"Christ, Our Hope and Encouragement" - All-Russian Conference of Ministers

Behold, you have instructed many, and upheld the hands that were hanging down; your words have raised up the fallen, and you have strengthened the bowing knees. Job 4:3-4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. 2 Cor. 1:3

It was a special meeting, connected with important celebrations for the Evangelical community. More than 300 brothers and sisters from 43 cities of Russia and Belarus gathered in the year of the 140th brotherhood anniversary, the 150th anniversary of the Evangelical revival in St. Petersburg, and the 80th anniversary of the UECB denomination. Thanks to 32 volunteers and 23 speakers, the conference was blessed, abundant and rich.

The event began with an evening of pastors and leaders at the House of the Gospel, built in St. Petersburg by Wilhelm Fetler in 1910-1911. This very dilapidated building will undoubtedly come to life once again, since it is back in the rightful owners hands (UECB). After 94 years of being apprehended by soviet officials, on May 17, 2024, a rededication service was held. On this night, the brothers sang the hymn “All Brothers Rejoice” with special feeling, which Fetler wrote for the church’s opening.

The Russian UECB VP Viktor Ignatenkov noted that "the House of the Gospel is like a tree that has a past, present and future. What should I do for the tree to flourish? Everyone can answer this question with action." With hope and confidence in the speedy restoration of the Gospel House, a collection of funds was made, which was actively supported by all conference participants.

 "In this place Wilhelm Fetler (Vasily Malov) preached for 2 years from the time of its construction until his expulsion from the Russian Empire in 1914. In just his 7 years in Russia, he personally baptized 400 people," noted the chief UECB historian Alexey Sinichkin. He, as well as Nadezhda Safonova, Andrey Beklemeshev, and Lyubov Merkulova, conducted excursions around evangelical Petersburg, showing the places where our predecessors had walked, and introducing the history of evangelical ministry in Russia. Many probably saw the building on Bolshaya Morskaya Street for the first time, where one of the favorite hymns, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," was translated, by Vera Gagarina, who adopted 12 children, including the father of Jarl Peisti, the founder of Russian Christian Radio, which was the only audio source of the Word of God in the USSR. We saw a house in Stolyarny Lane, where a Symphony for the Bible was composed. By the way, a complete biblical symphony in Russian appeared in 1900, it was published by Alexander Lopukhin.

The Conference was opened by the UECB President, Director of  Moscow Theological Seminary, and Pastor of the Moscow church "Calvary" Peter Mitskevich. He recalled how the first churches lived: "Now the multitude of them which believed were of one heart and soul; and no man said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common. Now the apostles with great power testified of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ: and great grace was upon them all. There was no one among them that needed: for as many as were the owners of lands or houses, when they sold them, brought the proceeds of the things sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet: and it was given to every man, as any man had need" (Acts 4:32-35).

"Let's remember Barnabas, a man with a blessed nickname. He had the gift of Encouragement. You can encourage and inspire financially, as Barnabas did, without expecting loud public statements and orders, and without any selfish goals. Missions cannot exist without donations. But you need to have the wisdom not to give everything, but to listen to the Holy Spirit, to be an example of sacrifice. Teach children to sacrifice and sacrifice yourself," noted Mitskevich. He also stated the incredible need to encourage groups in churches which would not abandon widows and the lonely, following the example of Barnabas.

The participants were presented with three historical blocks that recalled the glorious and tragic events of the formation, persecution and revival of the Protestant movement in Russia. In 1905, Tsar Nicholas II allowed conversion from Orthodoxy to Baptist through the courts, which had previously been prohibited altogether, and this became a new "window" for studying the Word of God. "Baptist" magazines began to be published. From 1905 to 1914, there was an unprecedented rise - more than 30 thousand people believed. By 1917, there were 150,000 evangelicals in the country, including 1,400 members in the Baptist Union.

Since the authorities prohibited holding religious services in rented premises, evangelicals were forced to build houses of prayer, which became the “stone” foundation of new churches.

During the conference, various seminars were held that covered the most pressing challenges of modern churches: “Evangelism and the organization of new churches,” “Mentoring and training ministers,” “Pastoring and caring for people in a large community,” “Comfort and grace of suffering,” “How to organize a women's group in a church,” “Business and a Christian.”

The UECB head of the administration, Vladimir Miskevich, spoke about evangelism outside of churches, reporting that in 38 regions of Russia there are coordinators who oversee the ministry of evangelistic missions.

During the conference, amazing testimonies of the Lord's everlasting power were heard. Regional Pastor of the Sverdlovsk Region, Vyacheslav Grin, told about his missionary experience. A fellow churchman zealously persuaded him to go on a mission to Chukotka, where, in his opinion, the northern lights and bears were among the most attractive reasons. "He came to me, we drank tea, ate jam and prayed. The decision to go as a missionary to the land of permafrost was very difficult for me. In the tundra, on the way to the neighboring camp, we got caught in a blizzard, the snowmobile broke down. The churchman he traveled with developed gangrene on his toes as a result of frostbite. And he did not turn back, ready to sacrifice his body to reach the destination and share the gospel. And after all this, the leader of the community said that she also wanted to believe "in your God also, as you are ready to lose a leg for Him." And then she simply ordered the others to believe, and they obeyed her unconditionally. This is how the Lord works. And, by the way, they only removed the tips of my friend's toes. The Chukchi are very nice people. One woman gave me a pair of long johns and checked by lifting up my trouser leg to see if I was wearing them... I had to wear them! Later we ordained a pastor there. He preaches using images that are understandable to the Chukchi: "Christians are like fat in soup, they float, but do not mix with the world." We often want easy service. We do not want to expend ourselves. Do not look at service like it’s your own garden. Service is the whole world!"

