A Believer who Believes in Miracles
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A Baptist businessman in Uzbekistan

M o s c o w -- Dmitry Pitirimov, a Baptist lay pastor and computer programmer by trade, believes it takes a miracle to be a successful Christian businessman in today’s Uzbekistan. In a conversation in Berlin in early December he stated: “Without miracles, business success is not possible. But we are believers, and believers believe in miracles, right? If we attempt something in faith, then all is possible.”

In 1989, three years before Pitirmov became a Christian, a US-American appeared in Tashkent. Together they quickly formed a company selling and servicing computers. They were early on the scene, in fact, they were the first private US-Uzbekistan Joint Venture founded in still-socialist Uzbekistan. The business was highly successful, but in 1991, the bank in which their profits were deposited folded. The Uzbek Baptist concedes: “That was a big amount of money which we lost forever.”

The American departed, and in 1995 Pitirimov was able to officially open a travel office in Tashkent. That was a natural development, for he had spent years hosting both church and business visitors from the West. He explains: “We had already worked for guests as interpreters. We even obtained living quarters and food for some. Many large firms in Uzbekistan got started with our help. I have remained a programmer at heart, but the industry of tourism is largely a matter of the Internet.”

This Baptist cannot separate faith and business. He stresses that his travel office – it has five employees - will only deal with customers who come to Uzbekistan for morally upright reasons. “We do not cooperate with tourists who come there to drink vodka or to deal in prostitution - we do not need their money. So many of our customers are repeat customers, and many indeed are Christians.” See their webpage: “www.parus87.com”.

The businessman also believes in the unity of all Christian believers: “I do not think that we could unify ourselves in one common house, but we can be unified in our struggle for a better future in our country.” He cites an example from Columbia/South America, where the joint protest of believers led to a dramatic drop in government corruption.

Dmitry Pitirimov has taken hard knocks as a businessman – but so has his denomination. So many Russian-speaking Baptists have left Uzbekistan, that the church now consists essentially “of a new generation which joined in the 1990s”. There are few ethnic Uzbeks in the church and the several congregations consisting primarily of Uzbeks “have many problems with the government. So when Uzbeks come to the faith, they usually do so in secret.”

But the businessman remains an unreformable optimist. “This may sound strange,” he admits, “but I believe only in a positive future for Uzbekistan. I will continue to live there and also wish a healthy future there for my grandchildren. We will pray and struggle against corruption. We will proclaim the Gospel and that will change our country for the better.” He continued: “Our primary problem is fear, and fear results in passivity. But if one believes in Jesus Christ, one has no reason to be fearful.”

Remaining in Uzbekistan is also a result of faith in God’s promises. Pitirimov recalled: “In 1993 I asked myself: ‘Why are Russians emigrating to America while Americans are coming to Uzbekistan to proclaim the Gospel?’ If I would leave too, it would mean that I am dissatisfied with my salary or the lack of security. But I do not want anything more – I am satisfied.” The businessman therefore made an agreement with God: If he has bread and the freedom to preach the Gospel, then he will not go anywhere else. “I will remain where God has promised to supply me with all that is necessary.”

The Baptist reports that all the able-bodied in his small, 30-member congregation are employed. “If a person has no work, we pray that the person might find some. We believe God has a job for you, that you can find it, and that he will take care of you. We believe that if you want something important and you attempt to achieve it honestly, then God will bless your efforts.” The Baptist stresses that his congregation is very much capable of funding itself.

Pitirimov sees summer camp as a wonderful opportunity to instil Christian values in the young. Though they themselves number only several thousand, the Baptists of Uzbekistan hold a summer camp involving eight sessions with 70 children each time. Their Camp Director states: “Kids need to feel that they are somebody and that they can achieve something. And if they cannot use their gifts to realise the good, they will use them to realise the bad. Kids are the most wonderful gift we have.”

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 26 December 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-59, 784 words.


Strong Families – Not Strong Church Buildings
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The thoughts of Dr. Denton Lotz after visiting the USSR and Russia for 49 years

M o s c o w -- Despite the grievous social and economic problems facing their society, Dr. Denton Lotz (Forestdale, Massachusetts/USA), the retired General-Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, is optimistic about the future of Baptists in Russia. The General-Secretary from 1988 to 2007 was in Moscow from 12 to 15 December to attend festivities celebrating the 15th anniversary of Moscow Theological Seminary (MTS) and the 40th anniversary of its study-by-extension Moscow Bible Institute. Lotz, who made the first of innumerable visits to the Soviet Union in December 1959, noted that many of the problems facing the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) are the same as those confronting Christians everywhere. These include conflict between younger and older generations and a distrust of central headquarters by local congregations and regional church bodies.

Rev. Lotz sees the dramatic growth of Baptist congregations in Moscow as one major cause for optimism and gratitude. “In 1989 there was still only one Baptist church in Moscow - now there are 26. The fact is: Freedom has come and brought many changes.” Citing the progress of MTS in transforming autonomous schools into branches of its own institution, he believes the seminary is playing a major role in unifying the RUECB. “Twenty years ago, many congregations were working exclusively with parachurch organisations, and this became detrimental to the unity of the Union. But many of the parachurch groups have returned home. I think the new seminary leadership under Dr. Peter Mitskevich has brought a lot of unity. Students are coming from all over the country and a great sense of unity comes from studying together. Russian Baptists are developing their own theologians and teachers and they are dealing with problems in a better way than outsiders who often do not understand the context or culture of Russia.”

Lotz is encouraged about the new direction of theological education among Russian Baptists. MTS has succeeded in uniting institutions with a total of 400 to 500 on-campus and external pastoral students. As is true worldwide, very often graduates of theological seminaries are not able to find a position as full-time pastor with a full-time salary that can support a family. He sees that very often the bi-vocational pastor holding a part-time secular job may be the most promising, long-term option. Indeed, Baptist pastors had also been bi-vocational during Soviet times.

Dr. Lotz advised the Baptists of Russia to cultivate their traditional strengths, for they never will be able to compete with the Orthodox in the size or number of church buildings. “After perestroika, we had begun to take on the mentality of the Orthodox,” he concluded. “The Orthodox see architecture as part of their mission. A building has to be large and needs to look like an ancient church. Sometimes, Protestants became too extravagant and ambitious in their building projects. We should pursue another model of the church,” Lotz insisted. “The Church as the body of Christ is more than a building. This has been our evangelical understanding of the Church. During communist times, the government was always surprised at the moral strength of the Russian Baptists. The same is true today. Russian Baptists have a great witness today by maintaining the model of a strong family life.” The guest also noted that Russian Baptists have kept their evangelical vigour better than many Western Baptists. In contrast to parts of the world where Baptists are a majority, Russian Baptists remain a small, dissident minority and have partly for that reason been able to remain distinct from the general society and offer an alternative and more Biblical lifestyle.

In a talk at the seminary, Denton Lotz advised local Baptists to be patient with the Charismatic movement. He noted that some Pentecostal churches, such as the 1914-founded “Assemblies of God”, now resemble the Baptists in theology and practice and do not always require everyone to speak in tongues. He believes the third generation of church members will often tend to return to the practice followed by the larger church prior to the original division.

The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 18 December 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-58, 689 words.


Repaying the Patriarch for His Kindness
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Russian Baptists official guests at funeral of Alexei II

M o s c o w -- Rev. Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), and Rev. Vitaly Vlasenko, this Union’s Director of External Church Relations, were among the roughly 500 invited guests who participated in the funeral procession of Alexei II, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, in Moscow on a rainy 9 December 2008. “It was very important for us to repay the Patriarch in kind for his cordiality,” Vlasenko explained. “He had always spoken very kindly to us and would respond to our greetings by saying: ‘May God bless you’.”

At the reception which followed, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stressed that the Patriarch’s efforts in instigating interconfessional dialogue were among the greatest of his achievements. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin added that church and state are indeed now separate in Russia. Vlasenko stated in an interview afterward: “We Baptists find ourselves in a truly new situation, and we also have Alexei to thank for this progress. We are living for the first time in a state committed to confessional neutrality; we need to avail ourselves of the opportunities this presents. The present situation is very different from Czarist or Communist times. We do not know what will happen in the future, but that is indeed the case now.” Other Russian Protestants present at the reception included Lutherans, Charismatics, Pentecostals and Adventists.

Vlasenko conceded that numerous regional Orthodox dignitaries treat Baptists and other Protestants badly. According to Vlasenko, when they stoop to taking repressive measures against the non-Orthodox, they are infringing against Russian law and not least of all against the principles of religious tolerance as propagated by their own Patriarch.

The Russian Orthodox Church has many detractors in Western societies. The Baptist Director of External Church Relations appealed to such persons to remember that the Orthodox Patriarch is respected by the Christian leaders of Russia. “We Protestants are part of a very large Christian family. When upholding Christian moral values, the Patriarch is speaking for us, too. We are an independent denomination, but we are also Russian and therefore cannot be completely separate.”

Rev. Tony Peck (Prague), General-Secretary of the European Baptist Federation, and Rev. Neville Callam (Falls Church/USA), General-Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, have both addressed letters of condolence to the Russian Orthodox. The new Patriarch is to be elected on 28 or 29 January 2009, and is to be inaugurated on 1 February.

The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 11 December 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-57, 412 words.


A Creator of Peace and Consensus
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Russian Baptists mourn the passing of Alexei II

M o s c o w -- Within hours after the death of Alexei II, the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia on 5 December, a letter of condolence appeared on the website of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB). In it, the Union’s President Yuri Sipko praises the Patriarch’s “massive, unifying role in the creation of peace and consensus during the travail of Russian society in the 1990’s. In those days, the voice of the Russian Orthodox Church was a voice of reconciliation and hope. We prize highly the courage and resolution which Partriarch Alexei II demonstrated during the formation of the New Russia.” This refers in part to his role during the attempted putsch of August 1991. The Patriarch had then spoken out clearly in support of democracy and the rule of law, in support of both Michael Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.

Rev. Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB’s Director of External Church Relations, was interviewed by Moscow’s major NTV television station on 7 December. On that and other occasions, Vlasenko lauded the deceased Patriarch for his courageous and controversial stance on moral values. An example of that was a session of the European Union’s Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg/France on 2 October 2007. In that speech and the ensuing discussion, Alexei had labelled homosexuality a sin and warned that an unduly broad understanding of tolerance and individual rights undermines Christian morality. In a press release on 15 October 2007, the RUECB agreed with Alexei and added that Christians need to “publicly uphold and fortify Christian moral values”. Both stated then that Christianity must secure a place for itself in the public arena.

Vlasenko, who met on numerous occasions with Alexei, praised him on his efforts to further interconfessional dialogue. As recently as 2 October, the Orthodox-Protestant-Catholic “Christian Inter-Confessional Advisory Committee for the CIS-Countries and Baltics” (CIAC) had reconvened after a hiatus of nearly seven years. Alexei had also been instrumental in fostering Orthodox-Baptist dialogue, which consisted in part of two theological consultations in late 2006 and early 2007. At a meeting with Neville Callam, the General-Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance in Moscow on 18 June, the Patriarch had encouraged the continuation of these consultations in the foreseeable future.

Rev. Vlasenko added: “The Patriarch had a very elegant and warm style. He always spoke to us kindly and remembered us Baptists very well. We felt like the Christian wisdom of the ages emanated from him. We hope very much that his successor will continue down the road of understanding between our two churches – the route which Alexei himself had embarked upon.”

Initial signs are encouraging. Interim head of the church until the election of a new Patriarch will be Kirill, the Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. Kirill, who also heads the Moscow Patriarch’s Office for External Relations. Kirill has had frequent contact with Russian Baptist leaders and headed the Orthodox delegation at the above-mentioned Orthodox-Baptist consultations.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 08 December 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-56, 482 words.


Surprisingly Good Relations
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The Baptists in Moldova and Transnistria

M o s c o w – Surprisingly, Baptist relations with the government are better in Transnistria – a narrow, 202-kilometre-long stretch of land which broke off from Moldova in 1990 – than in Moldova proper. Transnistria, squeezed in between Moldova and Ukraine, is a close ally of Russia. Valeriu Ghiletchi (Chisinau), President of the „Union of Christian-Evangelical Baptist Churches of Moldova“, explains: “Igor Smirnov, the President of Transnistria, writes letters to our leaders. When meetings of religious leaders take place, we are also invited. In a public meeting, Smirnov once praised Baptists as a good example.” Vladimir Voronin, the communist President of Moldova proper, has close ties with the Moscow Patriarchate.

New religious legislation passed in late 2007 further burdens the lives of Moldovan Protestants. Ghiletchi reports: „We still enjoy a lot of freedom. But this new law is not what we would have wanted. It grants the Orthodox a privileged status and expands the definition of proselytising. If it wants to, the state can now impose many restrictions on evangelism.”

Moldova has two large Orthodox churches: Its Russian Orthodox Church is a part of the Moscow Patriarchate; the Bessarabian Orthodox Church is allied with Romania. Though the Moscow Patriarchate hampers work of the Bessarabian church and its presence in Transnistria is nearly invisible, both churches regard themselves as responsible for the entire country. Baptists also refuse to recognise the political division; Baptist congregations in Transnistria simply form one of the Union's nine regional districts. The Baptist President for all of Moldova explains: „This one district is officially registered in Transnistria, but in the church constitution, we all remain together. It is very important that we stay one fraternal union.“ Crossing the border into Transnistria has become a common, daily event. Things only get complicated for Moldovan Baptists when they intend to remain in Transnistria for a number of days.

A bit over half of Moldova's Baptists attend Romanian-speaking congregations; 45% of them attend Russian-, Ukrainian- or Bulgarian-speaking ones. The President explains: „Our union and its leadership are multi-ethnic. That's our great strength even though this gives us headaches at times. As a minority in an Orthodox country, it remains vital that we stay united.“ He describes himself as a Romanian-speaking Moldovan. But he also speaks Russian and English and his family name is of Polish ancestry.

But perhaps Moldovan Baptists struggle most with themselves. More than 10.000 Baptists have emigrated to the West in the last 17 years. Valeriu Ghiletchi warns: „I foresee a crisis of leadership. It is difficult to recruit new leaders. The economy is very weak and the congregations are in no position to pay their pastors a salary.” The Baptist Union of Moldova represents 21.000 members gathered in 500 congregations and mission points. This includes 25 congregations with as many as 4.000 members in Transnistria. Moldovan Baptists have experienced phenomenal growth: During the Soviet era, the region of Transnistria had no more than three or four congregations.

Valeriu Ghiletchi is convinced that the political struggles between a former Soviet state and a breakaway region within it do not need to lead to war. Transnistria („Pridnestrovie“ in Russian) has only 17% of Moldova's population and 12% of its territory. Yet it was involved in a war with the remainder of Moldova from March until July 1992. But Ghiletchi assures: „I see no present danger of renewed military conflict between the two parts. We do not have the hateful inter-ethnic relations common for ex. in Georgia. Transnistria's population of 555.000 is almost equally divided between Moldovans, Russians and Ukrainians; the total for all of Moldova is 3,3 million.

Ghiletchi, a Vice-President of the European Baptist Federation, adds that the Moldovan government, which strives for equally-good relations with both the East and the West, has restricted itself to cooperative relations with both NATO and the EU. Due to the fact that Transnistria is without international recognition, its citizens possess Moldovan, Ukrainian or Russian passports - or any combination thereof.

Head Baptist pastor in Transnistria is Peter Kuzminski (Bender).

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 03 December 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-55, 662 words.


Orthodox March to Baptist Church in Lipetsk
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Orthodox demand the handing-over of a church without compensation

M o s c o w -- On 4 November, an annual Orthodox procession was held from the central Orthodox cathedral in Lipetsk to the “Church of the Trinity’s Conception” in the outlying region of “Sokol Metal Workers”. But not all of the 200 marchers had spiritual intentions. Traditionally-martial Cossacks and the nationalist „Slavic Union“ were part of the procession. Two nights later, 28 windows were destroyed in the Baptist-run structure.

In recent years, this provincial capital 235 miles (373 km) southeast of Moscow has become a focal point of tension between Orthodox and Baptists. In 1989, city fathers had handed over the Trinity church to the Baptists for their usage. The church’s pastor, Vladimir Ilovaisky states that Orthodox offices had at that time not protested the ruling that Baptists take on the heavily-damaged structure.

Actually, the dispute may revolve above all around money. Already in 1993, city officials had reversed their ruling and decreed that the Baptists return the building for appropriate compensation. (The value of Baptist investments is given as 22 million roubles ($53.000 US in Dec. 1992.) The Orthodox side did not agree to pay compensation. In the ensuing years, it refused any form of direction negotiation and accused the Baptists of seizing an Orthodox sanctuary. The position of the 100-member Baptist congregation has been that it will return the building for monetary compensation or for the usage of a building of similar value and size. In April 2008, the city decreed that Baptists must give up the building without compensation. Citing neglect in the filing of required tax statements, the government side underscored its position by dissolving the Baptist congegation as a legal entity.

Pastor Ilovaisky responds: “We have always handed in our tax reports on time. If we are guilty of something, then tax offices should inform us accordingly or levy a fine. They have instead taken away our legal status.” He adds: “We are not Barbarians and have no intention of defending the building by force. We know they can also take the building through deceit or trickery. But we still hope for a settlement of the matter through legal means.”

In its struggle for compensation and for restoration of its legal status, the congregation is being defended by Anatoly Pchelintsev of Moscow’s “Slavic Legal Centre”. The SLC, an official branch of the Washington-based “American Center for Law and Justice”, is Russia’s most experienced defender of Protestant legal concerns.

Vandalism

Vandalism also occurs elsewhere: Arson attacts on Protestant facilities in Russia continue at a rate of roughly one per month. On 23 October, a summer camp building owned by the Baptists in Smolensk near the border with Belarus was heavily damaged by arsonists. The building is regarded as a total loss. “The Outreach Foundation” of Franklin/Tennessee, a ministry of the “Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)”, will be engaged in efforts to finance its rebuilding.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 11 November 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-54, 470 words.


Russian-German Baptists Cannot be Bought
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A Conversation with Pastor Hermann Hartfeld

Interview as commentary

M o s c o w – The ethnic-German Baptist Hermann Hartfeld from Brühl/Germany grew up in Omsk/Siberia. He was arrested for his missionary efforts in 1962 at the age of 20 and sentenced to five years in a labor camp. During that period he got the “privilege” of doing sanitation work without protective gear on the atomic testgrounds at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan and labouring in uranium mines. He was arrested a third time in 1973 and allowed to emigrate to the West a year later. After theological studies in Western Europe, Winnipeg and Fresno/California, he served as a pastor in Switzerland and Germany beginning in 1981. From 1999 until his retirement in 2007, Hartfield, who has a doctorate in theology, lectured at the “Bible Seminary Bonn” (BSB), which is strongly supported by “Aussiedler” (Russian-Germans who have emigrated to Germany). Since the downfall of communism, Hartfeld has been active in building structures for the theological education of Baptists in Russia. He recently held lectures at the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists’ (RUECB) “Moscow Theological Seminary” on counseling. William Yoder interviewed him there on 16 October.

Is it fair to say that the Aussiedler in Germany are more conservative than those Baptists remaining in Russia today?
Ethnic Germans were already more conservative during the Sovet period. In the USSR they often had their own congregations and villages. Only ethnic-Russian Baptists were concerned about addressing Russian culture.

In Germany, they were then confronted with German Baptists who also seemed alien and different. Aussiedler were at home neither in Russia nor in Germany. They are still on a search to find their own identity.

Why are Aussiedler so afraid of inter-denominational relations? In view of Orthodox preponderance, Russian Protestants are forced to stand together – also with Pentecostals, of course. It’s a matter of survival.
Aussiedler are fearful and insecure. That fear is often justified by quoting Scripture, for ex. II. Thessalonians 2,9-10. Many of them assume the Antichrist is to be found within the ecumenical movement.

The few Aussiedler still attending German Baptist congregations impress me as shy and unsure of themselves. I feel sorry for them!
People were deeply intimidated in the Soviet Union, one did not attempt to express one’s position. One did not practice the skill of fruitful discussion. The second matter is language: Aussiedler do not speak German like the Germans from Germany. Those born in the USSR also rarely have the level of educational training Germans have. The mentality is different and inferiority complexes are strong.

You are among the few who have remained with the German Baptist „Federation of Evangelical Free Churches“ (BEFG). Why do you not belong to one of the Baptist unions founded by Aussiedler?
I come from the non-registered Baptists. I observed the tendencies towards division – also in Germany – and that turned me off. One accuses each other of having worked for the KGB; anybody who thought differently was immediately labeled a liberal. I told myself: “I don’t want to be a part of that. I’ve had enough of that. I want to build up the church of Christ.”

Is time on the side of the native German Baptists? Will coming generations bring about a merging of Russian-German and German unions?
The younger generation is freer on matters of external appearance. But many graduates of BSB are even stricter in ethical terms than were their parents – which I do not necessarly regard as problematic. Only a few young people will be joining the BEFG. The beginnings of historical-critical exegesis bother them – but apparently not all of them.

So is a long-term existence to the right of the evangelical mainstream (BEFG, Pentecostals, Lausanne Movement, Baptist World Alliance) plausible?
That indeed is thinkable. Bible institutes such as Brake, Giessen and the BSB will retain a reason to exist for a good while yet. Only a few Russian-Germans will find a path elsewhere.

Have the German Baptists really been friendly enough? Their congregations do not always have an inviting atmosphere. They often do not attempt to reach out to Aussieder.
I don’t think that’s very true. Pastors such as Dr. Günter Wieske and Viktor Krell have tried very hard. They gave the first Aussiedler pretty much everything. I think the sobering moment came in the 1980’s when the great exodus out of Russia began. One then began to condemn the German Baptists as “ecumenists” – even though they do not belong to the World Council of Churches. Also in ethical terms – sexual ethics, for ex. – they regarded the Germans as questionable.

