effect. Vovk reports that the camp’s closing during its most lucrative month - August - has resulted in lost income totalling 2 mill. roubles (55.556 euros or $83.333 US). It also deprived hundreds of children from experiencing a Christian camp during 2008. Even if Rucheyok does reopen on 6 September, the school year will already have begun. Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of the RUECB’s Department for External Church Relations, adds: “Please be assured that were are not giving up. The work of Christ remains on track. All things are possible with God and we retain a great deal of hope. We remain commited to changing things for the better.” Charges Dropped in Klintsy On 5 August, the court in the southwestern city of Klintsy (near Bryansk) ruled that the Baptist meeting of 28 bike riders in red T-shirts at the city square on 12 July did not constitute a public meeting after all. All charges against the person primarily responsible, Baptist pastor Evgeny Voronin, were dropped. He had been charged with holding a public meeting without prior police registration. The bikers had gathered at the square during a week of evangelistic meetings for a photo session; they had also sung and passed out leaflets. The court ruling could not of course restore the health of Baptist deacon Vladimir Skovpen, a once-leading, Soviet-era cyclist. His collarbone had been broken in a work accident last February and was rebroken during rough handling by the police at Klintsy town square on 12 July. Following an additional operation, he was visited by city officials in the hospital on 30 July and is now continuing his convalesence at home. Skovpen has pressed charges against the responsible police officers – a verdict is still pending. The 50-year-old deacon has every intention to be back on the saddle in 2009. Rev. Vitaly Vlasenko http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1315We believers must rise above the fray; rise above narrow, selfish political partisanship. Georgians feel invaded; Russians feel they are protecting and defending the weak and vulnerable Ossetian people.Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:02:49 +0400During the past 15 years, the Baptists of Russia and Georgia have grown distant from one another. After centuries of harmonious relationships between our two peoples, we grieve the fact that our friendship is dying. We Baptists are becoming strangers to one another. It is not an easy time for Russians. We respect and love the Christians of the Caucasian region and the West in general deeply. Yet we Russians are now being accused of aggression, and many of our sisters and brothers in the West do not see us believers as exceptions. We are often at a loss as far as what to do and say. What is the real “truth” regarding the conflict between Georgia and Russia? We are very wary of the information war. Propaganda has plagued our peoples for a long time, but the war with words is becoming much more refined and professional. We now hear of “spin doctors” and the blurred borders between PR and advertising. PR-firms such as the Rendon Group from the USA (they have also been hired by Russian organisations) describe themselves as “information warriors” and “perception managers” feeding information to journalists. So we must be very slow to make broad judgments. We believers must rise above the fray; rise above narrow, selfish political partisanship. Georgians feel invaded; Russians feel they are protecting and defending the weak and vulnerable Ossetian people. War crimes have been committed on both sides. Let us look deeper and denounce war for what it is: a satanic expression of hatred. War never truly solves anything and leads only to new wars. Wars only create losers. God is against the war in Georgia – and so we must also be. This war also has spiritual roots, and we must get to the bottom of this. NATO expansion as well as the Russian reaction to it are dividing Europe. NATO and its rocketry are pressing forward into the once-Soviet sphere of influence. If NATO and Russia are at odds, then the expansion of NATO can only create fear and suspicion on the other side. The war in Georgia is one result of that fear. We want to extend the hand of friendship to our sisters and brothers in Georgia. We invite them to meet with us and talk. This also holds true for the other nations and peoples who were once part of the Eastern bloc. We must talk about the past – not in general, but how we as believers became co-guilty of the sins committed by the Soviet government. We Russians are part of a troubled heritage in which we need to bring clarification. But we must in the same breath also talk about the future. How can we who once lived in the Soviet sphere become a great force for peace? We by no means want to fall back into the ways and conditions of the Cold War – we Russians do not want to become isolated from the West again. Let us together become a mighty voice for peace and understanding. Together we evangelical Christians can help reverse the present trend which is leading us down the path of a renewed Cold War.William Yoder, Ph.D. http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1302In late Summer 2008, Alexander Shumilin, General-Secretary of the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in Kyrgyzstan, feels as if he were in the quiet before a storm. Because of opposition, the Kyrgyz parliament postponed last spring the passing of new, very rigid laws on religion.Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:03:50 +0400Kyrgyz Baptists are reckoning with a difficult autumn In late Summer 2008, Alexander Shumilin, General-Secretary of the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in Kyrgyzstan, feels as if he were in the quiet before a storm. Because of opposition, the Kyrgyz parliament postponed last spring the passing of new, very rigid laws on religion. That legislation will be back on the table when the parliament reconvenes on 1 September. The very strict laws cover real estate and the education of church members; they permit only the registration of congregations with more than 200 members. This would make it impossible for newly-founded congregations to achieve legal status. Pastor Shumilin, who is an ethnic Russian, could have chosen an easier route. Though he was born in the town of Kant/Kyrgyzstan in 1959, he spent 17 years in the Russian capital. He studied in Moscow and achieved the status of doctoral candidate in a technical profession. But he accepted Christ in his town of birth in 1988. He became a pastor and decided to return to his native country in 1993. “The Lord called me,” the single, white-haired pastor explained in a conversation in Bad Blankenburg/Germany in early August. “I didn’t have any other choice.” He continued his theological training-by-extension in St. Petersburg and at the University of South Africa in Pretoria. He received a Masters degree in theological from that institution in 2002. He has been head of the Kyrgyz Union of Baptists since 2003. The pastor reports that the ex-Soviet Central Asian republics have apparently formulated a joint policy on religion. These agreements allow the two largest religious communities to carve up the populace between themselves: The Orthodox Moscow Patriarchate is responsible for all “Europeans”, Islam, for all “Asians”. The multi-ethnic Protestant communities jumble and confuse this unofficial “division of labour”. A fifth of those Baptists remaining in the country are Kyrgyz; a number of strictly Kyrgyz congregations exist. They will likely face the most serious obstacles in the coming years. Being that the 19.000 ethnic-Korean natives of Kyrgyzstan qualify neither as Europeans nor Central Asians, they are one of the minority groups best-equipped to demand an exceptional religious status for themselves. Shumilin notes that conditions for Protestants have been most critical in Uzbekistan. State pressure resulted in the creation of an Evangelical Alliance in November 2006. It evolved into an “Association of Evangelical Churches of Kyrgyzstan” in July 2008. The transition was necessary in part because Kyrgyzstan’s roughly 200 Lutherans believed that the foreign office of Germany’s EKD (Evangelical Church of Germany) would not approve of cooperation with the theologically-conservative Alliance. Though the Association is without legal status, it sees its calling in the formulation of joint, unified positions for all Protestant denominations. Alexander Shumilin, who had headed the Alliance and now also heads the Association, stresses that this organisation is not striving for theological unity. He maintains: “We hold no common church services and do not interfere with the theological teachings of other denominations. We are rather a kind of roundtable committed to formulating a common position vis-à-vis the state.” In light of the convictions of the Baptist Diaspora from Kyrgyzstan in Germany, stronger interdenominational cooperation is not advisable. Yet Pastor Shumilin is well-versed in the dialogue with other national and foreign church bodies, for he is also Chairman of the interdenominational “Central Asian Coordination Council” (TsAKS). He reports: “We have close relations with churches in the other Central Asia countries. We meet several times annually and agree on evangelistic meetings and prayer services, on joint women’s and youth conferences.” Last April, the pastor from the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek formally ended his term as President of the loosely-structured “Euro-Asian Federation of Unions of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” in the CIS-countries. The General-Secretary adds that groups, congregations and denominations would be very welcome to issue statements of concern during the coming days. Letters appealing for religious freedom could be sent to the Kyrgyz embassy in one’s own country or to the embassy of one’s own country in Bishkek. German Baptists stemming from Kyrgyzstan have already done so – they probably care most about this thinly-populated, mountainous country in Central Asia. The departure of the Kyrgyz and Kazakh Unions from the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and the Prague-based European Baptist Federation (EBF) in 2006 has left behind a wound among the Baptists of Europe. Shumilin attributes the break to the position of Westerners on issues such as homosexuality, Biblical infallibility, the leadership role of women and charismatic gifts. He believes the theological dialogue on these topics was broken off prematurely by the EBF. “Our departure from the BWA and EBF was no abrupt and unexpected move. But we remain open for discussion on the issues which alarm us. We would like to continue explaining our position.” In any case, the contacts of these two Unions to the EBF and its Prague educational institution, the „International Baptist Theological Seminary“ (IBTS), remain strong. Shumilin himself is working to receive a doctorate from IBTS. The Kyrgyz General-Secretary describes the relationship of his Union to the US-American „Southern Baptist Conventions“ as „not deep”. Only one missionary is continually involved with Kyrgyzstan. But Shumilin regrets that his church was unable to visit the SBC-sponsored conference in Lemgo, Germany last April. A visit by Morris Chapman (Nashville), President of the SBC’s Executive Committee, to Kyrgyzstan is still planned. In 2004 the SBC, the largest Protestant congregation in North America, also parted ways with the BWA. Yet one of the Union’s primary difficulties – emigration – has little to do with church politics. The General-Secretary reports that membership in his Union has dropped from 13.000 in 1987 to 3.000. The population of Kyrgyzstan was once 45% Russian – now down to 10%. He attributes the exodus primarily to a weak economy and the policies on national minorities. Though only 66% of the country’s 5,08 million residents are of Kyrgyz nationality, usage of the Kyrgyz language is being forced. Vitaly Vlasenkohttp://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1285We are very concerned and sad about developments in Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhasia – and also about the Russian involvement there. We are praying to God that he might heal the wounds and emotional hurts.Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:34:40 +0400Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists We are very concerned and sad about developments in Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhasia – and also about the Russian involvement there. We are praying to God that he might heal the wounds and emotional hurts. The Bible tells us that war never resolves conflicts. We have church members on all sides in this conflict and are very convinced that God’s church is without political borders or divisions. We are and must remain one in Christ. We pray for all those in need on all sides. We have heard that a pastor in South Ossetia has lost his house, but that he and his family are fortunately OK. We do not have a great deal of information about this conflict and politicians on all sides will need to explain to their people why this war was somehow necessary. The enemy of the world – the Evil One – is behind this and he has again displayed his destructive powers. We are collecting goods and money and hope to send a shipment to South Ossetia tomorrow, 13 August. Statement by: Vitaly Vlasenko, Director Department for External Church Relations, RUECBWilliam Yoder, Ph.D. http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1276An abbreviated interview by Russian Baptist media with Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, on the death of Alexander Solzhenitsyn.Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:23:41 +0400Interview with Baptist President Yuri Sipko on the passing of Alexander Solzhenitsyn M o s c o w -- An abbreviated interview by Russian Baptist media with Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists The writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn died at age 89 on 4 August in Moscow. How do you judge his efforts? What do you like most about his work? His work is a very special creation. He was not a novelist in the usual sense. He was more a political novelist and chronicler. His “Archipelago Gulag” is more of a protocol than a novel. His “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” was also a protocol – the chronicle of a single day. Solzhenitsyn was a spiritual giant. He was one of only a few who audibly spoke the truth. He was a man of the truth. In contrast to most of us and in contrast to all those now eulogizing the deceased, he did not hide the truth. He lived by the truth and he spoke the truth. He did not speak the truth for the sake of his own well-being, for he disdained himself. That’s what a like about his work. It takes a lot of effort to read him. He didn’t write thrilling novels - he wrote about the bloody suffering of my people. Even today, that forces me to weep. How have his books influenced Russian society? In no way whatsoever! Very recently, US-President Bush expressed the opinion that communism and Nazism were equally brutal. Our Foreign Ministry reacted immediately: Do not dare to condemn communism! Communism contains an extremely humane ideology. A series in our Second TV channel, “Russia in Persons”, described Stalin and Lenin as the most appealing leaders in the whole history of Russia. And the recently-deceased evokes hatred on the part of very many of my fellow citizens. But there was on the other hand no small number of people who were able to recognise the truth through Solzhenitsyn’s work. They were those able to be purified through his fearless words. Just today a person testified to me that Sozhenitsyn’s work brought him to God. Solzhenitsyn did not hide his faith, but in his books he did not attempt to convert the reader. Could we regard him as a Christian writer? I would call him a Christian writer. A novelist or a person from any other trade does not qualify as a Christian by simply defining himself as one when it is convenient, but rather by truly being one. By the way: In our totally religious country, with the passing of Solzhenitsyn not a single person of conscience and truth remains! The leadership of our country has just admitted that – and that was indeed a rare insight. Solzhenitsyn is almost the only Russian author who ever wrote about Baptists. One of them is a chief protagonist in the book “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”. Why in your opinion do Baptists not appear in contemporary short stories and novels? That well-known story is not any ordinary one – it is more of a protocol. And Aloshka was an expression of the Baptists as a reality of Russian society. Aloshka expressed freedom, and that in a Gulag! An impartial writer like Solzhenitsyn could not help noticing and reporting on that segment of Russian truth. Contemporary short stories and novels are commercial products - and Baptists do not sell well. Baptists do still end up in protocols – in police ones. It’s their kind of thing. As the Lord had prophesied: “As they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” “As they have reviled me, they will also revile you.” William Yoder, Ph.D. http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1272The Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists third biannual, national congress, “Transformation 2008”, ended on schedule at noon on Monday, 4 August, near the village of Rumyantsevo west of Moscow. “It was a truly wonderful event!” exclaimed Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of the RUECB’s Dept. for External Church Relations.Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:47:46 +0400National Russian Baptist Congress successfully completed M o s c o w -- The Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) third biannual, national congress, “Transformation 2008”, ended on schedule at noon on Monday, 4 August, near the village of Rumyantsevo west of Moscow. “It was a truly wonderful event!” exclaimed Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of the RUECB’s Dept. for External Church Relations. “Many participants claim it was their best conference ever.” There was something in it for everyone, including the programme for the more than 200 children. Issues covered included parenting, romantic relationships, discipleship, leadership and mentoring. The creative arts played a major role: Music and drama were big hits every evening from 10 p.m. until midnight. Though the event included guests from neighbouring, ex-Soviet countries, it remained a truly Russian one. There apparently was no speech in the main tent given in a Western tongue. But choirs sang in their South Russian mother tongues of Kabardian, Ossetic, Balkar and Roma. Two Wycliffe Bible translators from Russia were also introduced. The only Westerners present in any numbers were 18 members of Harvest Bible Chapel in Naperville near Chicago, IL. They played a vital role in getting the camp prepared for the more than 2.000 visitors. This Brethren-run camp is named “Little Creek”, and the secular press prophesied last week that the Creek would “dry up” due to government opposition to the event. Yet the Noah-like scenes on Sunday, when tents and parts of the campus stood under water, left a completely opposite impression. Russians still understand how to endure adversity: The weekend turned out to be a very moist but happy affair with believers hunched together in the tightest of quarters. Was the holding of the congress legal or illegal? Local authorities regard it to be illegal, yet RUECB-leadership claims adamantly that the event was never forbidden by federal authorities. In a personal conversation, Pastor Peter Lunichkin of St. Petersburg, head of the RUECB’s Social Ministries Department, cautioned against undue excitement: Russian believers do not loose emotional control as soon as a government office attempts to forbid something. Russians are no experts at due process and organising, he conceded, and that holds true for both church and state. “We’re accustomed to public resistance,” Pastor Lunichkin assured. “Without any opposing pressure whatever we would probably not know what to do with ourselves.” He added that great freedom remains for proclaiming the Gospel in Russia. Wide access to children’s homes in the Petersburg region is still available. “We don’t know how long this freedom will hold, but that still is the case at present.” Public electricity to the camp, cut off just before the congress began on 31 July, was not immediately restored after its closing on the 4th. Local government officials, who had in the name of public safety declared the conference illegal, were also responsible for cutting off its power. The conference’s legal aftermath is already beginning. The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.William Yoder, Ph.D. http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1258The Lausanne movement is on the upswing in Russia. On 29 July, for the first time in years, a meeting of Baptists with Pentecostals and Charismatics on Lausanne took place at the Moscow headquarters of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB).Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:46:56 +0400In the name of Lausanne, Russian Baptists and Pentecostals are finding back to each other M o s c o w -- The Lausanne movement is on the upswing in Russia. On 29 July, for the first time in years, a meeting of Baptists with Pentecostals and Charismatics on Lausanne took place at the Moscow headquarters of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB). Because Lausanne's international conferences are time-wise far apart, churches tend to become active only during periods immediately before the holding of a conference. Lausanne offers a theological basis for the joint evangelistic efforts of differing confessions. Following the meeting on 29 July, Pavel Bak, First Vice-President of the Pentecostal "Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith", stressed that Protestants could, by standing together, obtain the stamina necessary to overcome the rejection of the Russian public. "Society's judgment is a problem for us. And its verdict states: 'Your public testimony destroys Russian national identity. It would therefore be highly preferable that you keep quiet.' We often give in to that kind of talk and only speak in such a way that no one else hears us." In further conversation, Pavel Okara, the President of this church, agreed that renewed cooperation between Baptist and Pentecostal denominations is essentially a continuation of that which had already existed during the Soviet period: Both denominations had then belonged to the same All-Union Council. Yet this renewed cooperation is for the first time truly voluntary. In the USSR, state registration was usually only possible through joining the officially Baptist All-Union Council. The Charismatic federation, the "Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith", was represented by its Bishop, Sergey Rahovski. Two representatives from the Pentecostal "Union of Free Churches of Christians of Evangelical Faith in Ukraine", were also present: Bishop Vassily Raichinets (Uzhgorod/West Ukraine) and Rector Anatoly Gluhovski from the church's Kiev seminary. Chairman of the Lausanne movement in Russia is the RUECB's President: Yuri Sipko, Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of External Church Relations for the RUECB, attributed the absence of other denominations to the fact that only these three denominations have in the past been active in Russia's Lausanne movement. He added: "But we are open to accepting all churches willing to participate." At the next Moscow session of the "Advisory Council of the Leaders of the Protestant Churches of Russia" scheduled for early September, all other denominations are to be invited to participate. The Lausanne movement, which was founded in 1974 in Lausanne/Switzerland under the guidance of US-Evangelist Billy Graham, is related closely to the Evangelical Alliance. Lausanne conferences were held in Manila 1989 and Pattaya/Thailand 2004. The next major conference is scheduled for Cape Town/South Africa in 2010. William Yoder, Ph.D. http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1257Only several hours after a local ban had apparently been overturned, the “Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists”’ (RUECB) biannual national congress, “Transformation 2008”, began on schedule on the evening of 31 July.Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:08:14 +0400National Russian Baptist Congress on Schedule as Planned M o s c o w -- Only several hours after a local ban had apparently been overturned, the “Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists”’ (RUECB) biannual national congress, “Transformation 2008”, began on schedule on the evening of 31 July. This third national congress is taking place at the “Little Creek” (Rucheyek) children’s camp near the village of Rumyantsevo 60 kilometres west of Moscow. The first full day of activity on 1 August was marked by incredible music, worship services, seminars, joyous reunions and frolicking crowds of children. Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB’s Director for External Church Relations, stated at noon on 2 August: “People are overjoyed, the mood is terrific and the Holy Spirit is moving in an impressive way!” Strong Protestant solidarity was evident from the outset: Both Pavel Okara, President of the Pentecostal "Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith", and Sergey Ryahovski, the politically-active Bishop of the Charismatic "Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith", spoke at the opening session. Duma member Sergey Popov, who had cordially hosted Baptist World Alliance (BWA) General-Secretary Neville Callam in mid-June, sent the opening assembly a word of greeting. Things had looked bleak only a day before. On 29 July, the major “Interfax” news service and Moscow radio had brought the headline that “3.000 Russian Baptists are intending to hold a conference at a children’s camp despite its ban by regional authorities”. It added that the prohibition had already been in place for several months. The reason given was gross overcrowding – the camp has beds for no more than 350 persons. The “Interfax” release closed with an ambiguous police warning that any attempt by Baptists to convene despite the ban could “bring about various conflicts and uncontrollable situations”. Spirits hit a low mark on 30 July when RUECB headquarters in Moscow were mysteriously left without power and telephone service for most of the day. As late as the forenoon of the 31st, the paper “Novie Izvestia” reported: “The Little Creek has dried up.” The conference’s government detractors have not taken their setback lightly. At 18,00 hrs on 1 August, a local decree banning the event as of 10,00 hrs the same morning was handed to congress leadership. Despite strong on-site cooperation between the congress and police, local officials have gone to some lengths to make the meeting as uncomfortable as possible for participants. Electrical power to the camp was cut off two hours before the opening on 31 July and is not to be restored until 4 August. The congress is surviving on emergency electrical power. The Baptist Response The two sides are quoting from differing laws. Detractors quote from the law “On Assemblies, Meetings, Demonstrations, Processions and Picketing”. Yet RUECB-leadership remains adamant that the congress “Transformation” never had been officially forbidden. Citing the federal law „On the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations“ from 26 September 1997, it has continually described the congress as an internal church event not requiring government sanction. Current law states that church officials must only inform state channels no less than 10 days prior to such events. The congress may well have a legal follow-up. In final negotiations with regional authorities on 31 July, Vitaly Vlasenko cited the pedagogical gains which the congress will bring to its many youthful participants. The congress even has as it motto the words: “Be an example.” An increase in hygienic facilities and tent space for sleeping may also have encouraged the change-of-heart among some regional authorities. Slightly more than 2.000 persons are registered for the event. Initial national Baptist congresses had been held in Bryansk near the Belorussian border in 2004 and 2006 without political incident. Outside observers are constantly confounded by the discrepancies apparent in Russian church-state relations. The BWA-delegation led by the Jamaican Neville Callam had been feted and celebrated by government representatives. Alexander Torshin from the ruling „United Russia“ party had even suggested that Baptists help resettle the vast expanses of Russia. (See our press release from 21.06.2008.) Yet on 25 July, the Public Prosecutor in the Moscow city district of Perov declared a congregation belonging to the Baptist-related “Russian Association of Independent Evangelical Churches” an extremist organisation. This places the 250-member congregation in danger of losing its registration. Regarding the congress, Vlasenko explained: “This is one more example of the constant collisions between local and federal authority. Local officials are not familiar with current federal law. Local politicians, especially those far from Moscow, may be more under the influence of local friends than of national legislation. We Baptists frequently visit federal officials here in Moscow. But regional authorities usually still give us a cold shoulder.” Citing historical repression of the Baptist movement by the Soviet government, the paper “Novie Izvestia” assured: The serious repression of the past is gone for good, but “the inertia of bygone relations with the Baptists still resurfaces from time-to-time”. The “Little Creek” children’s camp, which once belonged to the Young Pioneers, relates to the „Association of Brethren Churches“ (ABC). The ABC and the independent denomination mentioned above are members of the “Public Council”, an umbrella organisation of Baptist-related denominations. This camp was also the setting for the founding conference of the Russian Evangelical Alliance with 150 participants in April 2003. William Yoder, Ph.D. http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1237Last February, the Baptist cycling champion and church deacon Vladimir Skovpen (Klintsy near Bryansk) suffered a multiple fracture of the collarbone: While repairing a vehicle, the motor has fallen on his chest. Local police have now broken his collarbone for a second time.Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:22:54 +0400Incidents during an evangelistic weekend in Klintsy M o s c o w / K l i n t s y – Last February, the Baptist cycling champion and church deacon Vladimir Skovpen (Klintsy near Bryansk) suffered a multiple fracture of the collarbone: While repairing a vehicle, the motor has fallen on his chest. Local police have now broken his collarbone for a second time. During a four-day evangelistic weekend, young persons had cycled to the central city square of Klintsy in south-western Russia on an Orthodox holiday: Saturday, 12 July. They wore red t-shirts emblazoned with the title of the weekend’s events: “Time to Believe”. After arrival, they passed out leaflets, sang and invited others to attend meetings in their church building. The 35 cyclists also grouped in front of a monument for a picture-taking session. Demonstrators in white shirts from the “Orthodox Block” student organization had also gathered on the square. They carried a banner with the words: “A sect – The enemy of public health!” Though not clear to all passers-by, they were according to the local paper demonstrating against the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Police arrived on the scene and hustled Baptist pastor Evgeny Voronin off to the police station for interrogation. After lengthy discussions, the protocol stated that the pastor was guilty of holding a public procession without official permission. Vladimir Skovpen, who was still receiving ambulant medical treatment, arrived in a bus at the city square. While describing his medical condition, police, without any legal ado, roughly pinned back Skovpen’s arms and hurried him off. The result was excruciating pain. During his two-hour stint at the police station, the injured athlete was refused all medical attention. After his release, he was brought immediately to the local hospital’s X-ray ward where doctors diagnosed a renewed fracture of the collarbone. Three additional Protestants – including US-citizen Michael Walker – were also brought to the police station. In the general confusion, even a reporter for the local newspaper invited to the legally-registered Orthodox protest ended up in police custody. Regarding the incident, Pastor Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), responded: “That which has taken place in Klintsy leaves one simply aghast. One has no means left to comment when state officials use force to turn someone into an invalid and then leave him without medical care.” The end result of the events is not yet clear. A statement made by the Klintsy congregation expresses a total lack of understanding for the use of force: “Our feelings are hopefully wrong – but we sense that the state is ignoring us. Yet we reckon with insight and are waiting on a dialogue.” A meeting with the provincial governor is in the offing. At youth meetings during the week, Vladimir Skovpen, a father of 10 and national Soviet cycling champion in 1980, had instructed cyclists on how to drive correctly in traffic. Only he had remained in the saddle for the entire distance of the evangelistic cycle tour from Germany to Vladivostok during the summer of 2007. William Yoder, Ph.D.http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1233Mobile property moves more – at least in the summer. That was one conclusion resulting from an evangelistic event on an excursion liner in the middle of Moscow on 10 July. Host was the 40-member, three-month-old Baptist congregation “Your Church”; 180 persons were crowded onto a boat intended for 150.Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:53:39 +0400Evangelisation on a Moscow excursion boat M o s c o w – Mobile property moves more – at least in the summer. That was one conclusion resulting from an evangelistic event on an excursion liner in the middle of Moscow on 10 July. Host was the 40-member, three-month-old Baptist congregation “Your Church”; 180 persons were crowded onto a boat intended for 150. Cheered on by salami sandwiches and mineral water, the assembled enjoyed hot music and a variety of short talks. The evening was brought to a close with a drama done by the 20-member, Russian-Baptist choir “Oasis” from Sacramento/California. In it, a disco murder serves as a prop to explain Christ’s sacrificial death in our stead. Church pastor Leonid Kartavenko believes this to have been among the first evangelistic boat excursions in Moscow. Evangelistic expeditions in the early 1990’s had chartered ships on the Volga and in Siberia. But evangelistic events whilst the boat was in-motion had not been a part of the programme. Kartavenko reported that the three-hour evening seemed to be over hardly before it had begun: “Who could imagine today’s youth holding still for a three-hour church service?” he asked. Approximately 60% of those present were regarded to be unbelievers. All inviting was done by personal connections and the grapevine; public advertising did not take place. “People don’t show up at concert halls in the summertime,” explained the pastor. „Excursion boats are particularly well-suited for talking and getting acquainted.” Appealing is also the fact that – in contrast to meetings on public real estate – events on a boat need no government sanction. “This is very similar to renting a bus,” Kartavenko explained. “Bus excursions are usually strictly private affairs.” Thanks to its success, monthly boat excursions are now in the offing for the remainder of the summer. Liners with as many as 250 seats are up for discussion. Thanks to the wonders of electronic technology, the music can readily be heard from shore and a boat without rigid walls is being considered. Bicyclists equipped with printed invitations reporting on the event could be stationed on boardwalks along the river. Pastor Kartavenko is particularly proud of the fact that his tiny crowd of church members paid 3/4th of the excursion’s costs. The choir from California covered the remainder. The costs, divided by 180, came to $13 US (305 roubles) per person. Future planning assumes that believing passengers will cover their own costs. Yet the congregation will need to avail itself of immobile real estate in wintertime. Large department stores have their own meeting halls and the group is hoping to hold evangelistic meetings in a major store owned by the firm IKEA. Being that IKEA is run by Swedish Protestants, one hopes that the goodwill of its owners will be readily obtainable. Leonid Kartavenko is already thinking of Swedish cultural evenings with evangelistic input. Furniture viewing before or after the event would be highly likely. On-shore evangelisation Despite all transitions at Moscow headquarters of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, evangelistic bicycle tours have not become a thing of the past. Yet only five or six regional tours – and not the usual 30 – will take place this summer. Vladimir Skovpen (Klintsy near Bryansk), father of 10 and a former national bike champion who alone had covered the entire distance from Germany to Vladivostok last summer in the saddle, suffered a multiple fracture of the collarbone in a work accident last February. (He would appreciate any words of greeting or support.) A bike tour done jointly with the choir “Oasis”, which is now on its third annual tour of Russia (www.oasischoir.com), is to take place shortly in the south Russian region of Krasnodar. It is being organized by the dentist Levon Sarkisov (Krasnodar), who had also been along on the long journey to Vladivostok. The Union’s youth department will be holding a bike tour from Belgorod near the Ukrainian border to the church congress in Rumyantsevo near Moscow from 26 to 31 July. The return trip is to take place from 4 to 8 August; total distance travelled should be 1.500 km (900 miles). William Yoder, Ph.D.http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1230„Our room to manoeuvre is decreasing.