Valery Tolkachev, pastor of the church in Vyborg, ardently called on people to "get up from the benches" and go on a mission, to create new churches. "Who will go to the lost people? Even if a person wants to go on a mission, do we always bless him? And we must not quench our spirit! "Glory to God" is the first thing a person should hear who wants to travel "to the ends of the earth."

Vitaly Moroz, senior pastor for the Bryansk and Volgograd regions, told heart-wrenching stories about ministry in war-torn cities. “Jesus sent me to be the hands of the Lord. More than 4,000 volunteers have gone to difficult locations since the war began. This is the largest mission against the backdrop of tears, destruction and great need. True consolation can only be found in Jesus Christ, even in sorrow and hopelessness, God is a loving Father. In the summer of 2022, apples were distributed in a village cooling from the bombing. There was not enough for everyone, and the children tried to hold a small slice of apple in their mouths, to remember the taste... People do not need church traditions, but God. Showing the beauty and love of Christ is not just saying ‘be strong, brother.’ Hundreds of people have been baptized since 2022.”

Vitaly Moroz said that volunteers are ready to serve for a bowl of soup and live next to those who need help, not in separate rooms, to feel their pain. "Today, before our eyes, a modern book of Acts is being written. We are witnessing God's grace amidst blood and pain. In over two years, 385,000 portions of hot meals have been prepared, some folks were literally saved from starvation. This is a precious time of amazing opportunities. People are returning with changed hearts."

Pastor of the church in Maikop, Dmitry Kadatsky shared about the transformation of the family after the birth of their third, a very special child with Down syndrome. He was truly a real blessing for the family. "In some incredibly miraculous way, ministers from the USA gave us the necessary amount for a very expensive heart operation, and now our son is already 26 years old. He loves to hug all the guests, goes to Christian camps and has learned to sacrifice. God has built my life! In addition to our five children, my wife and I are raising two adopted children. When we ask God to expand our capabilities for His Glory, He can lead our life to interesting places ... "

Pastor Konstantin Somov, of the church in Anapa, presented a unique format of street evangelism. "We set up reproductions of famous paintings and offer those passing the opportunity to study biblical themes that exist in them. There is also a special frame for the blind. We have 70 paintings already, having used our own money, and then with funds from a rewarded Presidential grant. In fact, we have official secular status and an excellent opportunity to introduce people to works of art in parallel with the Word of God. I became an art critic, received an education as a teacher of art history. We read the Bible even in the center of Tashkent, where there is a ban on evangelism. During all this time, we have not received a single complaint or a single fine. Now in the Krasnodar Territory, there are already 20 similar teams working, the essence of the sites is the creation of small groups. For example, in Pskov, paintings are shown on a screen in a specially rented room. Such groups can become the beginning of the foundation of new churches. Similar experience is also taking root in post-war territories."

Victor Zaitsev, Leader of Russian UECB Far East Region, recalled the words of Paul. "To me, less than the least of all saints, this grace was given: to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the dispensation of the mystery which has been hidden from eternity in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ; that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places through the church" Ephesians 3:8-10. Zaitsev stated, "If it were not for Christ, we would all have fallen off the track. We need to understand that any service is entrusted to us by God. We serve no matter what. This helps us endure adversity. How can we be sure of this? Firstly, the Lord gives desire, secondly, encourages to work on one's competence, thirdly, to improve one's character, to develop the ability to work in a team, fourthly, to watch the results attentively. The church is a gift of God's grace, the purpose of which is not to create comfort, but to reveal Christ to people. The bigger the problem, the greater the chance to reveal God's image. A streak of misfortunes can become a runway for a full-fledged church."

Leonid Mekhovich, head of the Belarussian UECB and director of the Minsk Theological Seminary, called for "being sensitive to the voice of the Spirit, to establish churches not according to tradition, but according to the Gospel. In Belarus, the Bible is currently used in four translations, and there is a lot of spiritual literature. There are people from Brazil and Kenya in the churches, and we have brothers and sisters in Egypt, where we came from several thousand years ago. We look to the future with joy. The Lord is at work. Not only in the churches, but also in us!"

At the end of the three-day exchange of wisdom, "lamp trimming" and blessed brotherly fellowship among pastors and those from women's ministry, Anton Tretyak, pastor of the church on Poklonnaya Gora in St. Petersburg, asked: "Do pastors have authority in heaven? All authority belongs only to Jesus Christ. Our entire ministry is built on the authority of Jesus. If we want eternal results, Jesus has it. We must abandon the pathetic attempts to decide something ourselves. Start with Christ, not with doctrine. Start with Jesus, not with the donkey He sits on. Speak God's word, not our ‘clever’ thoughts. Sometimes even the Lord doesn’t know what you are preaching, because you yourself do not know. We must concentrate on prayer and preaching Christ. Let us carry Jesus Christ on our shoulders into the world!"

During mealtimes, the brothers encouraged one another, shared about their local events and ministry with each other, and invited each other to visit. Peter Makushenko, Belgorod regional pastor, shared that "the biggest takeaway that he will remember after the conference are the faces of the brothers and sisters. There is a look of love and kindness in them, I see it for the first time - and it makes me smile!"

See also:  Photo report on the All-Russian Conference of Ministers

Alla Stambolidi