German Baptists then responded with a disenchantment of their own. “We invested so much, we demonstrated so much love. We thought they were people arriving from the East who would reinvigorate our Union! And now they don’t want to have anything to do with us.” The Germans have grown tired. One says it won’t do any good anyways. We did so much and they have remained ungrateful. But that is also proof of the fact that Russian-German Baptists are very stubborn and cannot be bought. They otherwise would never have withstood the terrible persecution.

Aussiedler of Baptist background outnumber native German Baptists nearly 3 to 1. (The BEFG has a membership of 86.000). One is fearful that Aussiedler might help form – probably in cooperation with the the USA’s Southern Baptist Convention - an alternative, international Baptist union.
The largest Aussiedler congregations see no need to join forces with the SBC. They also will not be impressed by the funding which the SBC has to offer. Russian-German Baptists cannot be bought.

I think both sides have illusions. If the Russian-Germans only knew what all happens within the SBC! Southern Baptists are not unified, they are not a homogenic, fundamentalist and Biblically-inerrant Baptist movement. They presently have a conservative leadership. But if they would vote in another leadership, then many things would change. The SBC is a kind of “state church” in some regions of the US, and a large, decentrally-organised church can vary a great deal from location to location. There are even charismatic Southern Baptists.

Southern Baptist history has not always been uplifting. For a good while, they supported slavery and racism. SBC-leadership also approved of the still-ongoing war in Iraq. If Russian-Germans get wind of that, they could break ties immediately. The SBC only needs to make one major mistake and it will be history for them.

There are Baptist unions in Central Asia who rely on funding from this source. But that really only functions until one becomes well-acquainted. One can observe that time-and-again: When movements become well-acquainted, their differences become much too great. In the SBC, women have no head covering and wear pants. Even a Southern Baptist cannot always survive without a cigar. What one tries to forbid in one’s own union, is part of the daily bread among the foreign partner.

Are the immigrants in the USA from the USSR different from those in Germany?
They are culturally more integrated in the USA. They are somewhat more liberal there, but not necessarily more liberal theologically. Those who have emigrated to North America or Germany are very reserved towards each other. The Russian-German believes he has suffered too much at the hands of the Russians to support them financially now. They prefer to give their funding for missions to Africa or South America. They will also help more readily in Ukraine; hundreds of thousands are flowing into Moldova. “Russians have done us evil,” they say. And they identify communist torture with the Russians per se. That feeling resides down deep within older persons and cannot be removed. But the younger generation sees things quite differently.

That is very unjust! The Russians themselves also suffered immensely at the hands of the communist system.
The Russians are completey correct about that! The vast majority of Baptists in prison with me were Russians. But those three centuries of German history in Russia cannot be erased.

In Germany, Russian-Germans are very happy to receive Russians from Russia as guests.
(RUECB-President) Yuri Sipko is always welcome there – also at the BSB for ex. But one still does not have a sense of belonging together.

What has become different among the Baptists in Russia during the last 20 years? What surprises you?
They have gotten lukewarm. The repression earlier had fired their enthusiasm. They were oriented towards mission. Today, people are fighting for economic survival – or they want to possess more than just the necessities. Congregational life no longer takes centre stage – financial success does. In my youth, we survived on bread and water and were happy. Today I see grumpy, unhappy faces dissastisfied with their material status.

Congregations are no longer interested in centralised structures. They simply up-and-leave the Union if they feel like it. They prefer to be autonomous. This too makes me very sad. We need unity in Christ and not splinter groups bent on doing their own thing.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 08 November 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and expresses solely the opinion of the interviewed person. May be published freely. Release #08-53, 1.475 words.


Russian Baptists and Barack Obama
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Baptist statement on the election victory

Commentary

We know that many of our friends in the USA are disappointed that John McCain did not win the presidential election. We Russian Baptists too are concerned that the struggle for Christian values – for the family and against abortion - may have suffered a setback through the Democratic victory.

At the same time, we are very hopeful that the victory of a Democratic president might lead to better relations between the USA and Russia. We hope that the war in Iraq can be ended soon, and that the USA might again become a part of the “concert” of European nations. May the USA see itself as a partner and not as a country apart and aloof from other nations. We do not want another Cold War.

We are happy that Barack Obama is a member of a Protestant (United Church of Christ) denomination and that he has close ties to the Baptist community in Chicago. We congratulate Dr. Obama on his victory, for it shows that even a person with a very modest background can achieve great things. That is a source of hope to all of us. His victory is an example of the great possibilities which democracy can bring.

We wish Barack Obama and our two countries God’s best.

Rev. Vitaly Vlasenko, Department Director for External Church Relations
Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists
Moscow, 07 November 2008

baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-52, 211 words.


Supplementing Dialogue with Deeds
-------------------------------------------------------------
Interdenominational Russian committee planning to visit Georgia

M o s c o w -- Before the end of 2008, Moscow’s “Christian Inter-Confessional Advisory Committee” (CIAC) is planning to send a delegation of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant leaders to Georgia. The Protestant member of the triumvirate heading the CIAC, the Baptist Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), explained: “We must go and meet with political and religious leaders as well as with people in general. We must grasp what is happening there and see how best we can help. Russian churches have been very involved in helping South Ossetia, but we have done very little in Georgia. It is my hope that not only words, but that also deeds might result from the on-going church dialogue between Russia and Georgia.” Vlasenko is Director of External Church Relations for the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB).

This desire to form a Russian delegation is one result of a meeting between Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian Baptist leaders at Irpen near Kiev on 30 October. Since RUECB-President Yuri Sipko (Moscow) had not accompanied Vlasenko to the European Baptist Federation’s Council sessions in Lisbon/Portugal at the end of September, Georgian Baptist Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili (Tbilisi) had requested that an additional meeting between the two sides take place.

Pastor Vlasenko described the meeting in Irpen as “extremely warm”: “We are old friends and we talked accordingly. I felt total love and acceptance. This terrific atmosphere will be a good foundation for future talks.” He conceded that Sipko’s absence in Portugal supported lingering doubts as to whether the RUECB truly was committed to in-depth relations with the Georgian side. Yet through his actions in Irpen, President Sipko “has proven that our hand of friendship truly is extended towards Georgia. Three very positive things have happened in sequence - our statement on friendship in August as well as the meetings in Lisbon and Irpen – and this should prove that we Russian Baptists are serious and committed in our relationship with Georgian Baptists.”

The Director of External Church Relations cautioned that full agreement has not yet been attained, “but we are continuing to work on a relationship that goes down deeply. We are willing to learn more about our differences and we hope to find unity in our differences. Each national union has the right to be unique. If its special traditions help us to understand God better and to love each other more, then they indeed will be helpful to all of us.”

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 12 November 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-51, 400 words.

Our release 08-50 consists of a declaration passed in Irpen on 30 October.


Declaration

”Blessed are the peacemakers." Matthew 5:9

We representatives of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, represented by Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili and Bishop Merab Gaprindashvili, and Union of Evangelical Christian-Baptists of Russia, represented by the Revd President Yuri Sipko and the Revd Vitaly Vlasenko, met in Kiev on 30th October 2008. The meeting was facilitated by the former President of the European Baptist Federation, the Revd Gregory Komendant.

To sort out our relations between our churches and offer visible symbol of possible reconciliation between our churches, peoples and countries.

We condemn the war between our countries as pointless and brutal. The issues between our countries should not be solved by military means.

We call the Russian and Georgian authorities to seek peaceful resolution of the conflict between our countries.

We urge all the peoples of faith communities to facilitate the process of forgiveness and reconciliation between our peoples.

We mourn about the death of all civilians and soldiers from all the sides who lost their lives during the war.

We agree to fully recognize each others churches in their integrity and take bold steps to understand each other and respect each others experience.

We decided, in expression of our common allegiance to Christ, to visit each in our countries to promote friendship and understanding between our peoples.

We commit ourselves to enter theological dialogue between our churches to promote mutual cooperation in the Mission of God.

Archbishop Malkhaz Songulashvili
Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia

The Revd President Yuri Sipko
Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Russia

The Revd Gregory Komendant
European Baptist Federation

Kiev, October 30, 2008

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 30 October 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-50, 260 words.


The Brotherhood is Alive
--------------------------------------------------
New committees created at Fall Russian Baptists sessions

M o s c o w -- „Our brotherhood is alive and puts its decisions into action.” That was the response of Yuri Sipko (Moscow), President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), to the news that donations from congregations this year would far exceed the amount given in 2007. At the end of July, the donated amount was already more than twice as much as the total given for all of last year. These good tidings were reported at the Fall sessions of the Union Council (Soyuz Sovieta), which ended on the campus of the RUECB’s Moscow seminary on 24 October.

President Sipko described the creation of five new committees as a special feature of the Fall sessions – they were created to help make decisions more effective. Each of the five committees is chaired by a regional superintendent (also called “starshy presviter” or “bishop”). Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), Director of External Church Relations, noted: “I believe the five new committees will lead to the regions being more actively involved in the affairs of the central office. They promise better coordination and support for the tasks at hand. Ties between the central office and regions will be improved.”

The five committees have a mandate to supervise and support the work of the RUECB’s departments. The Committee for Church Service led by Alexander Mandzyuk (Naberezhnye Chelny) will oversee the work of the departments for Pastors, Theology and Catechism, Youth, Children, Men’s and Women’s work. Superintendent Victor Zaitsev from the distant city of Irkutsk will head the committee for Mission and Evangelisation. The educational committee headed by Superintendent Peter Vorobyov (Volgograd) will oversee both formal and informal educational programmes. Superintendent Victor Ignatenkov (Smolensk) will check the work of the departments for Mass Media and External Relations. The committee on Finance and Budget will be led by Andrei Protasov from Protovsk-Zabaikalsk in Chita Region.

Following the sessions a participant concluded: “This was a first step on the road to reform. We will need to exert ourselves in order to achieve a sustainable process of reform.” The Union’s next president is scheduled to begin his term in 2010.

President Sipko assured that the RUECB intends to increase its efforts to reach the non-Slavic minorities resident in the Russian republics of Yakutiya, Khakassia and Bashkortostan. Missionaries intend to study their history, languages and cultures. These peoples are to receive the New Testament in their mother tongue – even if no translation is available at present.

It was reported on matters of real estate that a well-endowed renter (a firm selling fire fighting equipment) took over the 3rd and 4th floors of RUECB headquarters at the beginning of August. An upgrading of electrical and ventilation systems is still needed in the building.

The second increment of a two-year programme to further the education of superintendents took place during the 10 days prior to the beginning of the Council. The programme had been instituted last March. Those without a Masters’ degree in theology can hope to obtain one within a two-year period through this programme. Approximately 51 of the Union’s 57 superintendents were present for the programme; the remaining were excused for reasons of health.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 29 October 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-49, 520 words.


Turn off the TV and Start Talking
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Russian Protestant leader attends parliamentary sessions in Strasbourg

Commentary

M o s c o w -- Sergey Ryakhovsky (Moscow), Bishop of the Charismatic, loosely-structured, 2.000-congregation “Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith”, has voiced strong support in the past for the Russian administrations of Putin and Medvedev. He has on that basis defended Protestant interests against nationalists bent on eliminating the evangelical witness from Russia. A polemic from Ryakhovsky in late August illustrates this stance well. In it he attacked the fiery Orthodox cleric Alexander Dvorkin (Moscow), regarded by some as a specialist on sects and the cults, as an agent of US-foreign policy. Dvorkin, a naturalised US-citizen, had spent the two decades prior to 1990 in the USA, studied Orthodox theology there and worked a while for both Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. The Bishop stated: “The US-administration operates with a double standard. Under the cover of its citizen, the Orthodox zealot Dvorkin, it lashes out in Russia with all of its strength against Protestantism and incites hatred against it. In return, Russia is then accused year-in-year-out of infringing upon human rights and freedom of conscience. In Georgia though, the very same US-administration does not even notice the systematic repression of (Protestant) believers by that government.”

As a member of the “Council for Cooperation with Religious Organisations at the Seat of the Russian President”, Bishop Ryakhovsky was a part of the Russian delegation to the Fall sessions of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly. They were held in Strasbourg/France from 29 September to 3 October. In a description published on 22 October he wrote: “The general atmosphere among the parliamentarians was, to put it mildly, not exactly in favour of Russia. And it was very obvious that European mass-media intended to ignore our delegation. When our delegates spoke with conviction, translators tended to swallow the words. It was highly apparent that in the informational realm, we Russians still have a great deal to learn. I was in Strasbourg for the first time and we seemed to be aliens there.”

“The Western position on truth is more than simply anti-Russian. It places Russia in the position of the aggressor - or even worse. We are not understanding each other. Emotions are laid bare; everyone is giving vent to his/her pain.”

Ryakhovsky reported that the Georgian delegation in Strasbourg consisted of young, highly-educated persons speaking excellent English. “These people were trained in the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union along with its tradition of international friendship. They’re a part of the new generation accustomed only to anti-Russian rhetoric; they do not remember our country. So it’s important for us to understand why they are as they are. It’s terrible that visa requirements prevent us from becoming acquainted.”

Ryakhovsky concluded: The West “has a different mentality and other institutions for realising democracy. But I have seen at the Council sessions that we no longer dare rely strictly on our own truths, for our truths often do not take the views of others into consideration. We humans possess colossal means for hearing and for being heard. We live mutually in one common house called ‘earth’.”

Rev. Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), Director for External Relations for the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), responded: “We Russian Baptists cannot forget the fact that we are also Russian citizens. We are co-responsible for the work of our government. We are patriots – but not at the expense of other nations, and not at the expense of the historical and present truth. We along with Sergey Ryakhovsky want to help our nation and its people flourish. Bishop Ryakhovsky cannot speak for the RUECB. And sometimes we suspect that his statements about the West are too belligerent. Yet much of what he said about Strasbourg is understood by our people - these sentiments are not uncommon among Russian Protestants. It the mass media are a problem, then we need in both East and West to turn off the television, log-off the Internet and start talking.”

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 24 October 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-48, 653 words.

A Wake-Up Call from the Russian Government
-----------------------------------------------------------------
56 religious organisations officially scheduled for liquidation

M o s c o w -- On 15 October, a declaration unexpectedly appeared on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing 56 religious organisations scheduled for liquidation (“minjust.lgg.ru/ru/activity/nko/religorg”). These stem from a number of major world faiths and included Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, the Catholic “Caritas” as well as small, dissident Orthodox groups and one organisation belonging to the Kiev Orthodox Patriarchate. Yet at least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations. These include the humanitarian “World Vision” and “Youth with a Mission”. At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the “Billy Graham Evangelistic Association” and three regional districts of the “Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” (RUECB). Apparently; several entire churches are up for liquidation, including the “Union of Churches of Presbyterian Christians” and the “Assemblies of God”. Even the 26-congregation-strong “Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians” is scheduled for elimination. Its Bishop, businessman Alexander Semchenko, remains a member of the prestigious “Council for Cooperation with Religious Organisations at the Seat of the Russian President”.

Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB’s Director for External Church Relations, warns against undue alarm, for the declaration states only that the Justice Department “plans to file liquidation claims” against the 56. “This is a wake-up call,” the Pastor adds. “This is certainly not the last word on the matter.” He reports that thousands of religious organisations were registered during the 1990s, and that a number of them are now virtually defunct. Many have failed to submit the annual reports on activities and finance demanded by Russian law. In some cases, registered and factual activities no longer match. In one instance, a Baptist organization registered in Moscow is active only in Siberia.

Attorney Anatoly Pchelintsev from Moscow’s „Slavic Centre for Law and Justice“ (SCLC) sees serious injustice in the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate is absent from the list. Due to its overpowering size, the law of averages would demand that a least a few of its organisations find their way onto the list. Yet Protestants, who speak for less than 1% of the Russian population, make up 62% of the total list. He sees no regard for the appropriateness of means, describing liquidation as akin to meting out the death penalty to persons found guilty of jaywalking. “Such actions fly in the face of official Russian state policy on the freedom of worship and creed.” Pchelintsev, a seasoned legal veteran, believes the responsible officials are hardly aware of the complicated international ramifications of their own decree and cites the possibility of “chaos and destabilisation in church-state relations”.

In June, the highly-active SCLJ succeeded in getting a decision requiring the liquidation of a 30-member Methodist congregation in Smolensk overturned. Two years ago, it won a European Court ruling in Strasbourg sentencing the Russian Federation to a fine for having forbidden the work of the Salvation Army. The SCLJ was initially formed in 1993 and took on its present name when it became an affiliate of the Washington/DC-based “American Center for Law and Justice” (ACLJ) in 1998. The head of ACLJ is Jay Sekulow, America’s leading attorney on religious affairs. ACLJ was founded in 1990 by the controversial Pat Robertson, a Southern Baptist and charismatic. He is probably America’s most prominent television preacher.

The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 21 October 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-47, 567 words.

NOTE : In August we reported that the Brethren church-aligned Rucheyok (Little Creek) retreat camp in Rumyantsevo west of Moscow had been shut-down until September 6. It indeed was able to reopen in September and is now working normally. It had been closed by the government following the biennial RUECB conference, which had ended there on 4 August.


Wisdom Has Not Been Globalised
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A Russian Baptist attends the World Public Forum for the first time

M o s c o w -- From 9 to 13 October, the World Public Forum’s “Dialogue of Civilizations” convened on the Greek island of Rhodes very close to Turkey for its 6th annual session. The event was attended by 700 political, cultural, business and religious leaders from no less than 60 countries. A Russian Baptist was invited to the Forum for the very first time: Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow) from the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) was even asked to speak at a smaller meeting. After the event, the Director of the RUECB’s Department for External Church Relations declared: “The Dialogue of Civilisations has opened up a new world for me. I think such meetings are of vital importance in the effort to obtain global peace and understanding.” Pastor Vlasenko especially appreciated the oft-repeated comment: “We have globalised everything – except for wisdom.” He added: “Only the open, trustworthy dialogue between the political, religious and economic sectors can make it possible for us to attain international peace and understanding. The world continues to resemble the Tower of Babel. It is therefore critically important that Christian leaders are present in the public arena.”

Vlasenko praised the lecture of Damir Mukhetdinov, Rector of “Nizhny Novogord Islamic Institute”. He had distanced himself strongly from fundamentalist Islam and stated: “Original teaching on the Koran proclaimed a pluralism of religion, culture and civilisation for all time. Pluralism is an integral part of earthly existence and disagreements are a natural part of being human.”

The World Public Forum was founded in 2002 by Vladimir Yakunin, now President of Russia’s national railways, and one representative each from Greece and India. Instrumental in its founding was also the relatively-liberal Mohammad Khatami, at that time the President of Iran. Khatami had called for the creation of a “Dialogue of Civilizations” as response to the concept of an inevitable “Clash of Civilizations” as propagated by the US-political scientist Samuel Huntington. The Russian government supports this movement - initial opening festivities had been held in the Kremlin on 19 May 2002. The Forum is a strong advocate of the multi-polar world and rejects any concept of globalisation assuming the primacy of a single world power. A leading speaker at this year’s event was Alfred Gusenbauer, Chancellor of militarily-neutral Austria.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 16 October 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-46, 372 words.


A Necessary Embrace
---------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Lisbon sessions of the General Council of the European Baptist Federation
Commentary

M o s c o w – Before the eyes of the European Baptist Federation’s (EBF) General Council convening in Lisbon/Portugal on 26 September, Malkhaz Songulashvili (Tbilisi),
Archbishop of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, and Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), Director of External Church Relations for the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, (RUECB), embraced. That was one result of the conversation between the two lasting for more than four hours and reflected the spiritual understanding which had been achieved. Much more burdens the relationship between Russian and Georgian Baptists than simply the moral and political assessment of a very unfortunate but brief war. Georgia was one of the “little brothers” within the Soviet era’s “All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists”. “Big Brother” was located of course in Moscow. That history and the Georgian church’s – it no longer regards itself as a union – cultural movement towards Georgian Orthodoxy supplied the conversation with more than enough topics.

The need for further clarification remains. RUECB-President Yuri Sipko (Moscow) was not present in Portugal. For that reason, an additional meeting of Baptist leaders from Georgia and Russia is planned for Kiev in late October.

Generally, the persistent gap between European Baptists in East and West places the EBF before significant hurdles. EBF-General-Secretary Tony Peck (Prague) and his team are honourable people deeply committed to bringing the Baptist unions of Eastern Europe into EBF structures. One sign of that desire was the election of the Croatian Toma Magda (Cakovec) as President of the EBF in 2007. He will be succeeded in 2009 by a Moldovan: Valeriu Ghiletchi of Chisinau.

Nevertheless, the EBF still appears to tilt sideward in favour of the Anglo-Scandinavian world. Reasons for that are often linguistic: Persons without a command of English remain on the sidelines at EBF sessions. Matters are inverted at meetings held by the “Euro-Asian Federation of Unions of Evangelical Christians-Baptists”. Russian is the lingua franca there and Russian and Ukrainian Baptists tend to fill the leadership roles. Perhaps this Federation might be called an Eastern-EBF – except for Georgia and the Baltics, it represents all unions once belonging to the USSR.

But the gap was also apparent in the choice of subjects. Christians and ecology was the primary topic of this year’s sessions in Lisbon. East European Baptists though are still sufficiently dualistic to divide the world into more-and-less-important issues. And for these church leaders, ecology clearly belongs to the category of less-important.

