Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all! This holiday reminds us of an event that turned the tide of history and changed the fate of humanity on earth. God has become man - this is God's gracious work, giving all people hope for a better future. The Son of God took a body, became the Savior of sinful mankind having been condemned to death, to rise again victoriously. Thanks to His great love for us, He has taken our unrighteousness and given us His perfect holiness. And he reminds us with his words from the gospel of John, “Abide in Me, and I in you.”

On Christmas night the two natures of Jesus Christ were seen: as a man He was poor and modest, born in a stable, there was no better place for Him. But this did not stop all the angels of Heaven from singing highest glorious praises to their King, humbling himself as a newborn baby. We also have a combination of weakness and God's power, so that the transforming life of Jesus Christ will work in our sphere.

We are grateful to God in seeing off this outgoing year, in which our churches celebrated a  year of unity. Prayers were made and work was done to strengthen unity in our Christian world, in the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, in our churches, and in our families. Unity is necessary in order to be successful in service, in life, and any work of God. We must continue to pray for the unity of God's people everywhere!

The year 2020 has been designated the “year of service” in our Russian Baptist chuches. Let us pray that all of us, without exception, will be faithful and zealous servants of the Lord. “There are varieties of service, but the same Lord.” (1 Cor. 12: 5). Let us remember that Christ came to us to lead his church by showing an example of love, light and evangelism.

We wish all of you would be renewed in the joy of that Christmas night, when the angel spoke to the shepherds saying, “I bring you good news of great joy ...” (Luke 2:10). May this joy help to energize us to spend this year in ministry service to Him.

Again, our warmest wishes to you of a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Peter Mitskevich

Victor Ignatenkov