"National Prayer Gathering" - Meals shared in the unity of faith, honor and duty

About 600 people took part in this spiritual and moral forum - Russian and foreign political, social, cultural, religious figures, diplomats, businessmen and representatives of various branches of government. All of them were united by the desire to spiritually and professionally build-up their country, based on traditional spiritual and moral values.

The event was organized by the Foundation for Promoting the Revival of Spirituality and Spiritual Culture “National Spiritual Meal”. The fund was established by the Evangelical Unions of Russia, including the Russian UECB

The meeting, which is significant for our country, opened with the Russian anthem. The head of the Organizing Committee, President of the National Spiritual Meal Foundation Andrei Gaidamaka welcomed the participants, noting that this event should “demonstrate the unity of people of faith, honor and duty and absorb the best forms of conservatism and traditional values.”

This large-scale meeting brought together representatives of all traditional religions of Russia. From the Russian UECB, the event was attended by: President Peter Mitskevich, Vice President of Russian UECB Viktor Ignatenkov , head of the UECB administration, Vladimir  Miskevich, and representatives of various ministries, including the media.

Among the participants were foreign guests: the organizer of the National Prayer Breakfast in the USA, Doug Burleigh; European Prayer Breakfast Brussels Coordinator and Serve the City Int'l CEO Carlton Sherrell Deal Jr; Member of the Norwegian Parliament from Oslo in 1997-1998 Lars Rise, representative of the international prayer group for peace Marino Moutich from Macedonia.

The symphony orchestra from St. Petersburg 1703 performed musical works throughout. At the beginning of the performance, the “Lord’s Prayer” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky from the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom was performed, performed by the Moscow Synodal Choir under the direction of Alexei Puzakov.

The participants were greeted by representatives of various faiths and authorities, who noted the importance of this event for our Russia, that regardless of existing differences, people have the opportunity to do something useful for society. We testify that we are here to create and implement those efforts that will be aimed at the cause of peace.”

On behalf of the Presidential Administration, Evgeniy Eremin: “This meal has become a firm, universally accepted tradition, which cannot be broken by a difficult political situation, bad weather, or the difficulties of a long journey. from different countries to us in Moscow. I am glad that we were visited by foreign guests who had to overcome many obstacles. But the craving for communication, the craving for joint prayer and spiritual meals turned out to be stronger than all the obstacles.

...Spiritual and moral traditions were bequeathed to us by our ancestors. This unites us. Our country, Russia, is an example for the whole world in this. On our land there is Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Protestantism, there are small religious movements, but we are all citizens of Russia. For us, first of all, this is the unity of our multinational and multireligious people. The President takes care of this. By his decree, he outlined the foundations of state policy to protect and strengthen traditional spiritual values. This unites us with spiritual people all over the world. We are all together - representatives of different religions - working for the good of our country, Motherland... We must devote all our abilities to serving the Lord and society. And the Almighty will evaluate us both in this life and in eternal life according to our work.”

In the context of the main topics: spiritual peacemaking and public diplomacy, the topic of religious freedom is touched upon. The creative role of business in the formation of various public institutions was revealed. They also said that education and culture are important tools for transmitting spiritual and moral values ​​in society. Educational, educational and cultural projects were presented, combining medical and business practices, activities to promote peacekeeping and provide humanitarian assistance.

Our own Peter Mitskevich addressed those present with a word of encouragement: “...The Eye of God is above us. The Lord is the Knower of the Heart. Let God judge our hearts and thoughts. May the Lord help us to do good work. I was asked to present a token of attention and gratitude for good deeds. God bless you, dear friends. And we will continue to engage in the work of evangelizing our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for awakening in our great country of Russia. So that everyone might know the Lord and love Him .”

Regarding professional services to the Lord – medical and entrepreneurial. Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Oleg Salagai noted the following in his speech: “I find it surprising that we apply the word “vocation” to different professions, in particular to doctors. Vocation is a separation from one's own self, a feeling of need to help others. Vocation has come a very long way from a religious term to a work term. Today, vocation is understood not only in a spiritual sense, but also in a professional one. But, of course, without a spiritual aspect, only a professional one, can hardly be considered complete. If the balance between calling and profession tilts us towards the profession, we need to remember the gospel message that faith without works is dead. And it is through works that we can not only strengthen our faith, but also feel our calling. You need to commit yourself to your calling every day through action, and then everything will definitely work out.”

A musician from Krasnodar, saxophonist Vladimir Ivanovich Musienko shared his creativity . For many years, Vladimir has been holding charity concerts in various parts of Russia and abroad, performing, including in hospitals and hospices, for patients with cancer. His performance was harmoniously accompanied by changing paintings through a sand show.

In conclusion, all those present welcomed the president and founders of the Foundation for Promoting the Revival of Spirituality and Spiritual Culture “National Spiritual Meal” to the stage. Andrei Gaidamaka, President of the Foundation, noted that the event participants believe that through the spiritual transformation of each person personally, change and transformation of society as a whole is possible: “Everything we talked about today is important for God, important for us, important for our country. After all, faith in God is the foundation of our life. Every day we pray to God for our country and our society. So let Him hear us! We, people, first of all need to hear God. After all, only through this can we return to God in our hearts and in society. And who knows, perhaps all the difficult situations in the world are allowed to a person precisely so that he returns to spirituality, faith, love and God. So let us build our country by faith and deed!”

Participants in the “National Spiritual Meal” expressed a wish to include “building-up” in the list of spiritual and moral values ​​listed in Presidential Decree No. 809. This initiative was supported by State Duma Deputy Dmitry Vadimovich Kuznetsov: “I support the proposal to include “building-up” in the list of traditional values, as well as add this value as one of the foundations of the spiritual and moral core for cooperation between the BRICS countries.”

After the main event, those interested were able to take part in three round tables on the stated topics. During the discussion, topical issues of spiritual peacemaking, the creation of one’s country through professional activities and influencing society through culture and education were raised.

A special harmony in the atmosphere of God’s peace and His love reigned throughout the entire “National Spiritual Meal”.

A special gift in the evening was the musical program “Apocalypse”, performed by the 1703 Symphony Orchestra. The program was conducted by Evgeniy Raskatov, pastor  of the Lutheran Church of St. Anne from St. Petersburg. This program is being implemented on the site of this church.

Through music, the Word of Scripture and constantly changing illustrations, biblical events from the creation of the world, the Fall to the coming of the Savior and the immersion of the world in the atmosphere of the apocalypse were presented to the audience. The good news - the message of human salvation - permeated all the action for the glory of God.

Many participants in the “National Spiritual Meal” received as a gift the RS ECB magazines “Christian Word”, which publish materials about the importance of a person’s life of faith in God, the value of the Word of God as spiritual food for man, about creative spiritual art, etc.

Zoya Bardina