Also for East European Baptists, the practice of Communion remains a vital spiritual matter. They regretted that the only Communion which Lisbon had to offer was one heavily Orthodox in style celebrated by the Georgian Baptist church. Representatives of Western churches are enthusiastic about the creativity and attempts at cultural integration emanating from Georgian Baptists. But East Europeans would prefer to remain true to their tested-and-proven identity stemming from the period of repression.

Late Summer 2008 featured two large Baptist youth congresses: the Baptist World Alliance’s youth event in Leipzig, and an Eastern one in Odessa. That divide was not necessarily intentional – least of all among the hosts in Leipzig. High costs and Schengen’s strict visa regulations contributed to the gap – but perhaps one also prefers in a very general sense to be among one’s own kind.

What is to be done? It is permissible to defend the preferences and desires of the unions in Central and Eastern Europe. It remains clear they no longer want to survive apart from the unions of Western Europe – who of us could long for a return to Cold War conditions? This would be one important task for Pastor Valeriu Ghiletchi.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 07 October 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release stemming from the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. But it is a commentary and completely reflects only the opinion of William Yoder. May be published freely. Release #08-45, 592 words.


Denominational Missions are Desired
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Moscow conference on mission experiences of the past 20 years

Commentary

M o s c o w -- On 18 September, the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) held its first conference ever dedicated to analysing the historical successes and failures of Protestant mission in post-Soviet Russia. One-hundred-ten persons from Russia and elsewhere attended the conference in Moscow’s Central Baptist Church. It was entitled, “20 Years Later. Mission in Russia: Experiences and the Prospects of Partnership”, and was organised primarily by the RUECB’s Missions Department.

Reports after the meeting indicated that negative developments were attributed to insufficient cooperation between Western missions and local congregations in Russia. “Some missions arrived with their own, ready-made strategies and financial concepts,” one participant stated. “That placed the congregation in a secondary role; local believers felt left-out and soon lost interest. Missions and local congregations had differing expectations.”

Interdenominational, parachurch missions, very much a part of everyday life in the West, have tended to create programmes operating apart from the local congregation in Russia. Without desiring to do so, they have often drawn the best workers away from the historical churches. One conclusion drawn by Baptist participants present stated: “The mission societies which we must create in Russia will need to operate under church leadership. We desire denominational missions, for they will best strengthen the work of our existing, small congregations.”

Self-criticism was not lacking from the conference. It was noted for ex. that Russian believers frequently came into the employ of a foreign mission without having caught the positive vision the foreign mission was attempting to instil.

In today’s context of strongly-diminished foreign finances and workers and greatly increased public resistance to foreign mission endeavours, models for mission must be found which are financially sustainable for the long-term and can survive, if necessary, without foreign funding. Talk on sustainable models for mission in today’s laissez-faire, capitalist society are still in the infant stage. Honest talk between foreigners and nationals caring about mission in Russia must continue.

The conference was not lacking in praise for the much good which has occurred. Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB’s Department Director for External Church Relations, stressed that there always have been foreign missionaries committed to working through the local church. They approached the local congregation with great sensitivity and did not have a ready-made plan or strategy to push. He added that interdenominational missions have been a vital resource for training and instructional materials. He believes that “Campus Crusade for Christ” could still be a great help to the RUECB in developing its ministries among students and the young.

Exceptions to the rule exist. Slavic Gospel Association, which was represented at the conference by its President, Robert Provost (Loves Park/Illinois), is an interdenominational mission. But in Russia it has worked closely with the RUECB over the past 15 years.

RUECB-President Yuri Sipko noted at the meeting, that in 1992 when the RUECB was founded as one successor to the all-Soviet “All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists”, it spoke for no more than 600 congregations. Today, that number approaches 1.750. That major jump is due in part to the breaking-up of the few, often very large congregations resulting from the restrictive policies of the Soviet authorities. But this is also an indication of the ability of Russian Baptists to do mission both with and without foreign support.

A second international forum on the past and future of evangelical mission is scheduled to be held in Irpen near Kiev/Ukraine from 24-25 October. Hosting agency will be the Wheaton/Illinois-based “Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries”.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 07 October 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release stemming from the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. But it is a commentary and completely reflects only the opinion of William Yoder. May be published freely. Release #08-44, 588 words.


Truly a Great Meeting
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After seven years, interconfessional committee meets again

M o s c o w -- Following a hiatus lasting nearly seven years, the “Christian Inter-Confessional Advisory Committee for the CIS-Countries and Baltics” (CIAC) consisting of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants reconvened in Moscow’s Orthodox Pilgrims’ Centre on 2 October. The sessions were entitled: “Christianity in the Contemporary World – National and Global”. Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), Director of External Church Relations for the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) and Protestant representive on the three-man leadership team, enthused: “It was truly a great meeting.” He was surprised and pleased by the honesty and candidness expressed by the 25 church leaders from Armenia, Latvia, Belarus and Russia during the non-public, five-hour-long segment of the discussions.

The Baptist pastor reported after the sessions on the pain and offence Russians feel regarding the fact that their nation as a whole is blamed for the short-comings and crimes of the erstwhile Soviet Union. Josef Stalin was a Georgian with an Ossetian mother, his long-time secret police chief, Lavrenti Beria, was a Mingrelian from Abkhazia. Cheka-founder Felix Dzerzhinsky was a Pole from Belarus. Nikita Khrushchev, party head from 1953 to 1964, was from Ukraine. Only half of the Soviet Union’s citizens were ethnic Russians; Pastor Vlasenko noted that millions of Russians also suffered or died at the hands of the Soviet state.

Vlasenko appreciated the comment from the Armenian Orthodox representative who asked: “Do we ever say thank you for the good our peoples did for each other? The Soviet government rebuilt very many houses and factories following WW II.” Vlasenko added: “Many of us former Soviet citizens want to remain friends, but it is our governments who drive us apart. Governments tend to place all the blame on another nation; small nations claim to have been misused by larger ones.” He believes many Ukrainians have been unjust in only stressing negative aspects of the Russian nation.

It was agreed at the meeting on 2 October to form a secretariat responsible for planning and scheduling the CIAC’s future work. The secretariat will be located in offices of the Moscow Patriarchy. Probably most active within the secretariat will be Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin and Father Igor Vyzhanov from the Patriarchy’s Department of External Church Relations. Besides Vlasenko, the other two members of CIAC leadership are Kirill, Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad and head of Orthodox external relations, and Pavel Pezzi, the Roman-Catholic Archbishop of Moscow Diocese – Russia’s leading Catholic.

At Moscow consultations with the Geneva-based “Conference of European Churches” (CEC) in February 2007, the decision had been made to resuscitate CIAC. The CIAC, created in 1993 to ease communication between churches in the countries of the former USSR, held major conferences in 1994, 1996 and 1999. It even organised a major youth conference in 2001. Yet its activity was suspended by the Orthodox in February 2002 after the Vatican surprisingly decided to upgrade its non-regional “apostolic administrations” within Russia to four regionally-organised “diocese”. The Orthodox view this as serious breach of Russian canonical law. Regarding the CIAC-breakthrough, Metropolitan Kirill stated at the closing press conference on 2 October: “I cannot claim that all matters of dispute have been resolved and that all has been absolutely normalised. But it is a fact that we are moving actively towards overcoming these difficulties.”

Pastor Vlasenko commented later: “I want to emphasize that these sessions are not a part of the Ecumenical movement. The CIAC is simply an important platform for interdenominational dialogue about our past and future.” Prominent dignitaries at this meeting included Edmund Ratz, Petersburg-based Archbishop of the “Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Central Asia”. Protestants were in the majority at the sessions on 2 October.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 06 October 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-43, 600 words.


Humanitarian Support for South Ossetia Up-and-Running
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Russian Protestant efforts and thoughts on Ossetia

M o s c o w -- Humanitarian and support visits by Russian Baptists in the desperately poor Georgian enclave of South Ossetia are up-and-running. Valentin Vasilizhenko from the Moscow headquarters of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) was among the most recent visitors. He reports a great openness for the Gospel and strong expressions of gratitude for Protestant efforts from local authorities. He was on location at the end of August to help distribute a first instalment of 200 backpacks filled with school supplies for schoolchildren. This program, which is supported strictly by Russian funding, is scheduled to deliver a total of 1.000 backpacks. Government authorities have not cricised the fact that these backpacks also contain children’s Bibles. Pastor Vasilizhenko reported that his support group was able to hold many meetings at public places. “Tropinka”, the Protestant children’s choir based in the North Ossetian capital of Vladikavkas, has already been called on to sing in South Ossetia.

In an event not directly related to the war, the evangelical radio station MCC in the relative Protestant stronghold of Vladikavkas was supplied with a new broadcast antenna from St. Petersburg at the end of August. It will replace a provisional antenna in use for the past decade. It is broadcasting 24-hours-per-day on 104,9 FM and can be heard in the South Ossetian enclave within Georgia proper.

One of the first Moscow Protestants to visit post-war South Ossetia was Sergei Ryahovski, Bishop of the large, loosely-structured “Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith”. His lengthy report afterward was decidedly pessimistic, stating that “the people are full of hate. I saw hate in the eyes of our evangelical believers. There is hate in their souls and that is truly horrible to see.”

According to his report, the 300 Pentecostals and Charismatics of Tskhinvali cannot accept the fact that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili broke his word by initiating hostilities. In the early morning of 8 August, a heavily-populated segment of the sleeping city was attacked with rockets by Georgian forces. Ryahovski insisted that he cannot criticise evangelicals for taking up arms against Georgian forces. “They were only protecting their families, their turf, their houses. All men were under arms in Tskhinvali – they had no other choice.” Yet he also interpreted the Georgian-Ossetian war as a great defeat for Christian believers. Though Ossetians, Georgians and Russians are nominally all Orthodox peoples, they had proven themselves incapable of avoiding a military conflict.

On a somewhat different note, the Charismatic Bishop exclaimed: “Thanks to God that we have a million Georgians living with us in Russia! Many of them have retained cool heads and feel ashamed because of Saakashvili.” (The population of Georgia is only 4,6 million.)

Back in Moscow and two days after the Russian Federation officially recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia on 26 August, Sergei Ryahovski signed a declaration lauding his government’s actions. It reads in part: “Russian Protestants regard the Russian President’s recognition of Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence as a step which expresses the will of the residents of these two republics. We believe this will make it possible for a long history of suffering, the demise of innocents and territorial destruction to be brought to a close.” Co-signers of the statement were the Seventh-Day Adventist President Vassili Stolyar and the businessman Alexander Semchenko, now serving as Bishop of the 26-congregation-strong “Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians”. All three signers are members of the “Council for Cooperation with Religious Organisations at the Seat of the Russian President”.

The position of the RUECB on the conflict in Georgia and Ossetia is best described by the statement “We Extend the Hand of Friendship”, which it initially published on 24 August. The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 12 September 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-42, 640 words.


Extending the reach of our love and concern
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Aid needed for the victims of war in Ossetia and Georgia

M o s c o w -- Caring persons living at distant locations can indeed make significant impact for the cause of peace and reconciliation in the embattled Caucasus region of Eastern Europe. Believers from afar usually cannot hug and console refugees and the bereaved in the Caucasus themselves, but – thanks to the invention of money – other willing and loving persons on location can serve as extensions of our own arms and legs.

A focal point for Protestant humanitarian aid in the Russian-controlled areas of North and South Ossetia is the Vladikavkas/Russia-based “North Ossetian Mission of Christian Compassion” (NOMCC). Thousands of children from the war zones are presently camping in schools and other public facilities in the regon of Vladikavkas in North Ossetia-Alania. The mission writes about its volunteers: “We are ready and eager to offer the children suffering from the war in South Ossetia spiritual and material aid.” Programme costs per child are estimated to be no less than 1.000 roubles (28 euros or $42), but the number served will depend heavily on the amount of aid received. The goal is to support between 4 and 6.000 children (totalling 168.000 euros or $252.000). The Russian government has explicitedly requested the mission’s services; Baptist aid shipments out of St. Petersburg have already arrived.

The officially-recognised NOMCC was formed in 1990 by Rev. Peter Lunichkin, now the St. Petersburg-based head of Russian Baptist Union social programmes. It has been allied with Germany’s “Light in the East” mission from the beginning and has in that capacity also been involved in evangelistic programmes. A children’s magazine and choir, both named “Tropinka” (Footpath), stem from “Light in the East” (www.lio-mission.de). Other strong NOMCC partners include the US-based “Baptist World Aid” (www.bwanet.org) and Holland’s “Dorcas Aid International” (www.dorcas.net). Another partner, Pennsylvania-based “Mennonite Central Committee”, has just made one of the first larger, material shipments. All of these agencies can channel donations in dollars or euros to NOMCC. NOMCC’s current director is Valeria Lunichkin, (nomcc@nomcc.org or www.nomcc.org).

NOMCC played a major role in channelling aid to the neighbouring city of Beslan following the school massacre of September 2004. That horrific event also claimed many Ossetian lives.

All of the above non-Russian organisations can also send aid to war victims in Georgian-held territory. A primary channel of Baptist aid within Georgia proper is the 10-year-old “Betheli Humanitarian Association” run by the “Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia” (www.ebcgeorgia.org). It’s Archbishop is Malkhaz Songulashvili. Western funds can be sent to Betheli through an account at a German Baptist bank:

Spar- und Kreditbank EFG eG, Bad Homburg, Germany.
Account Nr. 11474 47,
IBAN: DE95 5009 2100 0001 1474 47
BIC: GENODE51BH2
Beneficiary: Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia

Betheli reports that it will frequently be using donated funds to purchase relief supplies in neighbouring Turkey.

Persons wanting a North American tax receipt are particularly welcome to contribute via:

Baptist World Aid - Ossetia and Georgia Relief
Baptist World Alliance
405 North Washington St
Falls Church, VA 22182

In all cases, proper usage of funding is guaranteed.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 29 August 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-41, 504 words


Rucheyok Church Camp Still Closed
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Biannual Baptist congress has memorable aftermath

M o s c o w -- Vladislav Vovk, head of the Brethren church-aligned Rucheyok (Little Creek) summer camp in Rumyantsevo near Moscow, reports that his camp is scheduled to reopen for business on 6 September. Yet he has not yet been given formal, legal assurance that his camp will ever be able to reopen. Its closing occurred in connection with the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists’ (RUECB) biannual congress, which had been held on its grounds from 31 July until 4 August. After a hastily-convened Istra city court ruled on 2 August (Saturday) to halt the congress, the camp was closed and sealed by the police for 30 days after the congress’ official end on 4 August. Over 2.000 Baptists attended the convention at a site with only 350 permanent beds; the closing cited issues of sanitation and fire safety.

Electrical power to the camp, which had been cut by the local government a few hours before the congress began on 31 July, was restored on 6 August. Restricting the camp to emergency electrical power had of course further endangered the safety of the congress.

Immediately following the conference, RUECB-leadership appealed to the courts to overturn the ruling, which they believed infringed upon Christians’ legal right to freedom of worship in private, non-public settings. Finally, during a 4th court hearing on 14 August, the regional court for Moscow district overturned the ruling on closure for reasons of fire safety. But it upheld the closure on grounds of sanitation and hygiene, which meant that the 30-day sentence remained in effect.

Vovk reports that the camp’s closing during its most lucrative month - August - has resulted in lost income totalling 2 mill. roubles (55.556 euros or $83.333 US). It also deprived hundreds of children from experiencing a Christian camp during 2008. Even if Rucheyok does reopen on 6 September, the school year will already have begun.

Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of the RUECB’s Department for External Church Relations, adds: “Please be assured that were are not giving up. The work of Christ remains on track. All things are possible with God and we retain a great deal of hope. We remain commited to changing things for the better.”

Charges Dropped in Klintsy

On 5 August, the court in the southwestern city of Klintsy (near Bryansk) ruled that the Baptist meeting of 28 bike riders in red T-shirts at the city square on 12 July did not constitute a public meeting after all. All charges against the person primarily responsible, Baptist pastor Evgeny Voronin, were dropped. He had been charged with holding a public meeting without prior police registration. The bikers had gathered at the square during a week of evangelistic meetings for a photo session; they had also sung and passed out leaflets.

The court ruling could not of course restore the health of Baptist deacon Vladimir Skovpen, a once-leading, Soviet-era cyclist. His collarbone had been broken in a work accident last February and was rebroken during rough handling by the police at Klintsy town square on 12 July. Following an additional operation, he was visited by city officials in the hospital on 30 July and is now continuing his convalesence at home. Skovpen has pressed charges against the responsible police officers – a verdict is still pending. The 50-year-old deacon has every intention to be back on the saddle in 2009.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 27 August 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-40, 553 words.


We Extend the Hand of Friendship
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Statement of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists
on the war in Georgia

M o s c o w -- During the past 15 years, the Baptists of Russia and Georgia have grown distant from one another. After centuries of harmonious relationships between our two peoples, we grieve the fact that our friendship is dying. We Baptists are becoming strangers to one another. It is not an easy time for Russians. We respect and love the Christians of the Caucasus region and the West in general deeply. Yet we Russians are now being accused of aggression, and many of our sisters and brothers in the West do not see us believers as exceptions.

We are often at a loss as far as what to do and say. What is the real “truth” regarding the conflict between Georgia and Russia? We are very wary of the information war. Propaganda has plagued our peoples for a long time, but the war with words is becoming much more refined and professional. We now hear of “spin doctors” and the blurred borders between PR and advertising. PR-firms such as the Rendon Group from the USA (they have also been hired by Russian organisations) describe themselves as “information warriors” and “perception managers” feeding information to journalists. So we must be very slow to make broad judgments.

We believers must rise above the fray; rise above narrow, selfish political partisanship. Georgians feel invaded; Russians feel they are protecting and defending the weak and vulnerable Ossetian people. War crimes have been committed on both sides. Let us look deeper and denounce war for what it is: a satanic expression of hatred. War never truly solves anything and leads only to new wars. Wars only create losers. God is against the war in Georgia – and so we must also be. This war also has spiritual roots, and we must get to the bottom of this.

NATO expansion as well as the Russian reaction to it are dividing Europe. NATO and its rocketry are pressing forward into the once-Soviet sphere of influence. If NATO and Russia are at odds, then the expansion of NATO can only create fear and suspicion on the other side. The war in Georgia is one result of that fear.

We want to extend the hand of friendship to our sisters and brothers in Georgia. We invite them to meet with us and talk. This also holds true for the other nations and peoples who were once part of the Eastern bloc. We must talk about the past – not in general, but how we as believers became co-guilty of the sins committed by the Soviet government. We Russians are part of a troubled heritage in which we need to bring clarification.

But we must in the same breath also talk about the future. How can we who once lived in the Soviet sphere become a great force for peace? We by no means want to fall back into the ways and conditions of the Cold War – we Russians do not want to become isolated from the West again. Let us together become a mighty voice for peace and understanding. Together we evangelical Christians can help reverse the present trend which is leading us down the path of a renewed Cold War.

Rev. Vitaly Vlasenko, Department Director for External Church Relations
Rev. Yuri Sipko, President
Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists
Moscow, 28 August 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

An official release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-39, 525 words


Quiet Before the Storm
---------------------------------------------
Kyrgyz Baptists are reckoning with a difficult autumn

B e r l i n – In late Summer 2008, Alexander Shumilin, President of the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in Kyrgyzstan, feels as if he were in the quiet before a storm. Because of opposition, the Kyrgyz parliament postponed last spring the passing of new, very rigid laws on religion. That legislation will be back on the table when the parliament reconvenes on 1 September. The very strict laws cover real estate and the education of church members; they permit only the registration of congregations with more than 200 members. This would make it impossible for newly-founded congregations to achieve legal status.

Pastor Shumilin, who is an ethnic Russian, could have chosen an easier route. Though he was born in the town of Kant/Kyrgyzstan in 1959, he spent 17 years in the Russian capital. He studied in Moscow and achieved the status of doctoral candidate in a technical profession. But he accepted Christ in his town of birth in 1988. He became a pastor and decided to return to his native country in 1993. “The Lord called me,” the single, white-haired pastor explained in a conversation in Bad Blankenburg/Germany in early August. “I didn’t have any other choice.” He continued his theological training-by-extension in St. Petersburg and at the University of South Africa in Pretoria. He received a Masters degree in theological from that institution in 2002. He has been head of the Kyrgyz Union of Baptists since 2003.

The pastor reports that the ex-Soviet Central Asian republics have apparently formulated a joint policy on religion. These agreements allow the two largest religious communities to carve up the populace among themselves: The Orthodox Moscow Patriarchate is responsible for all “Europeans”, Islam, for all “Asians”. The multi-ethnic Protestant communities jumble and confuse this unofficial “division of labour”. A fifth of those Baptists remaining in the country are Kyrgyz; a number of strictly Kyrgyz congregations exist. They will likely face the most serious obstacles in the coming years. Being that the 19.000 ethnic-Korean natives of Kyrgyzstan qualify neither as Europeans nor Central Asians, they are one of the minority groups best-equipped to demand an exceptional religious status for themselves. Shumilin notes that conditions for Protestants have been most critical in Uzbekistan.

State pressure resulted in the creation of an Evangelical Alliance in November 2006. It evolved into an “Association of Evangelical Churches of Kyrgyzstan” in July 2008. The transition was necessary in part because Kyrgyzstan’s roughly 200 Lutherans believed that the foreign office of Germany’s EKD (Evangelical Church of Germany) would not approve of cooperation with the theologically-conservative Alliance. Though the Association is without legal status, it sees its calling in the formulation of joint, unified positions for all Protestant denominations. Alexander Shumilin, who had headed the Alliance and now also heads the Association, stresses that this organisation is not striving for theological unity. He maintains: “We hold no common church services and do not interfere with the theological teachings of other denominations. We are rather a kind of roundtable committed to formulating a common position vis-à-vis the state.” In light of the convictions of the Baptist Diaspora from Kyrgyzstan in Germany, stronger interdenominational cooperation is not advisable.