“ That was the conclusion of retired high-school teacher Klaus Schilbach (Krefeld) following his 12th visit to a partner congregation in Ulyanovsk/Volga region. Though the Baptist congregation in Ulyanovsk is engaged in a highly-successful drug rehabilitation programme in a prison with 1.500 inmates, the German guests were refused entry this year for the first time.Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:19:50 +040015-year partnership between Ulyanovsk and Krefeld M o s c o w -- „Our room to manoeuvre is decreasing.“ That was the conclusion of retired high-school teacher Klaus Schilbach (Krefeld) following his 12th visit to a partner congregation in Ulyanovsk/Volga region. Though the Baptist congregation in Ulyanovsk is engaged in a highly-successful drug rehabilitation programme in a prison with 1.500 inmates, the German guests were refused entry this year for the first time. Only a year ago prison leadership had offered the Germans a festive reception; a decade ago Schilbach had given Ulyanovsk’s chief prosecutor a guided tour of model prisons in the Lower Rhein region of Germany. The partnership between the Baptist congregations came into being in 1993 thanks to the official city partnership between Ulyanovsk and Krefeld. Yet officials responsible for police registration were hardly fraternal this time around, even slapping a fine on one member of the visiting group. But positive occurrences once again outweighed the bad. Klaus Schilbach was asked to hold the sermon for the service celebrating the congregation’s 90th birthday on 29 June. A day later, the congregation transferred to a riverbank to celebrate the partnership’s 15th anniversary and its founding father’s 72nd birthday. Despite a run-around at customs, the Germans were able to present the congregation with a used Mercedes bus equipped with a lifting device to transport people in wheelchairs. It’s not only drug therapy – a soup kitchen and summer camps for children are a few of the other projects which the German guests have helped to initiate. Schilbach noted that Alexander Levkovsky, the pastor of the 300-member congregation, has developed impressive organisational skills. Excursions this year to Kazan and a Baptist congregation in Samara (pastored by Viktor Ryaguzov) were organised “to the T”. “Food and kindness” were heaped on the guests at every location. Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, showered the guests with praise on the occasion of their first-ever visit to Union headquarters in Moscow on 9 June. “Thanks to God for your existence!” he exclaimed. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for our congregations to purchase a meeting place. Without your help, the congregation in Ulyanovsk would today be without its own building.” He described Ulyanovsk, the birthplace of Lenin, as a citadel of atheism which these friends from Germany had helped to overtake. Sipko’s assurance that his Union owed a great debt to Krefeld Baptists was kindly rejected by Klaus Schilbach. “All of us are returning home greatly enriched,” he countered – without referring to the honey and chocolates with which they had been bestowed. Elsewhere in Moscow, the group leader added: “We also have been on the receiving end. The certainty and loyalty of their faith, their believing attitude towards life irregardless of the costs - that is what thrills us.” His spouse, Inge Schilbach, described the gift as joy: “I experience through my visits that I make people happy. That then also makes me happy in return.” An opinion Klaus Schilbach toured through two branches of Moscow’s German embassy with seven Germans in tow on 10 July. At stake was his attempt against all odds to obtain visas for a very tardy group hoping to visit Germany. The pensioner from Krefeld remains a nearly unstoppable, can-do optimist. He is one indication for the simple truth that church projects rarely succeed without a no-holds-barred mover-and-shaker at the helm. „But a gulp of air takes God 10 years,“ the pensioner concluded. Only after surviving an initial decade-long period of testing can any given project reckon with general acceptance from a congregation or denomination. Too great are the initial fears that a project might further burden a congregation’s limited time and financial resources. Schilbach assured: “Now people are showing up on their own and persons 30 years our junior are beginning to show initiative”. In the beginning, only two to four persons made the annual journey to Ulyanovsk. This year, a record number of 16 participated. The partnership between Krefeld and Ulyanovsk is the sole functioning partnership between a congregation of the heavily-Baptist, German “Federation of Evangelical-Free Churches” and the RUECB. William Yoder, Ph.D.http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1216Only six of the 24 congregations belonging to the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) located within Moscow city limits own their own premises. That’s major progress compared to the situation as late as the 1970s when Central Baptist Church located at Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky Pereulok 3 just east of Red Square was Moscow’s sole, officially-registered Protestant congregation.Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:41:35 +0400Moscow’s Baptist congregations confronted with skyrocketing real estate prices M o s c o w – Only six of the 24 congregations belonging to the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) located within Moscow city limits own their own premises. That’s major progress compared to the situation as late as the 1970s when Central Baptist Church located at Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky Pereulok 3 just east of Red Square was Moscow’s sole, officially-registered Protestant congregation. Then, thousands would gather for church services; even today the congregation has roughly 2.700 members. But the total number of 24 congregations is now endangered. A 100-member Baptist congregation in the north of the 16-million metropolis will still be able to meet in its dark basement during the month of July. But there is a “For Sale” sign displayed up top at the entrance. Ten years ago, an inter-confessional US mission had bought the 267 m2 (886 ft2) area for approx. $150.000. The mission is now aiming to sell for $1 million. The congregation’s lay pastor reports: “It hurts us that the mission in USA is not willing to talk with us.” The mission has designated a Russian lawyer to be the intermediary between the two. The pastor adds that a theatre hall in the neighbourhood could be rented for 6.000 roubles ($255) per event. But this assumes that city officials would give the congregation an official letter of approval and that they would indeed be capable of paying the rental fees. The congregation cannot afford a salaried pastor and the rentals fees for an entire month would exceed the salary of a Russian Baptist pastor. The remote hope remains that another US mission interested in local church growth might purchase the property. An additional possibility would involve subletting from another Baptist congregation near the Voikovskaya subway stop, which is less than 10 kilometres away. But merging with another congregation is not what the congregation has in mind: “That’s not the intent behind church planting.” Mergers would further dampen Baptist hopes of attaining full geographic coverage in Moscow. “We also want to preserve the open, inviting atmosphere we have,” they add. Though the congregation is less than six years old, its members insist: “We have become a genuine family.” The group chuckles regarding the proposal that they gather in the great outdoors whenever the sun is shining: “We have too many aged for that.” No sector of church work is free from the constraints of finance: Employees at RUECB headquarters in Moscow are in the process of squeezing in shoulder-to-shoulder. Two of the five floors at headquarters are to be rented out to cash-heavy, secular firms. Protestant institutions – and their workers – are suffering from skyrocketing real estate prices. The Internet claims Moscow’s cheapest one-room flats are now going for $160.000. (Salaries for secular jobs are relatively high in Moscow – around $900 a month.) Moscow is regarded as the world’s most expensive city for new arrivals. There are Protestants who have emigrated to the West citing Moscow real estate prices as their reason for departure. The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko. William Yoder, Ph.D.http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1200“Relations between the Baptists of Eastern and Western Europe are more fraternal now.” That was the assessment of the Englishman Dr. Tony Peck, General-Secretary of the 1949-founded European Baptist Federation (EBF), in a Prague interview with the Russian Baptist Union on 16 June.Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:06:03 +0400European Baptists are closer than ever before P r a g u e -- “Relations between the Baptists of Eastern and Western Europe are more fraternal now.” That was the assessment of the Englishman Dr. Tony Peck, General-Secretary of the 1949-founded European Baptist Federation (EBF), in a Prague interview with the Russian Baptist Union on 16 June. ”We had a period of difficulty in the 1990s, but we now seem to be accepting our diversity more readily.” Though both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan withdrew from the EBF and its mother organisation, the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), in 2006, relations on the ground are more active than ever. Peck reports that the Kazakh Baptist Union is now sending more students to Prague’s International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS) than before. The General-Secretary regards the differences between East and West partly as generational. Thanks in part to globalisation and the Internet, “younger church leaders in East and West are closer together than were their elders.” He hopes the EBF will be able to support Eastern churches “in their journey” from Communist-era leadership to a more youthful one and that they might be open “to where God might want to lead them”. For him, the cooperation of Baptists across all European boundaries is more than a simple political expedient. “There is a sense of Koinonia when we come together to encourage and support each other. We need each other in order to correctly find God’s will.” Tony Peck believes IBTS is more central to European church life than its predecessor, which was located in Rüschlikon (near Zurich) until 1997: “We truly are contributing to the education of church leaders.” Heads of the Baptist Unions of Armenia and Lithuania graduated in early June; Leonid Mikhovich, Rector of Minsk Theological Seminary, is scheduled to continue his studies in Prague shortly. The EBF’s Indigenous Missionary Programme (IMP) is at the heart of its efforts to involve Europeans in the planting of new congregations within their own countries. Rev. Peck maintains: “IMP is something we have done to empower people locally to plant churches.” The programme is now supporting 60 European church planters. Despite emigration, the Baptist churches of Moldova and Armenia have enjoyed major expansion: The Armenian church has grown from 400 to 4.500 members since 1990. One IMP-project outside of Europe involves the embattled Baptist congregation in Baghdad. Though North America’s largest Protestant denomination, the “Southern Baptist Convention” withdrew from the BWA in 2004, its state conventions of Texas and Virginia continue to support EBF. Peck is also grateful that the “International Baptist Convention”, originally an offshoot of the SBC, remains an active member of EBF. The EBF-General-Secretary admits knowing little about the ethnic Germans from Russia who have immigrated to Germany. “I do not see why they could not join the EBF if they are comfortable with the kind of organisation we are. We do embrace diversity. That was an issue for the Southern Baptists, who did not want diversity.” Rev. Peck reports that he was deeply impressed by the Baptist commitment to serious discipleship during his visits to Eastern Europe and Russia during the past 20 years: “That is something which they still need to share with us all.” He also notes the differing priorities on matters of Christian ethics and discipleship which still exist between East and West and encourages an ongoing debate about them in the contemporary mission context of Europe. “In this debate we can learn from and be enriched by each other’s understandings.” Peck adds that the question of leadership roles for women does not follow the divide between Eastern and Western Europe. While Belgium and Portugal do not have women serving in pastoral roles, Bulgaria and Georgia do. He appeals: “This is not an issue which should divide us. We read the same Scriptures and come to different conclusions. It is important for us to agree that this issue is not a part of the core essence of the Gospel.” The European Baptist Federation is comprised of over 800.000 Baptists in 51 Unions stretching from Portugal to the Russian Far East. Included are Baptists of the Middle East. William Yoder, Ph.D.http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1192An exuberant reception by three government offices marked the first visit to Russia from 16 to 18 June of the Baptist World Alliance’s new General-Secretary, the Jamaican Neville Callam. Sergey Popov, the member of the Duma responsible for its “Committee for Relations with Public and Religious Organisations” announced for ex. the end of any need for believers “to struggle against government power".Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:08:14 +0400 Baptist World Alliance General-Secretary Neville Callam visits Russia M o s c o w -- An exuberant reception by three government offices marked the first visit to Russia from 16 to 18 June of the Baptist World Alliance’s new General-Secretary, the Jamaican Neville Callam (Falls Church near Washington). Sergey Popov, the member of the Duma (Russia’s Lower House) responsible for its “Committee for Relations with Public and Religious Organisations” announced for ex. the end of any need for believers “to struggle against government power. Cooperation is the order of the day. We no longer want to prohibit your activities – we want to encourage them.” A meeting with Alexander Torshin, Vice-Chairman of the Council of the Russian Federation (Upper House), ended with Pastor Callam holding a prayer mentioning “our brother Alexander”. Alexander Kudryavtsev, who represents the “Administration of the President of the Russian Federation” and can be described as Dmitry Medvedev’s emissary, went to the trouble of paying Baptist headquarters in Moscow a visit. He described Baptists in his 20 years of relating to them as “always willing to help and to answer all questions” and recommended a new “social partnership” in the struggle against substance abuse. All sides praised the thrift, work ethic and strong, large families of Russian Baptists. All three government representatives proposed joint projects. Besides the fight against drugs and alcohol, these included gatherings of businessmen and small-business creation, social projects to aid the disadvantaged and the teaching of family and moral values. Without prompting from guests, government assistance was promised for an expansion of the existing National Prayer Breakfast. Sergey Popov, who heads an Orthodox movement among Christian parliamentarians in Russia, urged a strengthening of Prayer Breakfast contacts with politicians in other countries. Alexander Torshin, who perhaps went farthest in welcoming the Baptist delegation, invited Callam to return for an extended visit of other cities with assistance from the Russian government. He assured that relations should extend beyond protocol and transition immediately to concrete projects: “We need good preachers of the Christian faith. We essentially do not have economic problems – we only have psychological ones.” He called upon the churches to help the peoples of Russia exploit their full potential. “We want a large number of Baptist congregations throughout the country,” he exclaimed. “We must support religious organisations, for otherwise our efforts cannot succeed. Nothing will be accomplished without hard work – and Baptists know how to work.” He promised to speak with the President of Ingushetia (near Chechnya) regarding the prospects of bringing back Christians who had fled from the war-torn region. He assured the government there now understands “that a mono-confessional country can be a very dangerous thing”. Torshin even suggested that Protestants get involved in the highly-unpopular field of Russian agriculture. Half in jest he suggested that Protestants create counterparts to an existing Orthodox collective farm: “We have the land and water, and thanks to global warming, we are even becoming a warm country! But we simply do not have enough hands. Can you make us any offers? We will surely support them.” A grateful BWA-General-Secretary responded to Torshin that “we do not claim to be the sole Christians anywhere. Our desire is to partner with others. We are not here simply to satisfy our own needs – we also are here to build community. Because of restrictions, the Baptists of Russia have not been involved in community development for a long time. It has taken some time for them to develop their courage and self-confidence, for them to believe that the doors are truly open.” Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), thanked Sergey Popov for the confessional stability which the 11-year-old, frequently controversial „Law on the Freedom of Conscience“ has helped create. “Religious freedom is a primary requisite for economic development. Only it can free up persons to become creative.” Sipko added in a separate conversation that he holds “in very high regards the high notes awarded the RUECB by Kudryavtsev, Torshin, Popov and Alexius II.” The reception of the delegation by Alexius II, the Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia in the Danilov Monastery on 18 June was sober and cautious in nature, yet also decidedly friendly. The Patriarch outlined the parameters for a joint front with Baptists against secularism, implying that any sanctioning of homosexual lifestyles would breach that relationship. He noted that this has already occurred in Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) relations with Swedish Lutherans and the Episcopal church of North America. He mentioned in the same context Bible translations written in an inclusive language and the leadership role of women. The Patriarch appealed for a continuation of the Orthodox-Baptist consultations on moral values which had last convened in February 2007. Callam responded by expressing his hopes for friendly relations with the ROC and a joint denouncing of the “monster of secularism”. He added: “We realize that we Baptists are not the founders of Christianity in Russia. We must therefore respect and build strong relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. We need to accept each other as brothers and sisters.” Yuri Sipko appealed for cooperation and lauded the Patriarch for his forceful stand on homosexuality during his visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 2 October. Discrepancies There exists a discrepancy between the assurances of Russian state and church officials and religious freedom as experienced in the wide expanses of Russia. President Sipko reported recently that a ruling making a Baptist congregation in the Black Sea resort of Tuapse illegal has been overturned by a higher court. One of the most recent firebombings of a Protestant church – in this case a Charismatic one - occurred in Shlisselburg near St. Petersburg on 14 May. Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB’s Department Director for External Church Relations and Board Chairman of Russia’s National Prayer Breakfast Foundation explained: “We need to inform local authorities that Protestants are also Christians, that we play a significant role in developing Russian society. Some government officials are ignorant of important facts and some religious leaders do not dialogue well with others. That creates antagonism. We Protestants are also guilty – it is not just the other party.” In a meeting with senior Baptist pastors in Moscow on 18 June, Pastor Callam, the head of an organization representing a Baptist community of 105 million, noted that Baptist numbers are shrinking only in Europe. He recommended that Russian Baptists take the cultural and musical tastes of their youth very seriously. Modern Christian music may not be to the liking of adults, but we must accept it for the sake of winning our young. In an aside, the General-Secretary mentioned the BWA´s relations with the US-based, 16,3 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, which withdrew from the BWA in October 2004. He reported on honest and very cordial conversations with their leaders, adding: “My prayer is that they will return home during my term. And when they return, our arms will be open wide.” Callam began his first term as General-Secretary last September. In a response to the delegation’s visit, President Sipko stated: “Brother Callam is a President of colour. Actually, before God, we are all people of colour. We are all beautiful; all of us are his favourites. Brother Callam is a wonderful demonstration of God’s total lack of partisanship. In Christ there are neither Jews nor Greeks. The General-Secretary is a passionate evangelist and a true follower of Christ. I am sure that God will be glorified through him.” Neville Callam was accompanied by Dr. John Sundquist, a retired missions leader of the Valley Forge-based “American Baptist Churches” and former BWA-Vice President. Dr. William Yoder http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1152Things may seem dire for Protestants in the heavily-Orthodox, south-western Russian region of Belgorod, but that is not the entire picture. It is true, as reported in the “New York Times” on 24 April, that a small Methodist congregation in Stary Oskol was denied registration.Sat, 31 May 2008 14:26:28 +0400Second Baptist “Day of Brotherhood” held in a region of Russia M o s c o w -- Things may seem dire for Protestants in the heavily-Orthodox, south-western Russian region of Belgorod, but that is not the entire picture. It is true, as reported in the “New York Times” on 24 April, that a small Methodist congregation in Stary Oskol was denied registration. Yet after an official visit by the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in the city of Belgorod on 24 and 25 May, Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), its Director for External Church Relations, reported that “spirits among Baptists were high and the feeling that much good could still be accomplished” was prevalent. The ice had been broken on 16 November of last year when an RUECB-delegation led by Vlasenko visited government and Orthodox representatives in Belgorod following a break of roughly five years. Vlasenko is delighted that Baptists from this city bordering on Ukraine have met since then with these government and Orthodox representatives on their own initiative without special guidance from Moscow. The atmosphere at those meetings was reported to be highly constructive. Vlasenko adds: “This proves once again the importance of obtaining and maintaining contacts with local city and Orthodox officials.” This visit by Moscow headquarters in an area of European Russia where Baptists are weakest was the second in a new, monthly series of “Days of Brotherhood”. After lecturing to a group of nearly 50 youth leaders during the day on 24 May, Vlasenko spent the evening with Baptist pastors from throughout the region. In his talk with them he stressed three strong reasons for the existence of national Baptist structures. Firstly, economics demand that educational and other projects be coordinated with central offices. Only in this fashion can unnecessarily repetitive work and expenditures be avoided. Church-building projects demand consultation with specialists. Secondly, checking local theological developments with the views held by experienced and trained theologians and pastors at headquarters can spare congregations unnecessary pain and division. Lastly, the Russian government can only take Baptists and other Protestants seriously if they do indeed act jointly and in unison. The first “Day of Brotherhood” had been held in the relative Baptist stronghold of Bryansk on 12 April, fulfilling a promise made by Union leadership in January to leave Moscow offices and visit pastors on-location throughout Russia. Visits are to be held monthly in hopes of covering all of Russia’s 50+ Baptist regions within a five-year period. The third “Day” will take place in Kaluga south of Moscow in late June. Dr. William Yoder http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1147The re-election of Valentin Vasilizhenko (Moscow) as Secretary of the "Public Council" (Obshestvenii Soviet) for the next two years at its Moscow session on 27 May rings in a new, second phase of its work.Fri, 30 May 2008 11:05:48 +0400Public Council meets in Moscow M o s c o w - The re-election of Valentin Vasilizhenko (Moscow) as Secretary of the "Public Council" (Obshestvenii Soviet) for the next two years at its Moscow session on 27 May rings in a new, second phase of its work. This umbrella organisation consisting of 10 church unions - most of whom departed from the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists following the USSR's demise - was founded in June 2006. Following the meeting, the re-elected Secretary, a pastor in the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), reported: "We ascertained that the first two tasks given our association have already been fulfilled: Contacts were created and a dialogue is in process. We are now facing the third task: the creation of joint projects." These will consist primarily of mission and educational projects. Pastor Vasilizhenko added: "It's important that pastors even in remote regions get the opportunity to improve their level of knowledge. Pastors with families and a secular job will not be able to travel to a seminary - the seminary will need to come to them." Youth leaders are to be included in the effort to up educational standards. He noted that new means for attaining objectives in a changed, capitalistic society need to be learned - the works of Rick Warren are being studied in this capacity. Foreign mission was also an important topic at this gathering of 60 church leaders from as far away as Siberia, the Caucasus region and neighbouring countries. In certain cases, the majority of members belonging to one of these church unions already reside in the West. One is therefore considering the option of sending them missionaries from Russia. The still- unregistered "Initiativniki, who became known worldwide as the "underground church" and now go by the name of "International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists" (IUCECB), report a global membership of 78.015. Yet only roughly 20.000 of them still reside on Russian soil. Vasilizhenko indicates that a phase of soul-searching ensued after the passing of long-time IUCECB-President Gennadi Kryuchkov in July 2007 and the accidental deaths of two other leaders. Now, a new President has been elected: Nikolai Antonyuk from Timoshovsk in the region of Krasnodar/Caucasus. His deputy is Gennadi Yefremov from St. Petersburg. Secretary Vasilizhenko maintains: "A new leadership has been selected and we believe we will be able to find contact with one another and continue our dialogue." This church union has observer status within the Public Council. Whether the RUECB should remain host and "first among equals" within the Public Council is presently a matter of debate. "We are very open to discussion on this matter," states Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB's Director for External Church Relations. "We desire full mutual respect and brotherhood. With many of them, we were together in one union for a long time." The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko. Dr. William Yoderhttp://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1130Future participants at Moscow´s National Prayer Breakfast will need to be ready for Moscow´s most drawn-out breakfast. That was one upshot of Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko´s attendance at Korea´s 40th National Prayer Breakfast in the South Korean capital on 15 May.Fri, 23 May 2008 15:22:20 +0400National Prayer Breakfast Board Chairman visits Korea M o s c o w – Future participants at Moscow´s National Prayer Breakfast will need to be ready for Moscow´s most drawn-out breakfast. That was one upshot of Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko´s (Moscow) attendance at Korea´s 40th National Prayer Breakfast in the South Korean capital on 15 May. The Board Chairman of Russia´s National Prayer Breakfast Foundation adds: “A few hours on a midweek morning will no longer suffice. We want to invite many more representatives of church and government to Moscow and offer them the opportunity to hold extensive conversations.” Smaller sessions on specific topics will also be finding their way onto the programme. The Baptist pastor is especially attracted to the Prayer Breakfast movement´s wholistic, international and interdisciplinary approach. He states: “In a globalised world, all sectors of society are related to each other. The Koreans show us how vital it is that people of good will from the political, business, cultural and church realms get together informally without the rigours of protocol to do some serious talking.” This approach is also essential for the citizens of Russia, where struggle for the common good is still foreign to most. The pastor states: “Still far too few Protestants are involved in the political affairs of this country. It no longer suffices to simply secure the welfare of one`s own local congregation. Gifted young people with an eye on public affairs need to be sought out and supported in their development. Not least of all, Vlasenko, who is also Director of the Russian Union of Evangelical-Christians Baptists´ (RUECB) Department of External Church Affairs, intends to link those politicians who attend Russian Prayer Breakfasts with Christian politicians from other countries. “Our politicians need to hear about all which this movement has already achieved. Russian politicians need to catch hold of that dream.” Vlasenko is apparently the first official representative of Russia´s Prayer Breakfast movement to attend Korea´s annual Breakfast. He was consequently asked to address the 3.500 leaders at the primary event. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, an active Presbyterian layman, also spoke on this occasion. The Korean sessions ended on 16 May with a breakfast in the South Korean parliament. Afterward, South Korean and foreign participants climbed onto two tour buses and visited a new industrial park in North Korea developed by South Korean firms. The guests gathered on these grounds and prayed for Korea´s peaceful reunification and the overcoming of Communist rule. In 2002, a high-level Korean delegation visited Russia´s Prayer Breakfast. After the US-American Prayer Breakfast, which was founded in 1953, South Korea has become the world´s second-largest Prayer Breakfast movement. Russia´s National Prayer Breakfast was first held in 1995; besides Moscow, annual events are also held in Krasnodar/Caucasus and Krasnoyarsk/Central Siberia. New Breakfasts are in the offing for Belgorod/Southwestern Russia and Izhevsk/Ural. Dr. William Yoder http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1121On 14 May, 100 helpers in white lab coats and an equal number of guests celebrated the „Brotherhood of Compassion’s” 20th birthday in its home congregation: Moscow’s historic Central Baptist Church.Mon, 19 May 2008 10:31:14 +0400The „Brotherhood of Compassion” celebrates its 20th birthday M o s c o w – On 14 May, 100 helpers in white lab coats and an equal number of guests celebrated the „Brotherhood of Compassion’s” 20th birthday in its home congregation: Moscow’s historic Central Baptist Church. In a brief review, Alexander Bychkov (General-Secretary of the All-Union Council of Baptists after 1971) recalled the amazement when the city mayor suddenly invited religious organisations to his office in early 1988. The desperate mayor complained that the city was lacking 800 busses and 20.000 nurses. Bychkov reported: “We didn’t have any busses, but we could do something about the lack of nurses.” Mikhail Zhidkov, one of the Union’s Vice-Presidents, was especially moved by the appeal. After he reported on the need in a church service, 150 members volunteered. But not everything went according to plan. After only a few days in a large Moscow hospital, the church’s overly-zealous helpers were shown the door. The Brotherhood’s webpage reports: “Apparently hospital leadership was alarmed by our ´underground´ evangelism. In hopes of ridding themselves of Baptists, city authorities assigned them to an institution where the danger of mission was least: a psychiatric clinic. But Pastor Zhidkov, who died in 2004, responded: “We won’t have the opportunity to preach there. But the chance to show people Jesus is still given.” A close relationship with the head doctor developed quickly. Today, the contacts with Kashchenko Hospital – and three other hospitals – remain excellent. These trusting, long-term relationships keep the work alive in today’s era of heightened mistrust. Mission President Galina Dzhuzenova reports: “The contacts with our partners remain excellent. We really only have problems with individual patients who get nasty when they notice we are not Orthodox.” But she adds: “We would probably have strong resistance if we attempted to start brand-new projects.” Another example of fruitful, long-term relationships involves the police. In the struggle to aid the homeless, friendships with the Moscow police´ social services department developed. But these old friends are no longer young. Since they as retired police officers receive only a miniscule pension, they themselves have become the recipients of Christian compassion. The mission also does much for the little ones: A number of orphanages, young invalids and children who have contracted HIV or tuberculosis receive medical and spiritual aid. Summer camps for such children as well as for children from large or poor families are held near Moscow every year. Already in 1988, the first aid programme with contacts beyond Moscow got started when unrest in the USSR´s southern republics flared up and flooded Moscow with refugees. An earthquake in Armenia ensued and the first war in Chechnya broke out in 1995. Moscow Baptists were able to help in Grosny and Beslan. Aid for refugees in this 2.700-member congregation also caught the attention of released prisoners. As many as 150 ex-prisoners are helped each year to obtain the documents necessary for existence and to reinstate their legal right to housing. Soup kitchens are supported and even done in-house. Several thousand persons are aided annually just within the walls of this church located at Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky Pereulok 3. It was a DC-10 jumbo which actually introduced this mission to a wider international audience. In early 1991, the Baptist World Alliance succeeded in sending a chartered air freighter loaded with food from Washington, D.C. to Moscow. The congregation’s deacons got the chance to put their words into deed and unloaded the airplane themselves. Baptist World Aid Director Paul Montacute (Falls Church near Washington) undertook the long journey to Moscow now to express his thanks for this and many other deeds. The well-known quadriplegic Christian Joni Eareckson Tada (San Diego) brought along a supply of wheelchairs when she visited in 1992 But because people do not live by bread alone, the programme is accompanied by music and games. Celebrations with presents held in children’s homes and hospitals on major holidays are a part of the mission’s basic ministry. Frequently, professional musicians are part of the show. In 2007, 350 children and parents found their way into this 1882-founded church to attend a festival. During the very musical anniversary celebrations this time, Yuri Sipko, the President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, stated that though the oligarchs and powerful might be enthralled by their billions, “only love and affection give sustenance for living”. Galina Dzhuzenova added that only the certainty of being needed bestows a person with the feeling of being human. “And many children do not feel at all as if anyone needed them.” She and others mentioned repeatedly that only faith in God made their service possible. Their webpage states simply: “We do what others refuse to do.” Asked about the annual budget, President Dzhuzenova answers that one simply spends that which is also received. That is of course