First Person: Joy flows when Russian Christians share Jesus
25.09.2009

First Person: Joy flows when Russian Christians share Jesus

I was part of a team of 10 people from LifeWay who went to the southwestern Siberia city of Novokuznetsk July 16-26 on a LifeWay-sponsored employee mission trip.
 PREACHING Members of Novoilyinskaya Church, and Christian leaders from the re-hab center at Kultan, pass out tracts and witness to people attending an outdoor Christian concert.

LifeWay photo

PREACHING Members of Novoilyinskaya Church, and Christian leaders from the re-hab center at Kultan, pass out tracts and witness to people attending an outdoor Christian concert.

NOVOKUZNETSK, Russia (LCR) - The contrast between the Russian believers and non-believers was startling.

At the bus stops, people stood in groups. Silent. Avoiding eye contact. As one member of our team said, they have their "Russian face" on. No smiles. No acknowledgement of other people.

But the believers were a different story. They smiled. They laughed. Joy. That's what I saw joy.

I was part of a team of 10 people from LifeWay who went to the southwestern Siberia city of Novokuznetsk July 16-26 on a LifeWay-sponsored employee mission trip.

We went to Russia with team leader Brian Krebs, a LifeWay employee who also serves as a volunteer virtual strategy coordinator with the International Mission Board. In that capacity, Krebs works with evangelicals in Novokuz­netsk, helping them develop strategies to reach out to the city of more than 500,000. Krebs said that less than 1 percent of the city's population is believers.

Two churches

One church we visited was comprised primarily of older people. These were believers who lived through the Soviet era. They understand persecution. They saw their building taken away; they saw members taken away. Now, they worship with a strength and dignity that is palpable. They believe the time is coming when it will be hard for believers again, so they appreciate the relative freedom they have now.

Another church we visited was a church made up of mostly young believers. Many of them came from a rehabilitation center for heroin addicts. They had been set free from the addiction. They worship with a freedom and abandon. These people are free and thankful because they know the captivity of not having a relationship with Jesus.

 Going to church, Russia style Members of the Baptist Church of Novokuznetsk arrive for the Sunday morning worship service, a few by car, most on foot. The church meets in a large, old renovated house. Seen behind is the new brick church building that is u

LifeWay photo

GOING TO CHURCH, RUSSIA STYLE Members of the Baptist Church of Novokuznetsk arrive for the Sunday morning worship service, a few by car, most on foot. The church meets in a large, old renovated house. Seen behind is the new brick church building that is under construction. As the funds come in, the work on the interior will be completed.

Conversation time

I forget how interested people worldwide are in learning English. We spent two evenings at the public library where we sat at tables and invited local people to come and practice their English with us. While we weren't allowed to overtly share the Gospel, we were allowed to answer questions about why we had come to Novokuznetsk. By the time we left, I think most people understood.

This was a great time to meet some of the city's young adults. They were happy to practice and hear us speak. One young lady, when asked why she wanted to learn English, said that she had to learn the language to be successful in business. I laughed to myself thinking about Russians learning English words with a Southern drawl.

Sharing allowed

While we had a certain freedom to share our faith in Russia, common sense was called for.

One evening we attended an outdoor concert sponsored by one of the churches and the rehabilitation center. The praise band and a Christian rapper led the gathering in music, interspersed with testimonies of former heroin addicts who had been set free through Christ. This was allowed because the church had secured a permit from the city to host the concert. Since it was a nice evening, people from the surrounding apartments sat outside and listened. After the concert, some of our team and some of the church members had the opportunity to talk with the concertgoers.

The EvangeCube, a wonderfully easy-to-use block-shaped tool for sharing the Gospel, was a curiosity that allowed Kathy Collins, one of our team members, to share the Gospel with several people at a time. Speaking through an interpreter, Collins was privileged to lead several women and youth to receive Christ. Afterward, a member from the sponsoring church was able to follow up with them, offering information about the church and a personal invitation to come.

I talked with Lidiy, an 82-year-old lady, about Christ. As I presented the plan of salvation, Lidiy patted my hand and smiled. Sadly, I don't think she really understood very much about what I was telling her since she was a little inebriated. She may not have understood the message, but she did understand someone holding her hand, talking with her and spending time with her. I gave her a tract in Russian outlining what we had talked about. She said she would read it when she felt a little better. She left me with a squeeze of my hands and kisses on both cheeks. I hope that at some point she will look back and, if she isn't sure about her faith, make a decision to receive Christ.

Parting memory

We left Russia after eight days of sharing, learning, encouraging and praying. On our last day, a dozen church members hosted us for a barbeque, Russian style. They roasted pork on skewers, offered us fresh tomatoes, brown bread and several varieties of fruit juices. Even better than the delicious food was the warm fellowship. We didn't know many of the same songs, but we all knew "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art." The blending of American and Russian voices, offering music in both languages, was beautiful. I imagine God smiled when He heard the joyful noise.

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