Yet Pastor Shumilin is well-versed in the dialogue with foreign church bodies, for he is also an active member of the “Central Asian Coordination Council” (TsAKS) of Baptist denominations. He reports: “We have close relations with churches in the other Central Asia countries. We meet several times annually and agree on evangelistic meetings and prayer services, on joint women’s and youth conferences.” Last April, the pastor from the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek formally ended his term as President of the loosely-structured “Euro-Asian Federation of Unions of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” in the CIS-countries.

The President adds that groups, congregations and denominations would be very welcome to issue statements of concern during the coming days. Letters appealing for religious freedom could be sent to the Kyrgyz embassy in one’s own country or to the embassy of one’s own country in Bishkek. German Baptists stemming from Kyrgyzstan have already done so – they probably care most about this thinly-populated, mountainous country in Central Asia.

The departure of the Kyrgyz and Kazakh Unions from the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and the Prague-based European Baptist Federation (EBF) in 2006 has left behind a wound among the Baptists of Europe. Shumilin attributes the break to the position of Westerners on issues such as homosexuality, Biblical infallibility, the leadership role of women and charismatic gifts. He believes the theological dialogue on these topics was broken off prematurely by the EBF. “Our departure from the BWA and EBF was no abrupt and unexpected move. But we remain open for discussion on the issues which alarm us. We would like to continue explaining our position.” In any case, the contacts of these two Unions to the EBF and its Prague educational institution, the „International Baptist Theological Seminary“ (IBTS), remain strong. Shumilin himself is working to receive a doctorate from IBTS.

The Kyrgyz President describes the relationship of his Union to the US-American „Southern Baptist Conventions“ as „not deep”. Only one missionary is continually involved with Kyrgyzstan. But Shumilin regrets that his church was unable to visit the SBC-sponsored conference in Lemgo, Germany last April. A visit by Morris Chapman (Nashville), President of the SBC’s Executive Committee, to Kyrgyzstan is still planned. In 2004 the SBC, the largest Protestant congregation in North America, also parted ways with the BWA.

Yet one of the Union’s primary difficulties – emigration – has little to do with church politics. The President reports that membership in his Union has dropped from 13.000 in 1987 to 3.000. The population of Kyrgyzstan was once 45% Russian – now down to 10%. He attributes the exodus primarily to a weak economy and the policies on national minorities. Though only 66% of the country’s 5,08 million residents are of Kyrgyz nationality, usage of the Kyrgyz language is being forced.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 19 August 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-38, 976 words.


Statement on the Conflict in Georgia, 12 August 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists

We are very concerned and sad about developments in Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhasia – and also about the Russian involvement there. We are praying to God that he might heal the wounds and emotional hurts.

The Bible tells us that war never resolves conflicts. We have church members on all sides in this conflict and are very convinced that God’s church is without political borders or divisions. We are and must remain one in Christ. We pray for all those in need on all sides.

We have heard that a pastor in South Ossetia has lost his house, but that he and his family are fortunately OK.

We do not have a great deal of information about this conflict and politicians on all sides will need to explain to their people why this war was somehow necessary. The enemy of the world – the Evil One – is behind this and he has again displayed his destructive powers.

We are collecting goods and money and hope to send a shipment to South Ossetia tomorrow, 13 August.

Statement by:
Vitaly Vlasenko, Director
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 12 August 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-37, 175 words.

Transmitted by Dr. William Yoder from the above department.


Baptists Still End Up in Protocols
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Interview with Baptist President Yuri Sipko on the passing of Alexander Solzhenitsyn

M o s c o w -- An abbreviated interview by Russian Baptist media with Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists

The writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn died at age 89 on 4 August in Moscow. How do you judge his efforts? What do you like most about his work?
His work is a very special creation. He was not a novelist in the usual sense. He was more a political novelist and chronicler. His “Archipelago Gulag” is more of a protocol than a novel. His “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” was also a protocol – the chronicle of a single day.

Solzhenitsyn was a spiritual giant. He was one of only a few who audibly spoke the truth. He was a man of the truth. In contrast to most of us and in contrast to all those now eulogizing the deceased, he did not hide the truth. He lived by the truth and he spoke the truth. He did not speak the truth for the sake of his own well-being, for he disdained himself. That’s what a like about his work. It takes a lot of effort to read him. He didn’t write thrilling novels - he wrote about the bloody suffering of my people. Even today, that forces me to weep.

How have his books influenced Russian society?
In no way whatsoever! Very recently, US-President Bush expressed the opinion that communism and Nazism were equally brutal. Our Foreign Ministry reacted immediately: Do not dare to condemn communism! Communism contains an extremely humane ideology. A series in our Second TV channel, “Russia in Persons”, described Stalin and Lenin as the most appealing leaders in the whole history of Russia. And the recently-deceased evokes hatred on the part of very many of my fellow citizens.

But there was on the other hand no small number of people who were able to recognise the truth through Solzhenitsyn’s work. They were those able to be purified through his fearless words. Just today a person testified to me that Sozhenitsyn’s work brought him to God.

Solzhenitsyn did not hide his faith, but in his books he did not attempt to convert the reader. Could we regard him as a Christian writer?
I would call him a Christian writer. A novelist or a person from any other trade does not qualify as a Christian by simply defining himself as one when it is convenient, but rather by truly being one. By the way: In our totally religious country, with the passing of Solzhenitsyn not a single person of conscience and truth remains! The leadership of our country has just admitted that – and that was indeed a rare insight.

Solzhenitsyn is almost the only Russian author who ever wrote about Baptists. One of them is a chief protagonist in the book “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”. Why in your opinion do Baptists not appear in contemporary short stories and novels?
That well-known story is not any ordinary one – it is more of a protocol. And Aloshka was an expression of the Baptists as a reality of Russian society. Aloshka expressed freedom, and that in a Gulag! An impartial writer like Solzhenitsyn could not help noticing and reporting on that segment of Russian truth. Contemporary short stories and novels are commercial products - and Baptists do not sell well.

Baptists do still end up in protocols – in police ones. It’s their kind of thing. As the Lord had prophesied: “As they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” “As they have reviled me, they will also revile you.”

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 10 August 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-36, 593 words.


Lights on Low but Spirits on High
---------------------------------------------------------
National Russian Baptist Congress on Schedule as Planned

M o s c o w -- Only several hours after a local ban had apparently been overturned, the “Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists”’ (RUECB) biannual national congress, “Transformation 2008”, began on schedule on the evening of 31 July. This third national congress is taking place at the “Little Creek” (Rucheyek) children’s camp near the village of Rumyantsevo 60 kilometres west of Moscow. The first full day of activity on 1 August was marked by incredible music, worship services, seminars, joyous reunions and frolicking crowds of children. Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB’s Director for External Church Relations, stated at noon on 2 August: “People are overjoyed, the mood is terrific and the Holy Spirit is moving in an impressive way!”

Strong Protestant solidarity was evident from the outset: Both Pavel Okara, President of the Pentecostal "Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith", and Sergey Ryahovski, the politically-active Bishop of the Charismatic "Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith", spoke at the opening session. Duma member Sergey Popov, who had cordially hosted Baptist World Alliance (BWA) General-Secretary Neville Callam in mid-June, sent the opening assembly a word of greeting.

Things had looked bleak only a day before. On 29 July, the major “Interfax” news service and Moscow radio had brought the headline that “3.000 Russian Baptists are intending to hold a conference at a children’s camp despite its ban by regional authorities”. It added that the prohibition had already been in place for several months. The reason given was gross overcrowding – the camp has beds for no more than 350 persons. The “Interfax” release closed with an ambiguous police warning that any attempt by Baptists to convene despite the ban could “bring about various conflicts and uncontrollable situations”.

Spirits hit a low mark on 30 July when RUECB headquarters in Moscow were mysteriously left without power and telephone service for most of the day. As late as the forenoon of the 31st, the paper “Novie Izvestia” reported: “The Little Creek has dried up.” The conference’s government detractors have not taken their setback lightly. At 18,00 hrs on 1 August, a local decree banning the event as of 10,00 hrs the same morning was handed to congress leadership. Despite strong on-site cooperation between the congress and police, local officials have gone to some lengths to make the meeting as uncomfortable as possible for participants. Electrical power to the camp was cut off two hours before the opening on 31 July and is not to be restored until 4 August. The congress is surviving on emergency electrical power.

The Baptist Response

The two sides are quoting from differing laws. Detractors quote from the law “On Assemblies, Meetings, Demonstrations, Processions and Picketing”. Yet RUECB-leadership remains adamant that the congress “Transformation” never had been officially forbidden. Citing the federal law „On the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organisations“ from 26 September 1997, it has continually described the congress as an internal church event not requiring government sanction. Current law states that church officials must only inform state channels no less than 10 days prior to such events. The congress may well have a legal follow-up.

In final negotiations with regional authorities on 31 July, Vitaly Vlasenko cited the pedagogical gains which the congress will bring to its many youthful participants. The congress even has as it motto the words: “Be an example.” An increase in hygienic facilities and tent space for sleeping may also have encouraged the change-of-heart among some regional authorities. Slightly more than 2.000 persons are registered for the event. Initial national Baptist congresses had been held in Bryansk near the Belorussian border in 2004 and 2006 without political incident.

Outside observers are constantly confounded by the discrepancies apparent in Russian church-state relations. The BWA-delegation led by the Jamaican Neville Callam had been feted and celebrated by government representatives. Alexander Torshin from the ruling „United Russia“ party had even suggested that Baptists help resettle the vast expanses of Russia. (See our press release from 21.06.2008.) Yet on 25 July, the Public Prosecutor in the Moscow city district of Perov declared a congregation belonging to the Baptist-related “Russian Association of Independent Evangelical Churches” an extremist organisation. This places the 250-member congregation in danger of losing its registration.

Regarding the congress, Vlasenko explained: “This is one more example of the constant collisions between local and federal authority. Local officials are not familiar with current federal law. Local politicians, especially those far from Moscow, may be more under the influence of local friends than of national legislation. We Baptists frequently visit federal officials here in Moscow. But regional authorities usually still give us a cold shoulder.” Citing historical repression of the Baptist movement by the Soviet government, the paper “Novie Izvestia” assured: The serious repression of the past is gone for good, but “the inertia of bygone relations with the Baptists still resurfaces from time-to-time”.

The “Little Creek” children’s camp, which once belonged to the Young Pioneers, relates to the „Association of Brethren Churches“ (ABC). The ABC and the independent denomination mentioned above are members of the “Public Council”, an umbrella organisation of Baptist-related denominations. This camp was also the setting for the founding conference of the Russian Evangelical Alliance with 150 participants in April 2003.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 02 August 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-34, 865 words.


Saying "No" to Silence
---------------------------------------
In the name of Lausanne, Russian Baptists and Pentecostals are finding back to each other

M o s c o w -- The Lausanne movement is on the upswing in Russia. On 29 July, for the first time in years, a meeting of Baptists with Pentecostals and Charismatics on Lausanne took place at the Moscow headquarters of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB). Because Lausanne's international conferences are time-wise far apart, churches tend to become active only during periods immediately before the holding of a conference.

Lausanne offers a theological basis for the joint evangelistic efforts of differing confessions. Following the meeting on 29 July, Pavel Bak, First Vice-President of the Pentecostal "Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith", stressed that Protestants could, by standing together, obtain the stamina necessary to overcome the rejection of the Russian public. "Society's judgment is a problem for us. And its verdict states: 'Your public testimony destroys Russian national identity. It would therefore be highly preferable that you keep quiet.' We often give in to that kind of talk and only speak in such a way that no one else hears us."

In further conversation, Pavel Okara, the President of this church, agreed that renewed cooperation between Baptist and Pentecostal denominations is essentially a continuation of that which had already existed during the Soviet period: Both denominations had then belonged to the same All-Union Council. Yet this renewed cooperation is for the first time truly voluntary. In the USSR, state registration was usually only possible through joining the officially Baptist All-Union Council.

The Charismatic federation, the "Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith", was represented by its Bishop, Sergey Rahovski. Two representatives from the Pentecostal "Union of Free Churches of Christians of Evangelical Faith in Ukraine", were also present: Bishop Vassily Raichinets (Uzhgorod/West Ukraine) and Rector Anatoly Gluhovski from the church's Kiev seminary. Chairman of the Lausanne movement in Russia is the RUECB's President: Yuri Sipko,

Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of External Church Relations for the RUECB, attributed the absence of other denominations to the fact that only these three denominations have in the past been active in Russia's Lausanne movement. He added: "But we are open to accepting all churches willing to participate." At the next Moscow session of the "Advisory Council of the Leaders of the Protestant Churches of Russia" scheduled for early September, all other denominations are to be invited to participate.

The Lausanne movement, which was founded in 1974 in Lausanne/Switzerland under the guidance of US-Evangelist Billy Graham, is related closely to the Evangelical Alliance. Lausanne conferences were held in Manila 1989 and Pattaya/Thailand 2004. The next major conference is scheduled for Cape Town/South Africa in 2010.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 01 August 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-33, 429 words.


BRIEF NEWS ITEMS

1. Protestants were saddened by the news of the very unexpected passing of Teri Tarleton in Moscow on 28 July. The gifted, 49-year-old musician leaves behind her husband and four children. Two daughters remain with the family in Moscow, the two older children are studying in the U.S. Her husband, Ed Tarleton, heads the work of the Southern Baptist "International Mission Board" in Russia. The couple had been active in Russia since 1993.

SBC's work in Russia was described in our press release of 17.04.2008.

2. As of 1 August, the RUECB has rented out the 3rd and 4th floors of its 5-story Moscow headquarters to a private firm selling fire-fighting equipment. The RUECB can therefore no longer offer overnight lodging at its headquarters.


Well-Known Cycling Champion Re-Injured
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Incidents during an evangelistic weekend in Klintsy

M o s c o w / K l i n t s y – Last February, the Baptist cycling champion and church deacon Vladimir Skovpen (Klintsy near Bryansk) suffered a multiple fracture of the collarbone: While repairing a vehicle, the motor has fallen on his chest. Local police have now broken his collarbone for a second time.

During a four-day evangelistic weekend, young persons had cycled to the central city square of Klintsy in south-western Russia on an Orthodox holiday: Saturday, 12 July. They wore red t-shirts emblazoned with the title of the weekend’s events: “Time to Believe”. After arrival, they passed out leaflets, sang and invited others to attend meetings in their church building. The 35 cyclists also grouped in front of a monument for a picture-taking session.

Demonstrators in white shirts from the “Orthodox Block” student organization had also gathered on the square. They carried a banner with the words: “A sect – The enemy of public health!” Though not clear to all passers-by, they were according to the local paper demonstrating against the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Police arrived on the scene and hustled Baptist pastor Evgeny Voronin off to the police station for interrogation. After lengthy discussions, the protocol stated that the pastor was guilty of holding a public procession without official permission.

Vladimir Skovpen, who was still receiving ambulant medical treatment, arrived in a bus at the city square. While describing his medical condition, police, without any legal ado, roughly pinned back Skovpen’s arms and hurried him off. The result was excruciating pain. During his two-hour stint at the police station, the injured athlete was refused all medical attention. After his release, he was brought immediately to the local hospital’s X-ray ward where doctors diagnosed a renewed fracture of the collarbone.

Three additional Protestants – including US-citizen Michael Walker – were also brought to the police station. In the general confusion, even a reporter for the local newspaper invited to the legally-registered Orthodox protest ended up in police custody.

Regarding the incident, Pastor Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), responded: “That which has taken place in Klintsy leaves one simply aghast. One has no means left to comment when state officials use force to turn someone into an invalid and then leave him without medical care.”

The end result of the events is not yet clear. A statement made by the Klintsy congregation expresses a total lack of understanding for the use of force: “Our feelings are hopefully wrong – but we sense that the state is ignoring us. Yet we reckon with insight and are waiting on a dialogue.” A meeting with the provincial governor is in the offing.

At youth meetings during the week, Vladimir Skovpen, a father of 10 and national Soviet cycling champion in 1980, had instructed cyclists on how to drive correctly in traffic. Only he had remained in the saddle for the entire distance of the evangelistic cycle tour from Germany to Vladivostok during the summer of 2007.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 23 July 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-32, 480 words.


Mobile Property Moves More
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Evangelisation on a Moscow excursion boat

M o s c o w – Mobile property moves more – at least in the summer. That was one conclusion resulting from an evangelistic event on an excursion liner in the middle of Moscow on 10 July. Host was the 40-member, three-month-old Baptist congregation “Your Church”; 180 persons were crowded onto a boat intended for 150. Cheered on by salami sandwiches and mineral water, the assembled enjoyed hot music and a variety of short talks. The evening was brought to a close with a drama done by the 20-member, Russian-Baptist choir “Oasis” from Sacramento/California. In it, a disco murder serves as a prop to explain Christ’s sacrificial death in our stead.

Church pastor Leonid Kartavenko believes this to have been among the first evangelistic boat excursions in Moscow. Evangelistic expeditions in the early 1990’s had chartered ships on the Volga and in Siberia. But evangelistic events whilst the boat was in-motion had not been a part of the programme.

Kartavenko reported that the three-hour evening seemed to be over hardly before it had begun: “Who could imagine today’s youth holding still for a three-hour church service?” he asked. Approximately 60% of those present were regarded to be unbelievers. All inviting was done by personal connections and the grapevine; public advertising did not take place. “People don’t show up at concert halls in the summertime,” explained the pastor. „Excursion boats are particularly well-suited for talking and getting acquainted.”

Appealing is also the fact that – in contrast to meetings on public real estate – events on a boat need no government sanction. “This is very similar to renting a bus,” Kartavenko explained. “Bus excursions are usually strictly private affairs.”

Thanks to its success, monthly boat excursions are now in the offing for the remainder of the summer. Liners with as many as 250 seats are up for discussion. Thanks to the wonders of electronic technology, the music can readily be heard from shore and a boat without rigid walls is being considered. Bicyclists equipped with printed invitations reporting on the event could be stationed on boardwalks along the river.

Pastor Kartavenko is particularly proud of the fact that his tiny crowd of church members paid 3/4th of the excursion’s costs. The choir from California covered the remainder. The costs, divided by 180, came to $13 US (305 roubles) per person. Future planning assumes that believing passengers will cover their own costs.

Yet the congregation will need to avail itself of immobile real estate in wintertime. Large department stores have their own meeting halls and the group is hoping to hold evangelistic meetings in a major store owned by the firm IKEA. Being that IKEA is run by Swedish Protestants, one hopes that the goodwill of its owners will be readily obtainable. Leonid Kartavenko is already thinking of Swedish cultural evenings with evangelistic input. Furniture viewing before or after the event would be highly likely.

On-shore evangelisation

Despite all transitions at Moscow headquarters of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, evangelistic bicycle tours have not become a thing of the past. Yet only five or six regional tours – and not the usual 30 – will take place this summer. Vladimir Skovpen (Klintsy near Bryansk), father of 10 and a former national bike champion who alone had covered the entire distance from Germany to Vladivostok last summer in the saddle, suffered a multiple fracture of the collarbone in a work accident last February. (He would appreciate any words of greeting or support.)

A bike tour done jointly with the choir “Oasis”, which is now on its third annual tour of Russia (www.oasischoir.com), is to take place shortly in the south Russian region of Krasnodar. It is being organized by the dentist Levon Sarkisov (Krasnodar), who had also been along on the long journey to Vladivostok. The Union’s youth department will be holding a bike tour from Belgorod near the Ukrainian border to the church congress in Rumyantsevo near Moscow from 26 to 31 July. The return trip is to take place from 4 to 8 August; total distance travelled should be 1.500 km (900 miles).

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 16 July 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-31, 669 words.


„A Gulp of Air Takes God 10 Years”
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15-year partnership between Ulyanovsk and Krefeld

M o s c o w -- „Our room to manoeuvre is decreasing.“ That was the conclusion of retired high-school teacher Klaus Schilbach (Krefeld) following his 12th visit to a partner congregation in Ulyanovsk/Volga region. Though the Baptist congregation in Ulyanovsk is engaged in a highly-successful drug rehabilitation programme in a prison with 1.500 inmates, the German guests were refused entry this year for the first time. Only a year ago prison leadership had offered the Germans a festive reception; a decade ago Schilbach had given Ulyanovsk’s chief prosecutor a guided tour of model prisons in the Lower Rhein region of Germany.

The partnership between the Baptist congregations came into being in 1993 thanks to the official city partnership between Ulyanovsk and Krefeld. Yet officials responsible for police registration were hardly fraternal this time around, even slapping a fine on one member of the visiting group.

But positive occurrences once again outweighed the bad. Klaus Schilbach was asked to hold the sermon for the service celebrating the congregation’s 90th birthday on 29 June. A day later, the congregation transferred to a riverbank to celebrate the partnership’s 15th anniversary and its founding father’s 72nd birthday. Despite a run-around at customs, the Germans were able to present the congregation with a used Mercedes bus equipped with a lifting device to transport people in wheelchairs. It’s not only drug therapy – a soup kitchen and summer camps for children are a few of the other projects which the German guests have helped to initiate.

Schilbach noted that Alexander Levkovsky, the pastor of the 300-member congregation, has developed impressive organisational skills. Excursions this year to Kazan and a Baptist congregation in Samara (pastored by Viktor Ryaguzov) were organised “to the T”. “Food and kindness” were heaped on the guests at every location.

Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, showered the guests with praise on the occasion of their first-ever visit to Union headquarters in Moscow on 9 June. “Thanks to God for your existence!” he exclaimed. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for our congregations to purchase a meeting place. Without your help, the congregation in Ulyanovsk would today be without its own building.” He described Ulyanovsk, the birthplace of Lenin, as a citadel of atheism which these friends from Germany had helped to overtake.