less than when the Russian need peaked in the early 1990s. The ministry presently has seven full-time workers and approximately 100 volunteers. There are no concrete strategies for future development. The British mission „Eurovangelism“ has taken to heart the fact that the work of this „Brotherhood“ is carried out almost strictly by women. In its publications it refers to this ministry as the “Sisters of Charity”. “Eurovangelism” remains a primary sponsor of this work; having been a part of it virtually since its inception. Mission head David Roderick made the trip from Bristol to attend these celebrations. The „Brotherhood of Compassion’s” address is: „brotherhood@online.ru“. Those wanting to know more will find their Russian-language website at: “compassion-ministry.narod.ru“. Dr. William Yoderhttp://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1103“One doesn´t give away the chance of a lifetime!” That was the reaction of Vitaly Vlasenko, the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists´ Director for External Church Relations, following his visit to an idle construction site in Achinsk/Central Siberia.Sat, 10 May 2008 17:26:16 +0400Church project in Achinsk to be restarted M o s c o w – “One doesn´t give away the chance of a lifetime!” That was the reaction of Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists´ (RUECB) Director for External Church Relations, following his visit to an idle construction site in Achinsk/Central Siberia. The pastor and his 60-member congregation had actually already decided to sell the unfinished, oversized building and use the funds to purchase family dwellings at two locations and remodel them for church usage. One interested buyer would like to turn the structure – it measures 24 x 24 metres (79 feet x 79 feet) - into a factory. But Pastor Vlasenko responds: „It happens only once in a lifetime in Russia that the authorities in one´s own city will present us Baptists with a prime piece of land in the centre of town for the construction of a church. An opportunity like that will never happen again in Achinsk! We dare not offend city fathers in view of their generosity – we otherwise will never be able to show our faces there again!” He also notes that an uncompleted structure can only be sold at a price far below its actual value. “And this is not even the money of the Achinsk congregation,” he adds. “This house belongs to the people in North America who donated the money for it.” Primary donator to date has been a congregation in Casper/Wyoming. The Department Director notes that even now in Russia it is nearly impossible to transfer the legal status of a building from private to public. This could become increasingly problematic in the future, for numerous Baptist “houses of prayer” are still private dwellings in legal terms. The parcel of land was presented to the congregation in 2000. From 2003 until 2006, the site was filled with the sounds of hammering and sawing. Yet when the congregation´s energetic pastor, Peter Grichany (Chernivtsi), was forced to return to his native West Ukraine for visa and health reasons, the project ground to a halt. Since his departure, the shrunken congregation is overtaxed by the logistical and strategic challenges. The structure with seating for 300 to 400 direly needs a plan for its completion and utilisation. Vlasenko adds: “Windows and a heating system are the next things that need to be installed. After that, one can move in.” The building was to be constructed for a truly bargain price: The Casper congregation had donated $50.000 towards the project, an additional $30.000 are needed for its completion. The guest from Moscow felt that up to half of the building could be rented out as office space for the time being. That would cover running costs up until the time when the congregation requires the entire building for its own needs. “The potential of this location is nearly breathtaking,” Pastor Vlasenko insists. Many church members have recently left for greener pastures in other Protestant congregations. A talented pastor would nevertheless be able, with God´s help, to win back many of the old and new believers for the cause of the new church downtown. Other Baptist congregations in the Krasnoyarsk region have committed themselves for the first time to helping fund the project. This historical town of 114,000 is located 170 kilometres to the west of Krasnoyarsk right on the primary transportation routes between Western Russia and the Far East. But now, Director Vlasenko has one worry more: The local congregation was willing to reconsider on the condition that Moscow headquarters come to its aid in the search for additional funding and expertise. Anyone having interest in this project is heartily invited to contact the Department for External Church Affairs in Moscow. Following the uncontrolled religious boom of the 1990s, the situation in Achinsk makes apparent once again the need for centralised agreements and consultations on matters of church construction. The RUECB continues to expand its architecture department to this end. The RUECB, Russia’s largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko. Dr. William Yoder http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1102For the third year in succession, representatives of Russia’s Protestant churches laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the walls of the Kremlin on 8 May, one day prior to the Day of Victory in WW II.Fri, 09 May 2008 16:55:20 +0400Protestants lay wreaths at the Kremlin Wall for the third time M o s c o w – For the third year in succession, representatives of Russia’s Protestant churches laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the walls of the Kremlin on 8 May, one day prior to the Day of Victory in WW II. For only the second time, Russian Protestants were allowed to visit present-day Russia’s most revered location strictly as Protestants. “Our appearance is an expression of our unity with the lives of our people. We also are one with the Russian people.” That was the opinion of Simon Borodin, Vice-President of the small “Missionary Union of Evangelical Christians”. Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of External Church Relations for the "Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists" (RUECB), added: “We too are a part of Russia’s past and present.” As supporting evidence he pointed to the fact that his father and pastor – both Baptists – had served as soldiers during WW II. Another church leader expressed regret regarding the fact that ever fewer of the elderly who had suffered through the war years are able to attend the commemoration. Yet Vlasenko is convinced this Protestant event is becoming ever more popular among those born later. Thirty believers attended a year ago; the number now was roughly 50. “This event is finding more-and-more favour in our congregations. I’m convinced it will develop into an institution in the common life of our Protestant denominations.” A larger number of Lutherans attended this year for the first time. The event’s sponsors are the “Advisory Council of the Leaders of the Protestant Churches of Russia” and the “National Prayer Breakfast Foundation”. A few Protestant church representatives were among the 2.000 guests invited to the festive inauguration of Dmitry Medvedev as President of the Russian Federation on 7 May. They were Sergey Ryakhovsky, Bishop of the Charismatic “Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith”, Vassily Stolyar, President of the “Seventh Day Adventist Church”, and Alexander Semchenko, Baptist businessman and member of the “Advisory Council for Cooperation with Religious Associ¬ations at the Seat of the President of the Russian Federation”. Official Protestant policy in Russia interprets Medvedev´s profession of an Orthodox, Christian faith as a potential bridge of understanding to Protestants. Dr. William Yoder http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1098On 3 May, the opening service was held in a Moscow Baptist congregation with big plans. It is stated partly in jest that this congregation intends to become a megachurch. Nearly 60 persons attended the first service in the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists´ Moscow seminary.Tue, 06 May 2008 19:13:44 +0400Russia’s tiniest megachurch is up-and-running M o s c o w – On 3 May, the opening service was held in a Moscow Baptist congregation with big plans. It is stated partly in jest that this congregation intends to become a megachurch. Nearly 60 persons attended the first service in the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists´ (RUECB) Moscow seminary. Referring to the congregation’s unusual name – it calls itself “Your Church” - RUECB-President Yuri Sipko exclaimed in his opening sermon: “This is not your church - this is our church!” He stressed that this congregation is anchored in the RUECB and in the world Baptist movement in general. Pastor of this fledgling congregation is Leonid Kartavenko, for the past six years Director of Missions at the RUECB´s Moscow headquarters. As a gesture of thanks for their birthing help, Yuri Sipko, Kartavenko´s former superior, and Seminary Director Dr. Peter Mitskevich were both presented with flowers at the service. In an interview, Kartavenko, now pastor of Russia’s tiniest megachurch, described his most recent strategy. “We don’t want church members, we want servants. Every member will receive some task, even if it might be a very small one.” Every member will be expected to belong to a small group; the musical offerings are to of professional quality. “Your Church“ plans first-of-all to advertise its cause on the Internet. Placards will point to its Internet site: “www.yourchurch.ru”. The latest news – including the location of services - will always be listed there. The pastor explains: “Interested people will be able to ask questions on the Internet. That will allow personal contacts to happen – which is already the case. We know that people most readily appear in church if they already have contact with a believer.” Regarding background events: The Baptist businessman and philanthropist Alexander Semchenko and the Union’s President parted ways in mid-February. Reports indicate that Semchenko had requested powers which he as a non-elected Union helper did not have the right to expect. This was the assessment of President Sipko – a vote later seconded by the 54-member RUECB-Council. Sipko and Semchenko have also disagreed on the degree of cooperation necessary with the state. Sipko dropped Semchenko as Secretary of the Department for External Church Relations. Semchenko responded by cutting off his financial support for the Union. That left a major hole in the Union’s budget. Many Union projects were suddenly put on hold – including the mission department and its evangelistic expeditions. After several months as Financial Director, Kartavenko, who sympathised with some of Semchenko´s concerns, resigned from all Union responsibilities in March. In April, Pastor Simon Borodin, Kartavenko´s successor as Director of Missions, also departed. New Missions Director is Ruvim Voloshin, one of the Union’s Vice-Presidents. By now, normalcy is returning - the mission department is busy preparing the national Union conference for late July. At its mid-March sessions, the Union Council opted to transfer more financial responsibility to the local congregation (as we reported). The required annual contribution of the congregations per member for the work of central offices was boosted threefold to 150 roubles (4,30 euros or $6,25 US) - a big step for the local congregation. Russian contributions along with continued foreign support and the planned renting of two of the Union’s five-storey headquarters to secular firms should restore financial viability. Alexander Semchenko, a youth director during Soviet times, did much following perestroika to bring Baptists into the mainstream of Russian society. He can be thanked for strengthening inter-confessional relations – also with the Orthodox and Catholics. Yuri Sipko stated: “I highly esteem Alexander Semchenko´s gifts and the fact that he has dedicated himself and his resources to the service of the church.” The National Prayer Breakfast and the vibrant Protestant Easter concerts for ex. have profited from his support. Leonid Kartavenko admits that he had dreamt of planting a new congregation well before February. The unhappy events of the current year have now resulted in the creation of a new congregation. He adds: “God leads his work right through the midst of all crises.” Russia’s largest „megachurches“ have roughly 4.000 members. Two of the most prominent ones are Charismatic congregations located in Moscow and Perm/Ural. Moscow’s historic and well-known “First Baptist Church” had 2.719 members in 2005. Dr. William Yoder http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1083On the occasion of the Orthodox Easter on 27 April, Alexius II., the Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia, greeted Yuri Sipko, the President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, with Christ’s Great Commission.Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:53:55 +0400Not all developments within Russia are negative M o s c o w – On the occasion of the Orthodox Easter on 27 April, Alexius II., the Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia, greeted Yuri Sipko (Moscow), the President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, with Christ’s Great Commission. In his letter he quoted Mark 16,15: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” The head of the Moscow Patriarchate continued: “I sincerely hope that loyalty to the ideals of the Gospel and concern about their affirmation in the lives of the nations will build a solid foundation for our common efforts.” In an additional Easter greeting addressed to the Baptist President, the Orthodox „foreign minister“, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, appealed for the fostering of peace. “When the people in different parts of the world are divided by dispute and conflict, then the Christians are called to testify of the Risen Saviour. He is ´our peace´.” Sergey Popov, businessman and Chairman of the State Duma´s “Public and Religious Organizations Committee”, also sent a greeting. Another highly-positive event occurred just prior to Easter: On 19 and 20 April, after eight years of construction, the well-placed, multifunctional Baptist church centre “Gospel House” in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the capital city of the far eastern island of Sakhalin, was dedicated. The 250 celebrators included Union President Sipko (who arrived from Moscow 6.400 miles away) as well as local politicians. It was noted at the festivities that no church was able to register legally on the oil-rich island prior to 1980. Similar to the situation in the far western region of Königsberg/Kaliningrad, local communist powers had been bent on keeping their region free of religion for as long as possible. The first Baptist chapel in the Soviet period was dedicated in1989; it quickly proved to be too small. (Königsberg had been German until 1945; the southern half of Sakhalin was Japanese 1905-1945). These events have occurred on the backdrop of very negative developments in Stary Oskol on the south-western fringe of Russia. The “New York Times” reported in-depth on these developments on 24 April. Primarily the small Methodist and Lutheran communities there have been the victims of repressive measures instigated by government and Orthodox sources. An informed member of the RUECB´s Department for External Church Relations commented: „We should ignore neither the good nor the bad that is happening. We together with all people of good will need to see to it that the good in our country is multiplied.” The RUECB, Russia’s largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Dr. William Yoder http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1066Peter Anatolovich Lunichkin has been given a lot – which is also why he wants to give. He reports that at times there was no food in the house for him and his six brothers and sisters. So he is acquainted with the feelings of gratitude and joy that erupt when a needy person is helped in love.Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:50:17 +0400Peter Lunichkin creates a social department for Russian Baptists M o s c o w -- Peter Anatolovich Lunichkin has been given a lot – which is also why he wants to give. He reports that at times there was no food in the house for him and his six brothers and sisters. So he is acquainted with the feelings of gratitude and joy that erupt when a needy person is helped in love. His prayer, that he might also be able to help others materially, was already heard when he was pastoring a congregation he had founded in his hometown, Vladikavkas. It was the social accomplishments of this congregation, now numbering 220 members which led the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) a year ago to ask him to organise a national social service. This project was greatly helped by the pastor’s move from the North Ossetian capital to St. Petersburg, where he is now heading the city’s largest Baptist congregation. His Vladikavkas congregation had organised care and support for 500 of the lonely and elderly. Local Christians donated 400 roubles a month (now $17) in order to supply them with groceries several times per month. Believers in Holland also donated $28 monthly. Baptists warned of the HIV-danger in schools and during Saturday “subbotniks” they helped clean up neighbourhoods. A special project had children from Lunichkin´s Sunday school donating 35 bicycles to the children of a village in the strife-torn republic of Ingushetia. That was an event attended by numerous public officials and politicians. He reports: „Great co-operation developed between us and government organisations. We even invited Orthodox clergy to our events – and they came. Because of his service, the Baptist pastor was invited to join the Human Rights Commission located at the seat of the President of North Ossetia (which borders on Chechnya). Despite all sentiment to the contrary, Pastor Lunichkin continues to believe that Orthodox circles will not automatically oppose Protestant-inspired humanitarian efforts: “I believe we can reckon with zero opposition if we continue to sponsor efforts such as these.” Operating now from his Petersburg office, the energetic pastor is working at the creation of a database cataloguing all existing humanitarian efforts and resources among Baptists. “We have doctors, social workers and much experience working with children. We have many large and contented families. We have no reason to hide.” He is also thinking up programmes directed at tobacco and alcohol abuse. Yet all beginnings are modest. His social department has no paid employees and he receives his pastor’s salary from the German “Light in the East” mission. Stones in the way This 46-year-old grandfather and father of six concludes: „We Russians are selfish. We do not find it hard to pass on aid we have received from the West. But giving up our own shirt or our own automobile – that is quite another matter. That is why we are called to motivate people to also donate that which is theirs.” He also tells of a city with five Baptist congregations in which all of them are in competition with one another. “I believe we need to teach our people to rejoice over the successes of others. We are still working in isolation from each other, each-for-his-own. That is our great weakness. We do not trust each other; we’re always suspicious of somebody. But the problem is not that we Baptists are unable to love. We do love, but often we feel incapable of expressing those feelings.” Contradictions arise when the topic turns to wealth and poverty in Russia. “We are of course poorer than the Americans,” the pastor states, “but we are not poor. There are always persons less well-off than we whom we are called to help. If each Russian Baptist would tithe, then our church would be living in abundance.” But he also adds: “Many Western missions have left Russia with the words: ´Russia is a wealthy country.` That is correct, but it does not hold true for our congregations and people in general. We remain dependent on the aid of Western sisters and brothers. It strikes me that churches in the West have become indifferent to Russia, and that is very unfortunate.” Regarding future prospects, Pastor Lunichkin remarks: „It’s problematic for us that the Russian Orthodox Church has become so politicised. Russia’s biggest problem of all is its lack of spirituality. That is why we are called to proclaim the Gospel and to speak out against no one – be they from the state, the Charismatics or the Pentecostals. We will only be blessed with success if we worship the Almighty and refrain from attacking the shortcomings of others. If we live the Gospel in love, then the time will come when society will realise how much they really do need us.”Dr. William Yoder http://www.baptist.org.ru/news/english/1052Rather than putting major resources into PR, the Baptists of Russia should concentrate their efforts on “mutually strengthening the relations between their congregations”. They should also “plant many new congregations and improve the size and quality of their existing ones”.Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:31:40 +0400An interdenominational and two Baptist sessions convene M o s c o w -- Rather than putting major resources into PR, the Baptists of Russia should concentrate their efforts on “mutually strengthening the relations between their congregations”. They should also “plant many new congregations and improve the size and quality of their existing ones”. Those are the views of one high Russian government official quoted by Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko, head of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) Department for External Church Relations, at a pastors´ conference in Bryansk on 12 April. The official had added in conclusion: If your brotherhood “would work together like the strings of a well-tuned piano and carefully organise and synchronise all of its activities, then you could become within five to ten years the kind of genuine force from which the government would be happy to hear.” The department head also noted in his lecture that it is often brothers and sisters in Western countries who understand least well why autonomous congregations “desire to join our Union“. A meeting of the “Advisory Council of the Leaders of the Protestant Churches of Russia“ in Moscow three days later noted that the state Ministry for Education and Science had initiated a meeting with Protestants on 11 April. The state’s intent had been to hear out Protestants regarding their views on the planned Orthodox school classes entitled “Spiritual and Moral Culture”. The Council intends to propose an alternative, less-partisan form of school instruction on moral and religious topics. This government invitation could be interpreted as a sign of Protestants already being taken more seriously. The desire for closer Baptist cooperation was also evident at this year’s sessions of the “Euro-Asiatic Federation of Unions of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” in Kiev on 9 to 11 April. Pastor Vlasenko, who had been present in Kiev, reported in his Bryansk lecture: “It is apparent to me that we Russians will soon be able to better support the church in the Central Asian countries and elsewhere.” The Protestants of Central Asia are all subject to increasing government pressure. The Euro-Asiatic Federation unites 12 of the 15 unions which had formed the “All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” during the Soviet era. (Only the Baltic unions did not join this successor organisation.) This initial “Day of Brotherhood” in Bryansk fulfilled a promise made by Union leadership in January (see our release from 18.01) to leave Moscow offices and visit pastors on-location throughout the vast regions of Russia. The response of the 120 pastors in this region southwest of Moscow was overwhelming and gratifying – the heightened congrega¬tional fees for the work of national headquarters (they have been increased 300% to 150 roubles - $6 US - annually per church member) have already been collected there. Pastor Vlasenko reports that such sessions, which promise to be an exhausting exercise for Moscow staff, are to be held monthly in hopes of covering all of Russia’s 50+ Baptist regions within a five-year period. He projects: “In the end, local pastors will know us not only from our letters, but also by our faces.” The Advisory Council session on 15 April also covered issues other than Russian school classes. The assembled leaders expressed great satisfaction in this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, which was held in Moscow on 18 March. It is to be expanded in both size and length next year. Discussion groups are to be introduced and the Breakfast could be extended to cover nearly an entire day. The “Global Leadership Summits” sponsored by the North American Willow Creek movement are to be headed in Russia by Vitaly Vlasenko for the foreseeable future.