Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As we bid farewell to the passing year, let us give thanks to God for being faithful to His promise, accompanying us on our life's journey as a good Shepherd and loving Father. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). With God's blessing, this past year, which we called the "Year of Peace and Unity," saw many prayer and evangelistic efforts aimed at building and uniting our churches, spreading the Good News among the peoples of our country, reconciling warring peoples and nations, so that the Kingdom of Heaven may expand on earth and God's will be accomplished here as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Each time we celebrate the New Year, we immerse ourselves in the feast of the Nativity of Christ. The Son of God humbled himself to the level of a babe, born in humble circumstances in a stable in Bethlehem, taking on human nature to share with us our destiny and His. In the Nativity of Christ, a new dawn of life dawned. A new era begins, relationships with God are renewed, and the Good News resounds. This holiday is imbued with the purity and beauty of life. By combining the feast of the Nativity of Christ with the New Year, let us enter 2026 with spiritual renewal and a readiness to devote our energy and time to serving our Lord and those around us, "...that we may serve God in newness of spirit..." (Romans 7:6).

We have named 2026 the "Year of the Bible." We will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Bible's translation into Russian. Let us thank God for the opportunity to read and spread the Holy Scriptures to Russian-speaking people. May this year be a year in which many more people come to know Divine truth.

We wish you a blessed holiday, spiritual renewal as you welcome the New Year, inspiration in your ministry, and peace and joy in your families. Let us unite in prayer to God as we begin the New Year. "The God of peace be with you all. Amen" (Romans 15:33).

Peter Mickiewicz

Victor Ignatenkov