Sipko’s assurance that his Union owed a great debt to Krefeld Baptists was kindly rejected by Klaus Schilbach. “All of us are returning home greatly enriched,” he countered – without referring to the honey and chocolates with which they had been bestowed. Elsewhere in Moscow, the group leader added: “We also have been on the receiving end. The certainty and loyalty of their faith, their believing attitude towards life irregardless of the costs - that is what thrills us.” His spouse, Inge Schilbach, described the gift as joy: “I experience through my visits that I make people happy. That then also makes me happy in return.”

An opinion

Klaus Schilbach toured through two branches of Moscow’s German embassy with seven Germans in tow on 10 July. At stake was his attempt against all odds to obtain visas for a very tardy group hoping to visit Germany. The pensioner from Krefeld remains a nearly unstoppable, can-do optimist. He is one indication for the simple truth that church projects rarely succeed without a no-holds-barred mover-and-shaker at the helm.

„But a gulp of air takes God 10 years,“ the pensioner concluded. Only after surviving an initial decade-long period of testing can any given project reckon with general acceptance from a congregation or denomination. Too great are the initial fears that a project might further burden a congregation’s limited time and financial resources. Schilbach assured: “Now people are showing up on their own and persons 30 years our junior are beginning to show initiative”. In the beginning, only two to four persons made the annual journey to Ulyanovsk. This year, a record number of 16 participated.

The partnership between Krefeld and Ulyanovsk is the sole functioning partnership between a congregation of the heavily-Baptist, German “Federation of Evangelical-Free Churches” and the RUECB.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 14 July 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-30, 668 words.

Release 08-03 from 26.01.2008 reports on the same topic.


Total Number of Baptist Congregations Endangered
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Moscow’s Baptist congregations confronted with skyrocketing real estate prices

M o s c o w – Only six of the 24 congregations belonging to the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) located within Moscow city limits own their own premises. That’s major progress compared to the situation as late as the 1970s when Central Baptist Church located at Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky Pereulok 3 just east of Red Square was Moscow’s sole, officially-registered Protestant congregation. Then, thousands would gather for church services; even today the congregation has roughly 2.700 members. But the total number of 24 congregations is now endangered.

A 100-member Baptist congregation in the north of the 16-million metropolis will still be able to meet in its dark basement during the month of July. But there is a “For Sale” sign displayed up top at the entrance. Ten years ago, an inter-confessional US mission had bought the 267 m2 (886 ft2) area for approx. $150.000. The mission is now aiming to sell for $1 million. The congregation’s lay pastor reports: “It hurts us that the mission in USA is not willing to talk with us.” The mission has designated a Russian lawyer to be the intermediary between the two.

The pastor adds that a theatre hall in the neighbourhood could be rented for 6.000 roubles ($255) per event. But this assumes that city officials would give the congregation an official letter of approval and that they would indeed be capable of paying the rental fees. The congregation cannot afford a salaried pastor and the rentals fees for an entire month would exceed the salary of a Russian Baptist pastor. The remote hope remains that another US mission interested in local church growth might purchase the property.

An additional possibility would involve subletting from another Baptist congregation near the Voikovskaya subway stop, which is less than 10 kilometres away. But merging with another congregation is not what the congregation has in mind: “That’s not the intent behind church planting.” Mergers would further dampen Baptist hopes of attaining full geographic coverage in Moscow. “We also want to preserve the open, inviting atmosphere we have,” they add. Though the congregation is less than six years old, its members insist: “We have become a genuine family.” The group chuckles regarding the proposal that they gather in the great outdoors whenever the sun is shining: “We have too many aged for that.”

No sector of church work is free from the constraints of finance: Employees at RUECB headquarters in Moscow are in the process of squeezing in shoulder-to-shoulder. Two of the five floors at headquarters are to be rented out to cash-heavy, secular firms. Protestant institutions – and their workers – are suffering from skyrocketing real estate prices. The Internet claims Moscow’s cheapest one-room flats are now going for $160.000. (Salaries for secular jobs are relatively high in Moscow – around $900 a month.) Moscow is regarded as the world’s most expensive city for new arrivals. There are Protestants who have emigrated to the West citing Moscow real estate prices as their reason for departure.

The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 4 July 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-29, 515 words.


Needing Each Other in Order to Find God’s Will
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European Baptists are closer than ever before

P r a g u e -- “Relations between the Baptists of Eastern and Western Europe are more fraternal now.” That was the assessment of the Englishman Dr. Tony Peck, General-Secretary of the 1949-founded European Baptist Federation (EBF), in a Prague interview with the Russian Baptist Union on 16 June. ”We had a period of difficulty in the 1990s, but we now seem to be accepting our diversity more readily.” Though both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan withdrew from the EBF and its mother organisation, the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), in 2006, relations on the ground are more active than ever. Peck reports that the Kazakh Baptist Union is now sending more students to Prague’s International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS) than before.

The General-Secretary regards the differences between East and West partly as generational. Thanks in part to globalisation and the Internet, “younger church leaders in East and West are closer together than were their elders.” He hopes the EBF will be able to support Eastern churches “in their journey” from Communist-era leadership to a more youthful one and that they might be open “to where God might want to lead them”. For him, the cooperation of Baptists across all European boundaries is more than a simple political expedient. “There is a sense of Koinonia when we come together to encourage and support each other. We need each other in order to correctly find God’s will.”

Tony Peck believes IBTS is more central to European church life than its predecessor, which was located in Rüschlikon (near Zurich) until 1997: “We truly are contributing to the education of church leaders.” Heads of the Baptist Unions of Armenia and Lithuania graduated in early June; Leonid Mikhovich, Rector of Minsk Theological Seminary, is scheduled to continue his studies in Prague shortly.

The EBF’s Indigenous Missionary Programme (IMP) is at the heart of its efforts to involve Europeans in the planting of new congregations within their own countries. Rev. Peck maintains: “IMP is something we have done to empower people locally to plant churches.” The programme is now supporting 60 European church planters. Despite emigration, the Baptist churches of Moldova and Armenia have enjoyed major expansion: The Armenian church has grown from 400 to 4.500 members since 1990. One IMP-project outside of Europe involves the embattled Baptist congregation in Baghdad.

Though North America’s largest Protestant denomination, the “Southern Baptist Convention” withdrew from the BWA in 2004, its state conventions of Texas and Virginia continue to support EBF. Peck is also grateful that the “International Baptist Convention”, originally an offshoot of the SBC, remains an active member of EBF. The EBF-General-Secretary admits knowing little about the ethnic Germans from Russia who have immigrated to Germany. “I do not see why they could not join the EBF if they are comfortable with the kind of organisation we are. We do embrace diversity. That was an issue for the Southern Baptists, who did not want diversity.”

Rev. Peck reports that he was deeply impressed by the Baptist commitment to serious discipleship during his visits to Eastern Europe and Russia during the past 20 years: “That is something which they still need to share with us all.” He also notes the differing priorities on matters of Christian ethics and discipleship which still exist between East and West and encourages an ongoing debate about them in the contemporary mission context of Europe. “In this debate we can learn from and be enriched by each other’s understandings.”

Peck adds that the question of leadership roles for women does not follow the divide between Eastern and Western Europe. While Belgium and Portugal do not have women serving in pastoral roles, Bulgaria and Georgia do. He appeals: “This is not an issue which should divide us. We read the same Scriptures and come to different conclusions. It is important for us to agree that this issue is not a part of the core essence of the Gospel.”

The European Baptist Federation is comprised of over 800.000 Baptists in 51 Unions stretching from Portugal to the Russian Far East. Included are Baptists of the Middle East.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 25 June 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-28, 673 words.


Cooperation is the Order of the Day
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Baptist World Alliance General-Secretary Neville Callam visits Russia

M o s c o w -- An exuberant reception by three government offices marked the first visit to Russia from 16 to 18 June of the Baptist World Alliance’s new General-Secretary, the Jamaican Neville Callam (Falls Church near Washington). Sergey Popov, the member of the Duma (Russia’s Lower House) responsible for its “Committee for Relations with Public and Religious Organisations” announced for ex. the end of any need for believers “to struggle against government power. Cooperation is the order of the day. We no longer want to prohibit your activities – we want to encourage them.” A meeting with Alexander Torshin, Vice-Chairman of the Council of the Russian Federation (Upper House), ended with Pastor Callam holding a prayer mentioning “our brother Alexander”. Alexander Kudryavtsev, who represents the “Administration of the President of the Russian Federation” and can be described as Dmitry Medvedev’s emissary, went to the trouble of paying Baptist headquarters in Moscow a visit. He described Baptists in his 20 years of relating to them as “always willing to help and to answer all questions” and recommended a new “social partnership” in the struggle against substance abuse.

All sides praised the thrift, work ethic and strong, large families of Russian Baptists. All three government representatives proposed joint projects. Besides the fight against drugs and alcohol, these included gatherings of businessmen and small-business creation, social projects to aid the disadvantaged and the teaching of family and moral values. Without prompting from guests, government assistance was promised for an expansion of the existing National Prayer Breakfast. Sergey Popov, who heads an Orthodox movement among Christian parliamentarians in Russia, urged a strengthening of Prayer Breakfast contacts with politicians in other countries.

Alexander Torshin, who perhaps went farthest in welcoming the Baptist delegation, invited Callam to return for an extended visit of other cities with assistance from the Russian government. He assured that relations should extend beyond protocol and transition immediately to concrete projects: “We need good preachers of the Christian faith. We essentially do not have economic problems – we only have psychological ones.” He called upon the churches to help the peoples of Russia exploit their full potential. “We want a large number of Baptist congregations throughout the country,” he exclaimed. “We must support religious organisations, for otherwise our efforts cannot succeed. Nothing will be accomplished without hard work – and Baptists know how to work.” He promised to speak with the President of Ingushetia (near Chechnya) regarding the prospects of bringing back Christians who had fled from the war-torn region. He assured the government there now understands “that a mono-confessional country can be a very dangerous thing”. Torshin even suggested that Protestants get involved in the highly-unpopular field of Russian agriculture. Half in jest he suggested that Protestants create counterparts to an existing Orthodox collective farm: “We have the land and water, and thanks to global warming, we are even becoming a warm country! But we simply do not have enough hands. Can you make us any offers? We will surely support them.”

A grateful BWA-General-Secretary responded to Torshin that “we do not claim to be the sole Christians anywhere. Our desire is to partner with others. We are not here simply to satisfy our own needs – we also are here to build community. Because of restrictions, the Baptists of Russia have not been involved in community development for a long time. It has taken some time for them to develop their courage and self-confidence, for them to believe that the doors are truly open.”

Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), thanked Sergey Popov for the confessional stability which the 11-year-old, frequently controversial „Law on the Freedom of Conscience“ has helped create. “Religious freedom is a primary requisite for economic development. Only it can free up persons to become creative.” Sipko added in a separate conversation that he holds “in very high regards the high notes awarded the RUECB by Kudryavtsev, Torshin, Popov and Alexius II.”

The reception of the delegation by Alexius II, the Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia in the Danilov Monastery on 18 June was sober and cautious in nature, yet also decidedly friendly. The Patriarch outlined the parameters for a joint front with Baptists against secularism, implying that any sanctioning of homosexual lifestyles would breach that relationship. He noted that this has already occurred in Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) relations with Swedish Lutherans and the Episcopal church of North America. He mentioned in the same context Bible translations written in an inclusive language and the leadership role of women. The Patriarch appealed for a continuation of the Orthodox-Baptist consultations on moral values which had last convened in February 2007.

Callam responded by expressing his hopes for friendly relations with the ROC and a joint denouncing of the “monster of secularism”. He added: “We realize that we Baptists are not the founders of Christianity in Russia. We must therefore respect and build strong relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. We need to accept each other as brothers and sisters.” Yuri Sipko appealed for cooperation and lauded the Patriarch for his forceful stand on homosexuality during his visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 2 October.

Discrepancies

There exists a discrepancy between the assurances of Russian state and church officials and religious freedom as experienced in the wide expanses of Russia. President Sipko reported recently that a ruling making a Baptist congregation in the Black Sea resort of Tuapse illegal has been overturned by a higher court. One of the most recent firebombings of a Protestant church – in this case a Charismatic one - occurred in Shlisselburg near St. Petersburg on 14 May.

Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB’s Department Director for External Church Relations and Board Chairman of Russia’s National Prayer Breakfast Foundation explained: “We need to inform local authorities that Protestants are also Christians, that we play a significant role in developing Russian society. Some government officials are ignorant of important facts and some religious leaders do not dialogue well with others. That creates antagonism. We Protestants are also guilty – it is not just the other party.”

In a meeting with senior Baptist pastors in Moscow on 18 June, Pastor Callam, the head of an organization representing a Baptist community of 105 million, noted that Baptist numbers are shrinking only in Europe. He recommended that Russian Baptists take the cultural and musical tastes of their youth very seriously. Modern Christian music may not be to the liking of adults, but we must accept it for the sake of winning our young.

In an aside, the General-Secretary mentioned the BWA´s relations with the US-based, 16,3 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, which withdrew from the BWA in October 2004. He reported on honest and very cordial conversations with their leaders, adding: “My prayer is that they will return home during my term. And when they return, our arms will be open wide.” Callam began his first term as General-Secretary last September.

In a response to the delegation’s visit, President Sipko stated: “Brother Callam is a President of colour. Actually, before God, we are all people of colour. We are all beautiful; all of us are his favourites. Brother Callam is a wonderful demonstration of God’s total lack of partisanship. In Christ there are neither Jews nor Greeks. The General-Secretary is a passionate evangelist and a true follower of Christ. I am sure that God will be glorified through him.”

Neville Callam was accompanied by Dr. John Sundquist, a retired missions leader of the Valley Forge-based “American Baptist Churches” and former BWA-Vice President.

William Yoder, Ph.D.
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 21 June 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-27, 1.253 words.


Spirits are High in Belgorod
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Second Baptist “Day of Brotherhood” held in a region of Russia

M o s c o w -- Things may seem dire for Protestants in the heavily-Orthodox, south-western Russian region of Belgorod, but that is not the entire picture. It is true, as reported in the “New York Times” on 24 April, that a small Methodist congregation in Stary Oskol was denied registration. Yet after an official visit by the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in the city of Belgorod on 24 and 25 May, Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), its Director for External Church Relations, reported that “spirits among Baptists were high and the feeling that much good could still be accomplished” was prevalent.

The ice had been broken on 16 November of last year when an RUECB-delegation led by Vlasenko visited government and Orthodox representatives in Belgorod following a break of roughly five years. Vlasenko is delighted that Baptists from this city bordering on Ukraine have met since then with these government and Orthodox representatives on their own initiative without special guidance from Moscow. The atmosphere at those meetings was reported to be highly constructive. Vlasenko adds: “This proves once again the importance of obtaining and maintaining contacts with local city and Orthodox officials.”

This visit by Moscow headquarters in an area of European Russia where Baptists are weakest was the second in a new, monthly series of “Days of Brotherhood”. After lecturing to a group of nearly 50 youth leaders during the day on 24 May, Vlasenko spent the evening with Baptist pastors from throughout the region. In his talk with them he stressed three strong reasons for the existence of national Baptist structures. Firstly, economics demand that educational and other projects be coordinated with central offices. Only in this fashion can unnecessarily repetitive work and expenditures be avoided. Church-building projects demand consultation with specialists. Secondly, checking local theological developments with the views held by experienced and trained theologians and pastors at headquarters can spare congregations unnecessary pain and division. Lastly, the Russian government can only take Baptists and other Protestants seriously if they do indeed act jointly and in unison.

The first “Day of Brotherhood” had been held in the relative Baptist stronghold of Bryansk on 12 April, fulfilling a promise made by Union leadership in January to leave Moscow offices and visit pastors on-location throughout Russia. Visits are to be held monthly in hopes of covering all of Russia’s 50+ Baptist regions within a five-year period. The third “Day” will take place in Kaluga south of Moscow in late June.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 31 May 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-26, 405 words.


Phase Two in the Offing
---------------------------------
Public Council meets in Moscow

M o s c o w - The re-election of Valentin Vasilizhenko (Moscow) as Secretary of the "Public Council" (Obshestvenii Soviet) for the next two years at its Moscow session on 27 May rings in a new, second phase of its work. This umbrella organisation consisting of 10 church unions - most of whom departed from the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists following the USSR's demise - was founded in June 2006. Following the meeting, the re-elected Secretary, a pastor in the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), reported: "We ascertained that the first two tasks given our association have already been fulfilled: Contacts were created and a dialogue is in process. We are now facing the third task: the creation of joint projects." These will consist primarily of mission and educational projects. Pastor Vasilizhenko added: "It's important that pastors even in remote regions get the opportunity to improve their level of knowledge. Pastors with families and a secular job will not be able to travel to a seminary - the seminary will need to come to them." Youth leaders are to be included in the effort to up educational standards. He noted that new means for attaining objectives in a changed, capitalistic society need to be learned - the works of Rick Warren are being studied in this capacity.

Foreign mission was also an important topic at this gathering of 60 church leaders from as far away as Siberia, the Caucasus region and neighbouring countries. In certain cases, the majority of members belonging to one of these church unions already reside in the West. One is therefore considering the option of sending them missionaries from Russia. The still- unregistered "Initiativniki, who became known worldwide as the "underground church" and now go by the name of "International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists" (IUCECB), report a global membership of 78.015. Yet only roughly 20.000 of them still reside on Russian soil.

Vasilizhenko indicates that a phase of soul-searching ensued after the passing of long-time IUCECB-President Gennadi Kryuchkov in July 2007 and the accidental deaths of two other leaders. Now, a new President has been elected: Nikolai Antonyuk from Timoshovsk in the region of Krasnodar/Caucasus. His deputy is Gennadi Yefremov from St. Petersburg. Secretary Vasilizhenko maintains: "A new leadership has been selected and we believe we will be able to find contact with one another and continue our dialogue." This church union has observer status within the Public Council.

Whether the RUECB should remain host and "first among equals" within the Public Council is presently a matter of debate. "We are very open to discussion on this matter," states Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB's Director for External Church Relations. "We desire full mutual respect and brotherhood. With many of them, we were together in one union for a long time." The RUECB, Russia's largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 30 May 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-25, 483 words.


Moscow´s Marathon Breakfast
---------------------------------------------------
National Prayer Breakfast Board Chairman visits Korea

M o s c o w – Future participants at Moscow´s National Prayer Breakfast will need to be ready for Moscow´s most drawn-out breakfast. That was one upshot of Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko´s (Moscow) attendance at Korea´s 40th National Prayer Breakfast in the South Korean capital on 15 May. The Board Chairman of Russia´s National Prayer Breakfast Foundation adds: “A few hours on a midweek morning will no longer suffice. We want to invite many more representatives of church and government to Moscow and offer them the opportunity to hold extensive conversations.” Smaller sessions on specific topics will also be finding their way onto the programme.

The Baptist pastor is especially attracted to the Prayer Breakfast movement´s wholistic, international and interdisciplinary approach. He states: “In a globalised world, all sectors of society are related to each other. The Koreans show us how vital it is that people of good will from the political, business, cultural and church realms get together informally without the rigours of protocol to do some serious talking.” This approach is also essential for the citizens of Russia, where struggle for the common good is still foreign to most. The pastor states: “Still far too few Protestants are involved in the political affairs of this country. It no longer suffices to simply secure the welfare of one`s own local congregation. Gifted young people with an eye on public affairs need to be sought out and supported in their development.

Not least of all, Vlasenko, who is also Director of the Russian Union of Evangelical-Christians Baptists´ (RUECB) Department of External Church Affairs, intends to link those politicians who attend Russian Prayer Breakfasts with Christian politicians from other countries. “Our politicians need to hear about all which this movement has already achieved. Russian politicians need to catch hold of that dream.”

Vlasenko is apparently the first official representative of Russia´s Prayer Breakfast movement to attend Korea´s annual Breakfast. He was consequently asked to address the 3.500 leaders at the primary event. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, an active Presbyterian layman, also spoke on this occasion.

The Korean sessions ended on 16 May with a breakfast in the South Korean parliament. Afterward, South Korean and foreign participants climbed onto two tour buses and visited a new industrial park in North Korea developed by South Korean firms. The guests gathered on these grounds and prayed for Korea´s peaceful reunification and the overcoming of Communist rule.

In 2002, a high-level Korean delegation visited Russia´s Prayer Breakfast. After the US-American Prayer Breakfast, which was founded in 1953, South Korea has become the world´s second-largest Prayer Breakfast movement. Russia´s National Prayer Breakfast was first held in 1995; besides Moscow, annual events are also held in Krasnodar/Caucasus and Krasnoyarsk/Central Siberia. New Breakfasts are in the offing for Belgorod/Southwestern Russia and Izhevsk/Ural.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 23 May 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-24, 458 words.


Doing What Others Refuse to Do
------------------------------------------------------------------
The „Brotherhood of Compassion” celebrates its 20th birthday

M o s c o w – On 14 May, 100 helpers in white lab coats and an equal number of guests celebrated the „Brotherhood of Compassion’s” 20th birthday in its home congregation: Moscow’s historic Central Baptist Church. In a brief review, Alexander Bychkov (General-Secretary of the All-Union Council of Baptists after 1971) recalled the amazement when the city mayor suddenly invited religious organisations to his office in early 1988. The desperate mayor complained that the city was lacking 800 busses and 20.000 nurses. Bychkov reported: “We didn’t have any busses, but we could do something about the lack of nurses.” Mikhail Zhidkov, one of the Union’s Vice-Presidents, was especially moved by the appeal. After he reported on the need in a church service, 150 members volunteered.

But not everything went according to plan. After only a few days in a large Moscow hospital, the church’s overly-zealous helpers were shown the door. The Brotherhood’s webpage reports: “Apparently hospital leadership was alarmed by our ´underground´ evangelism. In hopes of ridding themselves of Baptists, city authorities assigned them to an institution where the danger of mission was least: a psychiatric clinic. But Pastor Zhidkov, who died in 2004, responded: “We won’t have the opportunity to preach there. But the chance to show people Jesus is still given.” A close relationship with the head doctor developed quickly. Today, the contacts with Kashchenko Hospital – and three other hospitals – remain excellent.

These trusting, long-term relationships keep the work alive in today’s era of heightened mistrust. Mission President Galina Dzhuzenova reports: “The contacts with our partners remain excellent. We really only have problems with individual patients who get nasty when they notice we are not Orthodox.” But she adds: “We would probably have strong resistance if we attempted to start brand-new projects.”

Another example of fruitful, long-term relationships involves the police. In the struggle to aid the homeless, friendships with the Moscow police´ social services department developed. But these old friends are no longer young. Since they as retired police officers receive only a miniscule pension, they themselves have become the recipients of Christian compassion.

The mission also does much for the little ones: A number of orphanages, young invalids and children who have contracted HIV or tuberculosis receive medical and spiritual aid. Summer camps for such children as well as for children from large or poor families are held near Moscow every year.

Already in 1988, the first aid programme with contacts beyond Moscow got started when unrest in the USSR´s southern republics flared up and flooded Moscow with refugees. An earthquake in Armenia ensued and the first war in Chechnya broke out in 1995. Moscow Baptists were able to help in Grosny and Beslan. Aid for refugees in this 2.700-member congregation also caught the attention of released prisoners. As many as 150 ex-prisoners are helped each year to obtain the documents necessary for existence and to reinstate their legal right to housing. Soup kitchens are supported and even done in-house. Several thousand persons are aided annually just within the walls of this church located at Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky Pereulok 3.

It was a DC-10 jumbo which actually introduced this mission to a wider international audience. In early 1991, the Baptist World Alliance succeeded in sending a chartered air freighter loaded with food from Washington, D.C. to Moscow. The congregation’s deacons got the chance to put their words into deed and unloaded the airplane themselves. Baptist World Aid Director Paul Montacute (Falls Church near Washington) undertook the long journey to Moscow now to express his thanks for this and many other deeds. The well-known quadriplegic Christian Joni Eareckson Tada (San Diego) brought along a supply of wheelchairs when she visited in 1992

But because people do not live by bread alone, the programme is accompanied by music and games. Celebrations with presents held in children’s homes and hospitals on major holidays are a part of the mission’s basic ministry. Frequently, professional musicians are part of the show. In 2007, 350 children and parents found their way into this 1882-founded church to attend a festival. During the very musical anniversary celebrations this time, Yuri Sipko, the President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, stated that though the oligarchs and powerful might be enthralled by their billions, “only love and affection give sustenance for living”. Galina Dzhuzenova added that only the certainty of being needed bestows a person with the feeling of being human. “And many children do not feel at all as if anyone needed them.” She and others mentioned repeatedly that only faith in God made their service possible. Their webpage states simply: “We do what others refuse to do.”

Asked about the annual budget, President Dzhuzenova answers that one simply spends that which is also received. That is of course less than when the Russian need peaked in the early 1990s. The ministry presently has seven full-time workers and approximately 100 volunteers. There are no concrete strategies for future development.

The British mission „Eurovangelism“ has taken to heart the fact that the work of this „Brotherhood“ is carried out almost strictly by women. In its publications it refers to this ministry as the “Sisters of Charity”. “Eurovangelism” remains a primary sponsor of this work; having been a part of it virtually since its inception. Mission head David Roderick made the trip from Bristol to attend these celebrations.

The „Brotherhood of Compassion’s” address is: „brotherhood@online.ru“. Those wanting to know more will find their Russian-language website at: “compassion-ministry.narod.ru“.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 19 May 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-23, 905 words.

Unless mentioned otherwise, all persons named reside in Moscow.


Giving Away the Chance of a Lifetime
-------------------------------------------------------
Church project in Achinsk to be restarted

M o s c o w – “One doesn´t give away the chance of a lifetime!” That was the reaction of Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists´ (RUECB) Director for External Church Relations, following his visit to an idle construction site in Achinsk/Central Siberia. An entrepreneur interested in buying would like to turn the structure – it measures 24 x 24 metres (79 feet x 79 feet) - into a factory.

But Pastor Vlasenko responds: „It happens only once in a lifetime in Russia that the authorities in one´s own city will present us Baptists with a prime piece of land in the centre of town for the construction of a church. An opportunity like that will never happen again in Achinsk! We dare not offend city fathers in view of their generosity – we otherwise will never be able to show our faces there again!” He also notes that an uncompleted structure can only be sold at a price far below its actual worth. “And this is not even the money of the Achinsk congregation,” he adds. “This house belongs to the people in North America who donated the money for it.” Primary donator to date has been a congregation in Casper/Wyoming.

The Department Director notes that even now in Russia it is nearly impossible to transfer the legal status of a building from private to public. This could become increasingly problematic in the future, for numerous Baptist “houses of prayer” are still private dwellings in legal terms.

The parcel of land was presented to the congregation in 2000. From 2003 until 2006, the site was filled with the sounds of hammering and sawing. Yet when the congregation´s energetic pastor, Peter Grichany (Chernivtsi), was forced to return to his native West Ukraine for visa and health reasons, the project ground to a halt.

Since his departure, the shrunken congregation – it still has 60 members - is overtaxed by the logistical and strategic challenges. The structure with seating for 300 to 400 direly needs a plan for its completion and utilisation. Vlasenko adds: “Windows and a heating system are the next things that need to be installed. After that, one can move in.” The building was to be constructed for a truly bargain price: The Casper congregation had donated $50.000 towards the project, an additional $30.000 are needed for its completion. The guest from Moscow felt that up to half of the building could be rented out as office space for the time being. That would cover running costs up until the time when the congregation requires the entire building for its own needs.

“The potential of this location is nearly breathtaking,” Pastor Vlasenko insists. Many church members have recently left for greener pastures in other Protestant congregations. A talented pastor would nevertheless be able, with God´s help, to win back many of the old and new believers for the cause of the new church downtown. Other Baptist congregations in the Krasnoyarsk region have committed themselves for the first time to helping fund the project. This historical town of 114,000 is located 170 kilometres to the west of Krasnoyarsk right on the primary transportation routes between Western Russia and the Far East.

But now, Director Vlasenko has one worry more: The local congregation was willing to reconsider on the condition that Moscow headquarters come to its aid in the search for additional funding and expertise. Anyone having interest in this project is heartily invited to contact the Department for External Church Affairs in Moscow.

Following the uncontrolled religious boom of the 1990s, the situation in Achinsk makes apparent once again the need for centralised agreements and consultations on matters of church construction. The RUECB continues to expand its architecture department to this end.

The RUECB, Russia’s largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 20 May 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-22, 640 words.


We are One with the People
------------------------------------------------------------
Protestants lay wreaths at the Kremlin Wall for the third time

M o s c o w – For the third year in succession, representatives of Russia’s Protestant churches laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the walls of the Kremlin on 8 May, one day prior to the Day of Victory in WW II. For only the second time, Russian Protestants were allowed to visit present-day Russia’s most revered location strictly as Protestants.

“Our appearance is an expression of our unity with the lives of our people. We also are one with the Russian people.” That was the opinion of Simon Borodin, Vice-President of the small “Missionary Union of Evangelical Christians”. Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of External Church Relations for the "Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists" (RUECB), added: “We too are a part of Russia’s past and present.” As supporting evidence he pointed to the fact that his father and pastor – both Baptists – had served as soldiers during WW II. Another church leader expressed regret regarding the fact that ever fewer of the elderly who had suffered through the war years are able to attend the commemoration.

Yet Vlasenko is convinced this Protestant event is becoming ever more popular among those born later. Thirty believers attended a year ago; the number now was roughly 50. “This event is finding more-and-more favour in our congregations. I’m convinced it will develop into an institution in the common life of our Protestant denominations.” A larger number of Lutherans attended this year for the first time. The event’s sponsors are the “Advisory Council of the Leaders of the Protestant Churches of Russia” and the “National Prayer Breakfast Foundation”.

A few Protestant church representatives were among the 2.000 guests invited to the festive inauguration of Dmitry Medvedev as President of the Russian Federation on 7 May. They were Sergey Ryakhovsky, Bishop of the Charismatic “Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith”, Vassily Stolyar, President of the “Seventh Day Adventist Church”, and Alexander Semchenko, Baptist businessman and member of the “Advisory Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations at the Seat of the President of the Russian Federation”. Official Protestant policy in Russia interprets Medvedev´s profession of an Orthodox, Christian faith as a potential bridge of understanding to Protestants.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 9 May 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-21, 456 words.

All persons listed reside in Moscow.


Not Your Church – It´s Our Church
----------------------------------------------------
Russia´s tiniest megachurch is up-and-running

M o s c o w – On 3 May, the opening service was held in a Moscow Baptist congregation with big plans. It is stated partly in jest that this congregation intends to become a megachurch. Nearly 60 persons attended the first service in the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists´ (RUECB) Moscow seminary. Referring to the congregation´s unusual name – it calls itself “Your Church” - RUECB-President Yuri Sipko exclaimed in his opening sermon: “This is not your church - this is our church!” He stressed that this congregation is anchored in the RUECB and in the world Baptist movement in general.

Pastor of this fledgling congregation is Leonid Kartavenko, for the past six years Director of Missions at the RUECB`s Moscow headquarters. As a gesture of thanks for their birthing help, Yuri Sipko, Kartavenko´s former superior, and Seminary Director Dr. Peter Mitskevich were both presented with flowers at the service.

In an interview, Kartavenko, now pastor of Russia´s tiniest megachurch, described his most recent strategy. “We don´t want church members, we want servants. Every member will receive some task, even if it might be a very small one.” Every member will be expected to belong to a small group; the musical offerings are to of professional quality. “Your Church“ plans first-of-all to advertise its cause on the Internet. Placards will point to its Internet site: “www.yourchurch.ru”. The latest news – including the location of services - will always be listed there. The pastor explains: “Interested people will be able to ask questions on the Internet. That will allow personal contacts to happen – which is already the case. We know that people most readily appear in church if they already have contact with a believer.”

Regarding background events: The Baptist businessman and philanthropist Alexander Semchenko and the Union´s President parted ways in mid-February. Reports indicate that Semchenko had requested powers which he as a non-elected Union helper did not have the right to expect. This was the assessment of President Sipko – a vote later seconded by the 54-member RUECB-Council. Sipko and Semchenko have also disagreed on the degree of cooperation necessary with the state.

Sipko dropped Semchenko as Secretary of the Department for External Church Relations. Semchenko responded by cutting off his financial support for the Union. That left a major hole in the Union´s budget. Many Union projects were suddenly put on hold – including the mission department and its evangelistic expeditions. After several months as Financial Director, Kartavenko, who sympathised with some of Semchenko´s concerns, resigned from all Union responsibilities in March. In April, Pastor Simon Borodin, Kartavenko´s successor as Director of Missions, also departed. New Missions Director is Ruvim Voloshin, one of the Union´s Vice-Presidents.

By now, normalcy is returning - the mission department is busy preparing the national Union conference for late July. At its mid-March sessions, the Union Council opted to transfer more financial responsibility to the local congregation (as we reported). The required annual contribution of the congregations per member for the work of central offices was boosted threefold to 150 roubles (4,30 euros or $6,25 US) - a big step for the local congregation. Russian contributions along with continued foreign support and the planned renting of two of the Union´s five-storey headquarters to secular firms should restore financial viability.

Alexander Semchenko, a youth director during Soviet times, did much following perestroika to bring Baptists into the mainstream of Russian society. He can be thanked for strengthening inter-confessional relations – also with the Orthodox and Catholics. Yuri Sipko stated: “I highly esteem Alexander Semchenko´s gifts and the fact that he has dedicated himself and his resources to the service of the church.” The National Prayer Breakfast and the vibrant Protestant Easter concerts for ex. have profited from his support.

Leonid Kartavenko admits that he had dreamt of planting a new congregation well before February. The unhappy events of the current year have now resulted in the creation of a new congregation. He adds: “God leads his work right through the midst of all crises.”

Russia´s largest „megachurches“ have roughly 4.000 members. Two of the most prominent ones are Charismatic congregations located in Moscow and Perm/Ural. Moscow´s historic and well-known “First Baptist Church” had 2.719 members in 2005.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 6 May 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and may be published freely. Release #08-20, 695 words.

All persons listed reside in Moscow.


Addressing Baptists, the Moscow Patriarch Calls for Mission
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not all developments within Russia are negative

M o s c o w – On the occasion of the Orthodox Easter on 27 April, Alexius II., the Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia, greeted Yuri Sipko (Moscow), the President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, with Christ’s Great Commission. In his letter he quoted Mark 16,15: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” The head of the Moscow Patriarchate continued: “I sincerely hope that loyalty to the ideals of the Gospel and concern about their affirmation in the lives of the nations will build a solid foundation for our common efforts.”

In an additional Easter greeting addressed to the Baptist President, the Orthodox „foreign minister“, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, appealed for the fostering of peace.
“When the people in different parts of the world are divided by dispute and conflict, then the Christians are called to testify of the Risen Saviour. He is ´our peace´.” Sergey Popov, businessman and Chairman of the State Duma´s “Public and Religious Organizations Committee”, also sent a greeting.

Another highly-positive event occurred just prior to Easter: On 19 and 20 April, after eight years of construction, the well-placed, multifunctional Baptist church centre “Gospel House” in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the capital city of the far eastern island of Sakhalin, was dedicated. The 250 celebrators included Union President Sipko (who arrived from Moscow 6.400 miles away) as well as local politicians.

It was noted at the festivities that no church was able to register legally on the oil-rich island prior to 1980. Similar to the situation in the far western region of Königsberg/Kaliningrad, local communist powers had been bent on keeping their region free of religion for as long as possible. The first Baptist chapel in the Soviet period was dedicated in1989; it quickly proved to be too small. (Königsberg had been German until 1945; the southern half of Sakhalin was Japanese 1905-1945).

These events have occurred on the backdrop of very negative developments in Stary Oskol on the south-western fringe of Russia. The “New York Times” reported in-depth on these developments on 24 April. Primarily the small Methodist and Lutheran communities there have been the victims of repressive measures instigated by government and Orthodox sources. An informed member of the RUECB´s Department for External Church Relations commented: „We should ignore neither the good nor the bad that is happening. We together with all people of good will need to see to it that the good in our country is multiplied.”

The RUECB, Russia’s largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 29 April 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-19, 425 words.


Sacrificing One’s Own Shirt
--------------------------------------------------------
Peter Lunichkin creates a social department for Russian Baptists

M o s c o w -- Peter Anatolovich Lunichkin has been given a lot – which is also why he wants to give. He reports that at times there was no food in the house for him and his six brothers and sisters. So he is acquainted with the feelings of gratitude and joy that erupt when a needy person is helped in love.

His prayer, that he might also be able to help others materially, was already heard when he was pastoring a congregation he had founded in his hometown, Vladikavkas. It was the social accomplishments of this congregation, now numbering 220 members which led the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) a year ago to ask him to organise a national social service. This project was greatly helped by the pastor’s move from the North Ossetian capital to St. Petersburg, where he is now heading the city’s largest Baptist congregation.

His Vladikavkas congregation had organised care and support for 500 of the lonely and elderly. Local Christians donated 400 roubles a month (now $17) in order to supply them with groceries several times per month. Believers in Holland also donated $28 monthly. Baptists warned of the HIV-danger in schools and during Saturday “subbotniks” they helped clean up neighbourhoods. A special project had children from Lunichkin´s Sunday school donating 35 bicycles to the children of a village in the strife-torn republic of Ingushetia. That was an event attended by numerous public officials and politicians.

He reports: „Great co-operation developed between us and government organisations. We even invited Orthodox clergy to our events – and they came. Because of his service, the Baptist pastor was invited to join the Human Rights Commission located at the seat of the President of North Ossetia (which borders on Chechnya). Despite all sentiment to the contrary, Pastor Lunichkin continues to believe that Orthodox circles will not automatically oppose Protestant-inspired humanitarian efforts: “I believe we can reckon with zero opposition if we continue to sponsor efforts such as these.”

Operating now from his Petersburg office, the energetic pastor is working at the creation of a database cataloguing all existing humanitarian efforts and resources among Baptists. “We have doctors, social workers and much experience working with children. We have many large and contented families. We have no reason to hide.” He is also thinking up programmes directed at tobacco and alcohol abuse. Yet all beginnings are modest. His social department has no paid employees and he receives his pastor’s salary from the German “Light in the East” mission.

Stones in the way
This 46-year-old grandfather and father of six concludes: „We Russians are selfish. We do not find it hard to pass on aid we have received from the West. But giving up our own shirt or our own automobile – that is quite another matter. That is why we are called to motivate people to also donate that which is theirs.”

He also tells of a city with five Baptist congregations in which all of them are in competition with one another. “I believe we need to teach our people to rejoice over the successes of others. We are still working in isolation from each other, each-for-his-own. That is our great weakness. We do not trust each other; we’re always suspicious of somebody. But the problem is not that we Baptists are unable to love. We do love, but often we feel incapable of expressing those feelings.”

Contradictions arise when the topic turns to wealth and poverty in Russia. “We are of course poorer than the Americans,” the pastor states, “but we are not poor. There are always persons less well-off than we whom we are called to help. If each Russian Baptist would tithe, then our church would be living in abundance.” But he also adds: “Many Western missions have left Russia with the words: ´Russia is a wealthy country.` That is correct, but it does not hold true for our congregations and people in general. We remain dependent on the aid of Western sisters and brothers. It strikes me that churches in the West have become indifferent to Russia, and that is very unfortunate.”

Regarding future prospects, Pastor Lunichkin remarks: „It’s problematic for us that the Russian Orthodox Church has become so politicised. Russia’s biggest problem of all is its lack of spirituality. That is why we are called to proclaim the Gospel and to speak out against no one – be they from the state, the Charismatics or the Pentecostals. We will only be blessed with success if we worship the Almighty and refrain from attacking the shortcomings of others. If we live the Gospel in love, then the time will come when society will realise how much they really do need us.”

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 24 April 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-18, 780 words.


Greater Unity: A Recipe for Getting Heard
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An interdenominational and two Baptist sessions convene

M o s c o w -- Rather than putting major resources into PR, the Baptists of Russia should concentrate their efforts on “mutually strengthening the relations between their congregations”. They should also “plant many new congregations and improve the size and quality of their existing ones”. Those are the views of one high Russian government official quoted by Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko, head of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) Department for External Church Relations, at a pastors´ conference in Bryansk on 12 April. The official had added in conclusion: If your brotherhood “would work together like the strings of a well-tuned piano and carefully organise and synchronise all of its activities, then you could become within five to ten years the kind of genuine force from which the government would be happy to hear.” The department head also noted in his lecture that it is often brothers and sisters in Western countries who understand least well why autonomous congregations “desire to join our Union“.

A meeting of the “Advisory Council of the Leaders of the Protestant Churches of Russia“ in Moscow three days later noted that the state Ministry for Education and Science had initiated a meeting with Protestants on 11 April. The state’s intent had been to hear out Protestants regarding their views on the planned Orthodox school classes entitled “Spiritual and Moral Culture”. The Council intends to propose an alternative, less-partisan form of school instruction on moral and religious topics. This government invitation could be interpreted as a sign of Protestants already being taken more seriously.

The desire for closer Baptist cooperation was also evident at this year’s sessions of the “Euro-Asiatic Federation of Unions of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” in Kiev on 9 to 11 April. Pastor Vlasenko, who had been present in Kiev, reported in his Bryansk lecture: “It is apparent to me that we Russians will soon be able to better support the church in the Central Asian countries and elsewhere.” The Protestants of Central Asia are all subject to increasing government pressure. The Euro-Asiatic Federation unites 12 of the 15 unions which had formed the “All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” during the Soviet era. (Only the Baltic unions did not join this successor organisation.)

This initial “Day of Brotherhood” in Bryansk fulfilled a promise made by Union leadership in January (see our release from 18.01) to leave Moscow offices and visit pastors on-location throughout the vast regions of Russia. The response of the 120 pastors in this region southwest of Moscow was overwhelming and gratifying – the heightened congregational fees for the work of national headquarters (they have been increased 300% to 150 roubles - $6 US - annually per church member) have already been collected there. Pastor Vlasenko reports that such sessions, which promise to be an exhausting exercise for Moscow staff, are to be held monthly in hopes of covering all of Russia’s 50+ Baptist regions within a five-year period. He projects: “In the end, local pastors will know us not only from our letters, but also by our faces.”

The Advisory Council session on 15 April also covered issues other than Russian school classes. The assembled leaders expressed great satisfaction in this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, which was held in Moscow on 18 March. It is to be expanded in both size and length next year. Discussion groups are to be introduced and the Breakfast could be extended to cover nearly an entire day. The “Global Leadership Summits” sponsored by the North American Willow Creek movement are to be headed in Russia by Vitaly Vlasenko for the foreseeable future.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 19 April 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-17, 593 words.


In a Class by Itself
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The International Mission Board in Russia

Report and Editorial

M o s c o w -- There truly are things which function better in Russia than further West. One example are the relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) with world bodies such as the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and the Richmond/Virginia-based Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). In Western Europe, relations between the SBC and the unions forming the European Baptist Federation (EBF) are on the back burner, yet in Russia the RUECB cooperates well with both. (EBF is the European arm of BWA). The stresses which the SBC`s mission society, the International Mission Board (IMB), experiences in Russia are largely governmental and state-church in origin, not evangelical. Things are different though in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where the Unions have withdrawn from the BWA and EBF.

RUECB-President Yuri Sipko is keen to emphasise his own Union’s constructive cooperation with the IMB. They also register broad agreement on issues such as Biblical inspiration and the leadership role of women. Alexander Popov, the Baptist Superintendent in the Izhevsk region just west of the Urals, is deeply convinced of the value of IMB support. He noted in a recent conversation that the missions drive in his region, Udmurtia, was no North American creation. “It was our idea that we cooperate. We developed the projects mutually. In our area, the Southern Baptists worked strictly through us and our Union. They wanted us to plant the congregations ourselves.”

About divisions
The Southern Baptist Convention’s 16,3 million members make it the USA´s second-largest denomination. The Roman Catholic Church has three times as many members, but Catholics cannot come near the Baptists´ 44.000 congregations. The SBC has fielded a mission society (the IMB) ever since its founding in 1845; it was known until 1997 as the “Foreign Mission Board”. The mission has been active in post-communist Russia since at least 1990.

Groupings have repeatedly split off from the SBC. The most recent splits resulted from the „Conservative Resurgence“ movement which gathered momentum after 1960. This decidedly conservative faction has succeeded in getting its own candidate elected president of the SBC every year since 1979 - its presidents serve only one-year terms. The most liberal grouping, the “Alliance of Baptists”, split off in 1987; it now has the support of roughly 125 congregations. The moderate, 1991-founded „Cooperative Baptist Fellowship“ (CBF) enjoys the loyalty of 1.900 congregations. The SBC chose to remove itself from the BWA in October 2004. 210 Baptist churches with a total membership of 37 million remain within the BWA fold.

This recent division within the SBC has been labelled a “reformation achieved at incredibly high cost”. Texas seminary president Paige Patterson, himself an architect of the “Conservative Resurgence”, laments the fact that this struggle has lead to vocational disruption, injury and damaged friendships. “No one seriously confessing the name of Jesus can rejoice in these sorrows.” Leading Southern Baptists such as Billy Graham, Jimmy Carter and Rick Warren remain on the other side of the divide within the SBC.

Richmond is far away
Russians had a saying centuries ago: “The Tsar is far away and God is on high.” But not only Moscow is far away for most Russian evangelicals – Richmond/Virginia is even further. The fireworks in North America appear to have had little effect on the work on location in Russia. IMB-workers are – or have been - involved in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Bryansk, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Ufa, Izhevsk, Volgograd, Ekaterinburg and the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, among others. In Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka peninsula North American missionaries are involved directly in the planting of a new congregation. The RUECB-seminary in the Novosibirsk suburb of Akademgorodok receives vital IMB support. These missionaries organise conferences, evangelistic campaigns, concerts, Bible distribution, English classes and humanitarian projects (Beslan, for ex.) A Christian campground near Bryansk has been supported.

As with most other Western missions, the IMB attempts to concentrate on mission to the unreached as well as to other distinctive groupings. In this instance they include the Udmurts, a non-Slavic people related to the Finns residing in the region of Izhevsk, as well as the Muslims of Moscow and Russia in general. Other target groups include Russians of Korean origin, the deaf, Jews, students and artists. Ed Tarleton, the head of its Moscow office, dreams of reaching two dozen of Russia’s roughly 180 peoples.

Matters worth copying
The International Mission Board is a leading expert at mobilising Christians on the home front – a skill which Europeans could be well-advised to learn. Donation drives and an annual “Volunteer Summit for Central and Eastern Europe” are held in the USA; this year’s Summit will be held in late April in Sherwood/Arkansas. The Internet plays a heavy-duty role in the drive for mobilisation: see for ex. „hope4cee.org/Russia“, “hope4russia.org” and „hope4artists.com“. The webpage „hope4udmurt.org“ describes how a church event featuring the Udmurts can be organised – including the proper cuisine. Particularly active in generating missionary activity for Russia is the White River Baptist Association located in the Arkansas village of Flippin (population 1.357).

The IMB is also a king in the prayer movement for evangelisation, and Russia held first place in the IMB’s support campaigns during 2007. On 27 May, the world’s Southern Baptists dedicated their annual Day of Prayer and Fasting for World Evangelisation to the 770.000 Udmurts of central Russia. The annual Week of Prayer for International Missions, which took place from 2 to 9 December, focused on the missionaries serving in the region of the former Soviet Union.

Not surprisingly, the employees of the world’s best-funded Protestant mission society possess significant amounts of small change. But they also know how to share it. In 2007, the two annual conferences for the missionaries of Central and Eastern Europe collected donations totalling more than $90.000.

Within or without?
Across the globe, the IMB usually retains its own mission and programme. Though it may cooperate closely with the programme of a national union, the two missions remain separate and independent entities within that country. This has sometimes led to the claim – as in Nigeria – that the IMB “runs a parallel organization apart from the national conventions”. Internet reports from the team in Khabarovsk express the expectation that locals will join IMB-run projects – not vice versa. In early 2001, the IMB and RUECB-congregations in the Irkutsk region broke ties. Reports indicate that local pastors wanted support for existing projects. Yet the Southern Baptists preferred to start new church-planting initiatives with little or no financial support for locals. But the attempts at cooperation took a very different turn in Izhevsk.

Even in the very best of circumstances, differences in culture and economic clout remain a major hurdle for the work of missionaries in foreign countries. The IMB does have long-term missionaries: Mel and Nancy Skinner, now stationed in St. Petersburg, have been serving in Russia for 16 years. Ed and Teri Tarleton have been on location for two years less. Yet the vast majority of work is done by missionaries in Russia for the shorter term – persons much less-equipped to take on the twin “foes” of culture and economics. The IMB has developed and labelled a wide range of service options for short-term missionaries speaking little or no Russian. A “Virtual Strategy Coordinator” for ex. is a US-based lay volunteer given the task of developing a plan to evangelise a given Russian city or region. Other options include the teaching of English and “prayerwalking” – a practice by which one prayerfully canvasses a given area on foot in hopes of chancing upon opportunities to converse with passers-by.

But, not surprisingly, the lack of experience and cultural empathy will on occasion show through. The Houston-based Virtual Strategy Coordinator for Nizhny Novgorod wrote recently: “Most of the city's 1,3 million people have no access to the Gospel and little interest in religion or anything else from the West.” Last year, the head of IMB-efforts in European Russia reported: “The door is definitely closing. The groundwork is being laid to get [the Christians] ready for the next wave of persecution and the future necessity of house churches.” That news is of course of little encouragement to those Russians committed to staying in their homeland and not hanging out the white flag prematurely.

How “high” is high overhead? One simple indication for the disturbing ratio between cost and effect are the immense travel costs instigated by missionaries working for limited periods in Russia. But this is an issue for nearly all missions still active in Russia. If there were no short-term foreign missionaries, there would often be none whatsoever. Prayerwalking can be an important endeavour – but is it worth the cost of a roundtrip flight from Texas to central Russia? Is it more effective than praying in Texas? Some questions cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”.

The biggest happening in town
It is possible for the Baptist majority gathered within the BWA to question aspects of IMB mission work. One should nevertheless keep the relative sizes in mind. With a worldwide total of 5.400 missionaries, the IMB qualifies as the globe’s largest Protestant mission society. Its missions budget for 2007 totalled $165 million. The afore-mentioned CBF supports 163 foreign-based missionaries and has an annual missions budget of $6 million. The „American Baptist Churches“ (ABC), which also resulted from the split of 1845, supported 150 foreign missionaries in 2002.

IMB fields 20 missionary teams throughout Russia. The number of IMB-missionaries residing longer-term in Russia is just under 100. Although ABC-members are active on mission projects and in the Moscow seminary, neither they nor the CBF presently have any foreign missionaries residing in Russia. By May, three teams of short-term missionaries will have visited Russia in 2008 – a frequency no other Baptist mission can match. (The “Slavic Gospel Association”, which is also very active among Russian Baptists, is an interdenominational mission.) When it comes to vision and levels of foreign Baptist mission activity in Russia, the IMB remains in a class by itself.

The best solution
The trauma of the SBC´s departure from the BWA is far from over among the small Baptist denominations of Western Europe. The SBC appears to be forming a relationship with Germany’s ethnic-German immigrants from Russia – the Aussiedler. A major player for these contacts is the “Bibelseminar Bonn” Bible institute, which is frequented primarily by the children of Aussiedler. A preachers´ conference in Lemgo featuring top Southern Baptist brass will be held in collaboration with this institute from 21 to 24 May. Attending will be Paige Patterson and Morris Chapman as well as former SBC-President Bobby Welch. This conference will ring the alarm bells of those European Baptists fearing the creation of an alternative World Alliance or at least increased distance between Aussiedler and native-German Baptists.

If SBC-leadership could accept a reasonable amount of diversity and new forms of unity found, then the suspicion of competition would become superfluous. The denominational infighting and church splits so prevalent in North America are a “luxury” which the impoverished evangelicals of Europe cannot afford. Baptists badly need each other. The labourers in the vineyard are few indeed.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 17 April 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

This report tends only to inform and lays no claim to representing a unified, single position of RUECB-leadership. May be published with permission. Release #08-16, 1.835 words.


Olive Branch with Strings Attached Rejected
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Baptists answer the demand of an Orthodox cult specialist

M o s c o w -- “Your attempt to split the fragile fellowship of various religions and confessions committed to the defence of religious freedom will fail.” That was the forecast of Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), Director of the Department for External Church Relations for the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), to an open letter dated 25 March. That letter had been signed by Alexander Dvorkin, an Orthodox cleric and feisty head of Moscow’s “Russian Association of Centres for Religious and Sectarian Studies”. In his letter, Dvorkin reported that a Moscow conference of 19 March on religious intolerance had once more included Baptists in the “bouquet” of totalitarian sects. Dvorkin then added: “We would like to know whether Russian Baptist leadership intends to protest this characterisation of the Baptist movement as a totalitarian sect. If it fails to do so, it will lose its moral right to protest in any similar situations. We will commit ourselves to informing society of your response – or the lack thereof – as widely as possible.” The conference, to which Baptists were not invited, had also described Neo-Pentecostals and Charismatics as totalitarian along with Scientology, the Mun church, Hari Krishna and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Vlasenko adds in his written response of 11 April: “The organisations you list have all been officially registered by the Russian Federation. No police forces are pursuing them and no judicial office has accused them of damaging health or society in general. We believe one must treat individual belief with great care in view of the majority opinions in our country. He insists: “No person can take from the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists the right to express its views on various issues of morality.” He thereby quotes Exodus 23,2: “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.” The Department Director states in conclusion: “The worst pages in Christian history are connected to the violence which Christians have committed in God’s name.”

The in Russia well-known, 1955-born Alexander Dvorkin is a US-citizen regarded by some as a specialist on sects and the cults. He spent the two decades prior to 1990 in the USA and graduated from Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood/New York in 1983. Internet reports state that he is a former employee of both Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty.

The RUECB is a founding member of the “Advisory Council of Heads of the Protestant Churches of Russia” along with the Charismatic “Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith” and the Pentecostal “Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith”. The RUECB, Russia’s largest unified Protestant church, represents 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its president is Yuri Sipko.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 15 April 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-15, 456 words.


Striving for Russian Baptist Unity Out in the Snow
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Expedition through Siberia arrives back in Moscow

M o s c o w – Striving for Baptist unity not only at the negotiation table, but also out in the snow-covered boondocks. That´s a motto to live by for Pastor Valentin Vasilizhenko (Moscow), Secretary of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists´ (RUECB) “Public Council”. For that reason he took part in a recent two-vehicle expedition through northern and western Siberia. This, the RUECB´s fourth motorised expedition, started on 10 Februar in Hanti-Mansiisk north of Tiumen/western Siberia and headed north to the Arctic Circle, then southward to Novokuznetsk, and ended on 26 March back in Moscow. This tour covered 9.000 kilometres in 45 days, roughly 40 worship services and meetings took place.

This expedition was entitled „The Gospel for the Peoples of Siberia“, yet the primary thrust was for the first time not on evangelism, but rather on visiting missionaries and small congregations in particulary isolated regions. Pastor Vasilizhenko saw to it that congregations of Baptist tradition, which left the big Union after about 1990, also got onto the programme. He led the tour for two weeks on the home stretch from Kemerovo (central Siberia) to Ufa just west of the Ural Mountains.

He reported after the expedition: “The bread and the fuel never ran out. God has his children everywhere, and when there were church services, they sacrificed beyond their own means with open and honest hearts.” Regarding the meetings with congregations from outside the RUECB he stated: “We were never shown the door. We were accepted very courteously, they left us their pulpit and their meetings. These services were followed by tea, prayer and a hearty fellowship. I am very pleased about this trip. There really is a brotherhood among us and it is our task to strengthen it. There are too few of us in Russia to permit each to do his own thing. We must gather the brothers and sisters together in one hand. We need a feeling of togetherness.”

Not only were congregations of the still-unregistered „Initiativniki“ visited – one of its members even belonged to the 8- to 10-member tour group. This church, which left the large Union in 1961 and is now known under the name of “International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists”, has only observer status within the Public Council. The Council consists of 10 denominations within the Baptist tradition.

The insider Vasilizhenko attributes the unstable nature of the Russian Baptist movement, which fell apart organisationally along with the Soviet Union, to the fact that it consists of three distinct movements. The movement in western Russia stemming from Ivan Prochanov (1869-1925) dealt openly with social and political issues; the Molokhans (milk drinkers) were especially committed to strong family life and a very strict form of church music. Both of these movements originated within Russian Orthodoxy. But the third branch, which consisted of Mennonites of Dutch and Prussian origin arriving late in the 18th century, was clearly a Western import. The Mennonites, who settled in Ukraine and Siberia, were known for their clear separation from the surrounding community, their strict interpretation of morality and their pacifism. It was above all this third grouping which streamed back to the West after 1980 and today shapes the face of the Russian evangelical movement in Germany and – to a lesser extent – in North America.

The RUECB, Russia´s largest unified Protestant church, today represents 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 28 March 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-14, 559 words.


Central Offices Must Serve the Congregations
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Baptist Union Council meets in Moscow

M o s c o w – Despite setbacks, things are moving forward. That was the verdict following sessions of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) Council in Moscow on 20 and 21 March. It was decided at the meetings to boost the annual contribution of the congregations per member for the work of central offices threefold from 50 to 150 roubles (4,30 euros or $6,25 US). Simultaneously, work in the RUECB´s seven regions is to be increased. RUECB-President Yuri Sipko explained: “The model until now has assumed a large central office, which consumed many resources for itself and did not administer them very efficiently. But the centre must be located in the congregations, and national headquarters need to serve the congregations. We are therefore asking how we can best transfer our primary thrust to the seven regions. We must leave them the chance to initiate things; we must supply them with a larger amount of resources.”

A transfer to the regional level is connected to the fact that the work of the new financial department created at the end of 2007 has ceased for the time being. “We have needed to reconsider,” the President stated. “The congregations must decide on the tasks of the national office. Headquarters need to complete the tasks given to them by the congregations. It would therefore be inconsistent to create a new office in headquarters with the objective of gathering funds in the congregations.” Past department head Leonid Kartavenko will be taking on new responsibilities within the RUECB family.

The question of salvation was also discussed by the Council. On this the President reported: “The existing theological labels of ‘Calvinist’ and ‘Arminian’ bother our Baptist brotherhood equally. Being Evangelical Christian-Baptist – that is our identity. But the Christian world has templates and they lead to splits among us. That’s why we simply opened the Bible in brotherly love. We had a wonderful theological discussion which left a good feeling behind. We stressed once more that we are Evangelical Christians-Baptists. Salvation occurs on the basis of God’s revelation; we dare not rely on the teachings of mere humans.”

Only two of the Union’s 57 superintendents were absent from these twice-annual Council sessions, which were held at the RUECB´s Moscow seminary. That’s a small miracle in view of the country’s geographical size. Yuri Sipko is particularly proud of the fact that on 10 March the new educational programme custom-tailored to the needs of the superintendents got off the ground. Those still without a Masters degree in theology can qualify for one within 24 months – mostly through study-by-extension.

The RUECB, Russia’s largest unified Protestant church, represents 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 26 March 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-13, 439 words.


The Ice Has Been Broken
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First official Hungarian Baptist visit to Russia in 20 years takes place

M o s c o w -- “We were very moved, the ice has been broken.” That was the conclusion of Ákos Bukovszky (Szombathely), Assistant for External Affairs at the Baptist Union of Hungary, following an impromptu meeting in the Moscow seminary of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) on 17 March. During that meeting, RUECB-President Yuri Sipko (Moscow) had fully unexpectedly requested forgiveness from Hungarian Baptists for the Soviet military intervention in Hungary.

At the request of the two guests, the scene was repeated the following day to allow it to be filmed for Hungarian state television. In the replay, Sipko stated in part: “I recall in 1956 when Russian tanks entered Budapest and the national longing for freedom was quashed by force. You suffered for 50 years under the pressures of a totalitarian regime. I on behalf of the Russian Baptists sincerely ask the Hungarian brothers and Baptists for forgiveness. Before God we can testify of our love for each other. We serve the nations of both Russia and Hungary and we have unity in Jesus Christ, his blood and his hope. Thank you for your love and patience with Russia.”

Dr. Bukovszky, a retired chemical engineer, had stated earlier in the visit that the issue of blood both separated and united Russian and Hungarian believers. “The blood of the Hungarian martyrs of 1956 separates our two peoples. Yet it is the blood of Jesus Christ that binds us together.” At the close of the visit on the 19th he added: “I must keep reminding myself that I am a child of God first and a Hungarian second. I have been reinforced in my conviction that I stand closer to a Russian or Rumanian Christian than to a non-believing Hungarian. Our reception in Moscow has been really tremendous and that is the message which I will be taking back to my church.”

Kálmán Mészáros (Budapest), President of the Baptist Union of Hungary, stated at the seminary meeting on the 17th that official Russian-Hungarian relations had been “too tight for comfort” during the Soviet era. That was followed by 20 years of silence – the last official visit of Hungarian Baptists to Russia taking place in 1988. The new climate will now allow Hungarian and Russian Baptists to find a form of partnership comfortable and agreeable to both sides.

Russian hosts bestowed praise on their Hungarian guests. The guests were repeatedly thanked for Hungarian efforts to smuggle Bibles to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In fact, Ákos Bukovszky´s father-in-law had lost his position as a pastor after it was found out that he had been stuffing the mailboxes of Soviet army officers stationed in Hungary with Bibles. Many thanks were extended to the well-known “Hungarian Baptist Aid” organisation for its efforts to aid the survivors of the Beslan massacre in 2004.

Dr. Mészáros stated in closing: “We are going home with a completely new vision. We thought Russia was far behind us. But now we see that in a number of things they are indeed ahead of us.” These include Russian efforts to reach the upcoming generation as well as government circles. The two guests also intend to inform Hungary’s 11.500 Baptists on the merits of prayer breakfasts and evangelistic bicycle tours.

Mészáros and Bukovszky had come to Russia at the invitation of its National Prayer Breakfast movement, which held its annual event in Moscow on 18 March. In the name of the Breakfast, the RUECB´s Department for External Church Relations had invited all but the smallest Baptist Unions of Europe – a total of 50 unions and individuals – to attend the Breakfast. The results were strongly reminiscent of the spurned host of a great banquet in Luke 14: the two Hungarians were the only ones who came. “We really made up in quality for the lack of quantity,” remarked Baptist pastor Vitaly Vlasenko, Board Chairman of the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation. “We will not be forgetting this visit very soon and we have hopes for cooperation in the future.”

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 22 March 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-12, 670 words.


Russia’s National Prayer Breakfast Reaches New Heights
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Eighth National Prayer Breakfast held in Moscow

M o s c o w -- Russia’s National Prayer Breakfast, held in Moscow on 18 March, is bigger than ever. New records were set with over 350 businessmen, pastors and middle- to upper-level politicians - including 50 journalists - in attendance. Even the nationally-respected paediatrician Leonid Roshal (Moscow), whom terrorists had allowed to treat hostages in Beslan as well as in Moscow’s Nord-Ost-Theatre, was present.

“A lot of non-Protestants came to listen to us,” noted Baptist Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), Board Chairman of the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation. “Our leaders are respected, they are becoming accepted by Russian society.” Even the Breakfast’s recent location has been a statement in itself: the top-notch, government-owned President-Hotel, in which many visiting heads-of-state reside. “The government welcomes our presence,” added Rev. Vlasenko. “With this event we can testify that Protestants are an active, healthy and integral part of Russian civil society. We want to tell the nation about our work, our spiritual and moral aspirations.”

The Russian government has designated 2008 as the year of the family – it was also the topic of this year’s Breakfast. Father Alexander Vasyutin (Moscow) from Russian Orthodoxy’s Department for External Relations was quick to note common grounds on the issue of the family. “It is remarkable and pleasant that Christian churches can together bear witness to family values. On matters of the family and Christian values, it is imperitive that we find a common language and cooperate.” He underscored the necessity of collaboration by citing the fact that 83% of Moscow marriages are now ending in divorce. A Protestant pastor added that every fourth child is being born out of wedlock in Russia.

Senator Alexander Torshin (Moscow), Vice-President of Russia’s Federation Council, noted that his country’s demographic crises cannot be solved and families strengthened without the cooperation of the churches. He added that in evangelical churches the problem of the family has been “successfully solved”.

Breakfast leadership made strong efforts to extend the hand of friendship to the Orthodox. A minute of silence was observed at the outset of the programme for Metropolitan Laurus, head of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), who had died in New York state on 16 March. Pastor Vlasenko, who is also Director of External Church Relations for the “Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” (RUECB), stated: “Laurus was a courageous person; he did a lot for the unity of the churches.”

Yet the press conference following the Breakfast quickly made clear the contradictory nature of Orthodox church policy. Emphasizing that it was only his personal opinion, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin (Moscow), Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, had stated in an interview early in March that joint prayer between Orthodox and the non-Orthodox should no longer be practiced. Pavel Okara (Moscow), head of the Pentecostal “Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith”, responded to journalists that he had prayed repeatedly with Chaplin at the ecumenical conference near Nairobi, Kenya last November. He added: “I don’t believe he was stating his personal position this time. Joint prayer is a basic necessity, even if not nearly everyone is ready for it.”

Bishop Sergey Ryahovsky (Moscow), head of the charismatic “Associated Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical-Pentecostal Faith”, insisted that one cannot manage without joint prayer during times of serious duress. “My father was imprisoned three times for his faith and in the GULAG he prayed frequently with Orthodox bishops and priests.” He continued: “We have colossal respect for canonical law. But I believe God creates situations in which we need to circumvent laws and pray with one another. I am not divulging all secrets when I say that even now we are praying jointly with many Russian Orthodox bishops.”

RUECB-President Yuri Sipko (Moscow) added: “We uphold the principle of the priesthood of all believers. That prevents us from placing limitations on prayer.”

During the Breakfast itself, Nikolay Svanidze (Moscow), a well-known television commentator and relative of Stalin´s first wife, had assured: “The day will come when representatives of the differing confessions will join together to honour the one God.”

This was the eighth Russian National Prayer Breakfast since 1995; the event has been annual since 2002. National Prayer Breakfasts are held in over 60 countries; yet there is little international coordination and Russia’s event is funded strictly by Russian Protestant sources.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 21 March 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-11, 717 words.


Bringing Moscow Traffic to a Standstill
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Advisory Council of Protestant Leaders celebrates Christian unity

M o s c o w -- “One snowflake cannot make much difference. But a billion snowflakes can bring Moscow traffic to a halt.” That was one statement made by Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of California´s 22.000-member “Saddleback Community Church”, via telephone link with an assembly convened by the “Advisory Council of Leaders of the Protestant Churches of Russia” on 12 March. The event was held at Moscow headquarters of the “Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” (RUECB). Unity was the evening´s primary topic, dedicated above all to pastors´ wives. Accord within families and between denominations were two levels of unity stressed at the event attended by 50 Protestant leaders and their spouses.

Warren, a Southern Baptist, continued: “We must work together. We can only do great things together. The longer I am in ministry, the more I learn to love other churches and not just my own. I encourage you to love each others as brothers and sisters in Christ, for we are all members of one team.” He also stressed the need to learn: “All leaders are learners. The moment we stop learning, we are no longer leaders.”

Earlier in the evening and unbeknownst to Warren, a representative of the Advisory Council had spoken in similar terms: “Despite our theological differences and past squabbles, we truly are the singular evangelical family of Russia! Together we are jointly fulfilling God´s will for our society. We love and honour all of you.” Present besides Baptists were Lutherans, Presbyterians, Adventists, Pentecostals and Charismatics.

Kay Warren, the wife of Rick Warren, was physically present at the event along with a three-member team from Saddleback. She pointed to a third level of required Christian unity: body and spirit. She condemned the bygone North American controversy between Christians who wanted either to evangelise or to engage in social ministry. “We are not just souls and not just bodies. Both matter. We must also care about the bodies that our souls live in.”

The Baptist Saddleback team had come to Russia for a second time to support the work Russian church initiatives struggling against the Aids pandemic. The Aids Summit at Saddleback in Lake Forest/California last November had attracted 3.000 attendees including representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. Kay Warren hopes joint humanitarian work on Aids could be a possible bridge between Protestants and the Orthodox in Russia.

Kay Warren reported that hardcover English-language sales on her husband´s book, “The Purpose-Driven Life”, have topped 30 million. This makes it – after the Bible – the most-often sold English-language book in human history. The book has also been published in Russian. Rick Warren is scheduled to visit Russia for the first time during 2009.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 13 March 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. May be published freely. Release #08-10, 440 words.


Russia’s National Prayer Breakfast Imminent
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Latecomers may still have the opportunity to attend

M o s c o w -- Russian Baptist headquarters are expecting great things from this year’s National Prayer Breakfast, scheduled for Moscow’s President Hotel on 18 March at 9.00 a.m. More than 250 politicians, clergy, businesspersons, journalists, diplomats and foreign guests have registered; top-level government leaders are expected. The day’s topic will be the family, which is also this year’s special theme as decreed by the Russian government. The heads of Russia’s most prominent Protestant denominations will give short presentations on the topic.

Baptist Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko (Moscow), Board Chairman of the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, explains: “We go to such great effort because we want society to register the Protestant voice. People need to know that we too are a significant voice in Russia. Society and the government need to hear about our activities, our concerns and our love. Protestants have been in Russia since late in the 16th century and we are here to stay. All of us desire to make our society a better one. We Protestants must work with all sectors of society to find the best means of cooperation.”

National Prayer Breakfasts are held annually in more than 60 countries. The Russian one’s leadership remains decidedly Protestant. This year’s event will be the 8th National Breakfast in Russia since 1995.

Latecomers desiring to attend may still have an opportunity to do so if they call or write the office of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists immediately – note the information below. There is a registration fee for those who are not officially-invited special guests.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 07 March 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. Release #08-09, 254 words.


Regional Alliances on the Rise
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5th annual conference of the Russian Alliance in Moscow

M o s c o w – „The Russian Alliance is alive and its work is advancing quickly.” That was the conclusion of Vladimir Ryaguzov, Chairman of the Russian Evangelical Alliance (REA), following its fifth annual conference in Moscow on 26 and 27 February. “It was a terrific conference,” added Ulrich Materne (Wittenberge, Germany), the German Evangelical Alliance’s consultant for Eastern Europe. “I was greatly encouraged.”

Approximately 55 leaders from 15 churches and agencies attended the conference. Pastor Ryaguzov, a Baptist instructor in theology who has just returned to Moscow after a year of study in Germany, added: “Our work is growing from the bottom up. Actually, the first day of the conference was as in earlier times. But the second day was even much better than expected. Thirty-five persons from eight regional conferences reported with enthusiasm on their work.” Not only were Izhevsk (west of the Urals), Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk (Urals), Novosibirsk and Kemerovo (Western Siberia) and Nizhny Novgorod represented; spokespersons from Togliatti (central Volga) and Stary Oskol (near Ukraine) were surprisingly also present. Togliatti is unique in that a small Presbyterian denomination is playing a leadership role there. Ryaguzov noted: “We plan to visit as many regional Alliances as possible this fall in order to encourage and motivate them. They are still in need of our council.”

Three church leaders from Kyrgyzstan were also present at the conference in an Adventist church in Moscow. The Muslim government’s new, highly-sharpened restrictions on evangelical work prove the necessity of joint Protestant action. During March an Alliance delegation consisting of Russians and Germans is scheduled to visit this landlocked, middle-Asian country.

The first day of the conference, held under the motto of “Lord, what shall I do?”, was marked by a strong dosage of self-criticism. Yuri Sipko (Moscow), President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, conceded: “Despite our claims to high spiritual standards, we have allowed ourselves to humiliate and hurt others. We lack unity even within our own Baptist family. Our relationships with others are marked by evil, a refusal to forgive and injurious attacks. That is for us a major defeat and a sign of weakness; that pains Christ and moves him to tears.” He continued: “We are not yet mature enough for the struggle against evil. We are instead still combating those who are standing with us at our side.”

Alexei Naidion, a prison counsellor, complained that local missionaries are transporting their confessional arguments into prisons. He called on the most prominent church leaders to find a form of proclamation which “does not drag fresh converts into inter-church polemics”. Methodist Bishop Hans Växby (Moscow) noted that preaching demands an easily understandable choice of words. Interested listeners should find it simple to “find the door and pass through it”.

The opening of a Moscow office and official state registration are two prominent tasks still facing the REA, which was founded in April 2003. The next annual conference is scheduled for Moscow on 3 and 4 March 2009.

Dr. William Yoder
Moscow, 6 March 2008
kant50@gmx.de
www.rea.org.ru

A press release of the Russian Evangelical Alliance. May be published freely, 490 words. Numbered 08-08.


Signs of Trust and Hope
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Baptist President congratulates President Medvedev on his election victory

M o s c o w -- On 4 March, Pastor Yuri Sipko, President of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), congratulated Dimitry Medvedev on his election two days before as President of the Russian Federation. Sipko´s letter states at the outset that Medvedev´s victory “testifies to the huge trust which the residents of Russia place in you”. It continues: “You have shown the highest level of management gifts, a huge working capacity and political wisdom. Owing to your efforts in realising national projects, the country has made great steps in improving the living standard of our fellow citizens.”

Regarding the religious concerns of Baptists Sipko writes: “We want in particular to mention your tolerant attitude towards the different religions and your attention to the needs of the Russian people. We note your concern for the needy, the socially-endangered and pensioners.” He adds: “Your firm Christian position on moral issues and morality instils us with optimism and hope. I am certain that such a position will be a blessing to all the citizens of our grand nation. . . . We highly appreciate your personal contribution to development of church-state relations based on the principle of trust and strategic partnership. I hope they will continue to further the cause of a multi-confessional world and thereby maintain the stability and prosperity of our country.”

End of letter.

As leading government representative on the “Advisory Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations at the Seat of the President of the Russian Federation”, the 42-year-old Medvedev is probably the top-level government leader whom Russian Protestants know best. This inter-confessional forum had been created by President Vladimir Putin in 1995.

The RUECB, Russia’s largest unified Protestant church, represents 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 05 March 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. Release #08-07, 285 words.


Russian Expeditions No Longer a Novelty
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New missionary expedition through northern Russia underway

M o s c o w – On 10 February a missionary expedition under auspices of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) got underway. This one is called „The Gospel for the Peoples of Siberia“; it began in Hanti-Mansiisk north of Tiumen in western Siberia. This is the 4th motorised tour under RUECB direction – but there are new developments nevertheless. Leonid Kartavenko (Moscow), now RUECB Director of Financial Services, reports: „For the first time it was not Moscow offices which got the idea for having a tour. Our sisters and brothers elsewhere wanted to do this by themselves. We are very pleased by that. But central offices have more experience and greater financial means. So we are needing to support them.“

This 4.000-kilometre tour involving a jeep and the massive, RUECB-owned Kamas lorry has three objectives. The first, northward-bound stage will stress evangelisation. The second stage heading east from Salehard just below the Artic Circle intends above all to visit missionaries living in very remote and nearly-inaccessible locales. From Novii Urengoi southward via Surgut evangelistic meetings will again be the course of the day. New on this tour is also the plan to visit many non-RUECB congregations of Baptist orientation on the home stretch westward from Novokuznetsk in Siberia to Moscow. This last stage – one plans to end the tour in Moscow on 22 March – will be led by Pastor Valentin Vasilizhenko (Moscow). As Director of the “Public Council” umbrella organisation uniting 10 Baptist denominations under one roof, he is well-informed on these other groups.

The vehicles will need to overcome very different terrains. The initial stage led by Superintendent Peter Zhuk (Ufa) is heading north for 1.500 km on the river Ob. The missionaries in the Far North can only be visited in the winter when the ground conditions are most stable. When again heading southward, the tundra will be replaced by the forests of the taiga. Leonid Kartavenko, who along with the music group “Living Drop” will be leading the tour from Surgut to Novokuznetsk, expects the hardest driving conditions in the taiga. Roadless forests will demand zig-zag driving on the southward journey.

Not all arrangements have been finalized for the homeward journey from Nowokuznetsk to Moscow via Barnaul, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Kurgan Ufa, Naberezhnie Chelni, Kazan, Nizhnii Novgorod und Vladimir. Donations from congregations in larger cities will be needed to cover petrol and other travel costs. But Mikhail Zhdan, Administrator of the RUECB´s Missions Department, assures: “Our people have noticed that these programmes are needed. They will therefore be willing to make donations. We don´t need to go to great lengths any more to find co-workers. People announce their readiness themselves and are often willing to cover their own tour expenses.”

Exact dates for this year´s bicycle expedition from Krasnodar in the south via Moscow to Murmansk in the Far North are not yet complete. Clear is that the tour should begin in Krasnodar in early July.

The RUECB, Russia´s largest unified Protestant church, represents 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 13 February 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. Release #08-06, 504 words.


Aid at the Beginning and End of Life
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Russia’s Baptist medical personnel have high hopes

Report

M o s c o w – Abortion was the prominent form of contraception in the former Soviet Union. One therefore finds older women in Russia who have had as many as 20 abortions. Russian Baptists want to do something about this on a number of levels, for the issue involves more than simply convincing a pregnant woman that she should give birth to her child. Their programme combating abortion is linked with a counselling initiative as well as one providing aid in carrying out adoptions. The latter even includes a programme for accepting foster children into families – a new concept in Russia. It also includes the Protestant initiative “Take a Child Home with You”, which concerns itself primarily with the placement of orphans. A group entitled “Quiet Voices” offers counselling for the pregnant.

The brain behind many of these projects can often be found in a small office at Moscow headquarters of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB). There one sees a warm-hearted woman, Dr. Valentina Grigorevna Belashova, encircled by boxes of medical supplies and pounding onto a computer keyboard. The retired cardiologist is head of the “Christian Medical Association” (ChRAM). This industrious woman is committed most of all to palliative medicine – a primary reason for the founding of ChRAM in 1994. She reports that Russia already has 70 state-run hospices throughout the country – Moscow alone is scheduled to have 10, eight of them are in operation. This Baptist, who was not baptised until 1991, reports: “The experience of the Orthodox in palliative medicine is very helpful to us. When conversing about the terminally ill, they are more open and supportive than some Protestant partners. In the existing Moscow hospices, the spiritual care of Protestants is also feasible. Yet the ambulant hospices common in Western countries remain a thing of the future. Being able to do the entire supervision, care and treatment of the terminally ill at home – that is a dream which I still have.”

ChRAM´s webpage, which is partially in English (www.medichrist.ru), reports that it and forerunner organisations have already been active for 18 years. A surgeon, Professor Victor Grishkevich, had then gathered 300 Christians. He became the charismatic founding father of the “Christian Medical Society”, yet he soon emigrated to the United States. His umbrella organisation is known today as the “Society of Christian Health Professionals” (Obvshestvo Christian-Medikov) and is headed by the Baptist Professor Nikolai Didkovsky. One of its tasks involves support groups for health professionals and students in St. Petersburg, Samara, Kursk, Tver, Tula and Joshkar-Ola (near Kazan). An initiative named “Stand Up!”, which is closely associated with ChRAM, deals with the rehabilitation of alcohol- and drug-abuse victims. It has also been active since 1990.

ChRAM as well as “Medical Centre Agape” (www.agaperu.org) organise mobile clinics which also visit the Far North and Far East on occasion. Agape is led by a US-American physician residing in Moscow: Dr. Bill Becknell. ChRAM, Agape, “Stand Up!” and the “Service of Mercy” organisation active in the village of Saltikovka near Moscow are the sole Protestant organisations legally permitted to do medical treatment. All groups listed here function as state-registered NGO´s – not as Protestant entities.

Despite contacts reaching as far North America and Australia, these Protestant initiatives possess surprisingly little contact with Baptist medical professionals in Western Europe. Although for ex. German Baptists possess broad experience in palliative care, it was the Catholic “Maltese Hospice and Palliative Counselling Service” which invited the ever-grateful Dr. Belashova to a Berlin conference in October 2007. She considers Western medical expertise on the psychological care of the terminally ill and their families as a particularly strong need. She writes: “Moscow Hospice Nr. 3 is eager to invite Christian specialists from the West to hold lectures on the psychological care of patients.” In general, the Baptist physician believes Western specialists can contribute best by passing on the newest medical knowledge.

ChRAM´s most loyal Western partner is Dr. Manfred Weise, a physician, professor and conservative evangelical from Kassel/Germany. He heads the small organisation “Christians in Service to the Ill” (Christen im Dienst an Kranken). He frequently lectures in Russia on issues of medical ethics; he has also accompanied the mobile clinic.

The ChRAM´s immediate plans include participation in preparing conferences for Christian health professionals. The series will begin with a conference in Kiev from 1 – 3 Mai, followed by one entitled “Christianity and the Solving of Society’s Social Problems” in St. Petersburg from 26 – 29 May. An all-European conference is scheduled for Austria in September.

The active retiree doesn’t hesitate long when asked about the primary problems facing her work. The time in which the state could be expected to supply comprehensive health care is long past, yet many leaders do not seem to have taken the consequences seriously. “We must convince our pastors of the need to motivate their members to help meet the health care challenge.”

The wish list remains long for outsiders willing to help: medicines, walking aids, tuning forks, metres for measuring blood pressure and sugar. Funds are needed for ex. for purchasing special mattresses, printing medical literature and holding conferences. Yet the cardiologist does not allow spiritual concerns to be last. Joint Bible study and prayer are also of great importance to stressed-out health professionals. She maintains: “We Christian health professionals may live very far from each other in the vast regions of Russia, but we remain very close on the issues that matter most.”

Valentina Belashova can be reached via the address: „belashova@mtu-net.ru“. Her English-speaking colleague, Dr. Vera Shinkarenko has the following address: „cvera@email.ru“.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 05 February 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. It is informational in character and does not express a sole, official position of RUECB-leadership. Release #08-05, 920 words.


Dark Clouds Atop Very High Mountains
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Protestants of Kyrgyzstan fear sharper laws on religion

M o s c o w -- The Protestants of Kyrgyzstan, a once-Soviet republic high in the mountains of central Asia, are very concerned about new legislation greatly restricting religious freedom. A new law “Regarding the Rights of Citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic on Freedom of Conscience and the Confessions” is to be passed in the upcoming weeks. It already has the sanction of most public offices. Alexander Shumilin, head of the Kyrgyz Baptists, writes: “We are grateful to God for the many souls who have found him. He has warmed them, awakened them to new life and holds them in his arms. But recently we see new clouds gathering on the horizon.” Should the new legislation become law, congregations will need to face up to the following restrictions:

No congregation with less than 200 official members will receive government recognition. Mission activities should only be carried out by nationals. A religious organisation with foreigners in leadership positions will be considered a foreign entity and require annual state approval.

Not only seminaries and Bible schools, but also Sunday Schools and private elementary schools will need to register with the State Ministry for Religious Affairs. Teaching content will also be checked by this ministry.

The distribution of Christian literature will be restricted to church buildings and specified bookshops. Every religious activity outside of the church building will require special permission.

Any construction measures or purchase of real estate demands permission from the above ministry.

Only clergy will be offered the opportunity of work in lieu of military service.

Humanitarian and charity work will be possible only if the sponsors´ names and intentions are not made public.

Though Kyrgyz Baptists do not belong to the usual international Baptist organisations (EBF and BWA), they do participate in the Moscow-based “Euro-Asian Federation of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” operating within the region of the former USSR. Its President is even a resident of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan: Alexander Shumilin. Kyrgyzstan has maintained an officially-registered Evangelical Alliance since November 2006. Not all Protestant groups are members, yet virtually all attended its recent Round Table discussions. A meeting between Protestant and state representatives took place on 11 January. The congregations are requesting prayer regarding the next get-together with government officials on 8 February.

Krygyzstan, independent since 1991, has a population of 5,08 million. Approximately 65% of its inhabitants are Kyrgyz, a Turkish people belonging largely to the Sunni branch of Islam. Roughly 100.000 ethnic Germans lived in the country at the outset of the 1990s, but that number has dwindled to 12.000. The percentage of Russians is listed as 12,5%. Krygyzstan hosts 3.100 Baptists gathered in 84 congregations.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 30 January 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. (Which does not imply that each member of the RUECB-leadership team shares all views expressed in the text.) Text may be published freely. Release #08-04, 440 words.


Those Who Have Been There Once, Return
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15-year partnership between Ulyanovsk and Krefeld

Report

M o s c o w / K r e f e l d – Get moving and not wait too long on church headquarters. That’s the strategy the Germans Klaus and Inge Schilbach used to launch what is apparently the sole partnership between a congregation belonging to the heavily-Baptist, German “Federation of Evangelical-Free Churches” and one belonging to the “Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists”. Following crossed signals in Moscow, it was a representative of the Russian “Intourist” travel service who, after visiting Krefeld in 1991 under the auspices of a city partnership, obtained the address of the Baptist congregation on the Volga River in Ulyanovsk. But only two years later was Schilbach, a high-school teacher, totally ready for action: He retired early at age 56 for reasons of health. Since 1993, he and friends have made the long journey from Krefeld on the Dutch border to Ulyanovsk 10 times. Visits in the opposite direction to Krefeld are now occurring every second year.

During this period, Krefeld Baptists have been able to supply the spiritual encouragement and financial injections necessary to get a number of projects rolling in the 300-member congregation pastored by Alexander Levkovsky. First order of the day were humanitarian shipments and completion of the new Ulyanovsk church building. The opening of a soup kitchen and work among drug addicts and in prisons followed. The prisons being visited now include a prison for women.

Those who learned to survive amidst serious repression are not automatically equipped for the offensive style demanded by a pluralistic society. Klaus Schilbach, who spent his career dealing on a daily basis with government officials, therefore attempted to form relationships between the Ulyanovsk congregation and city authorities as well as the Orthodox church. When a visit from Krefeld Baptists is in the offing – the city partnership still exists - visits with communal representatives and Orthodox offices are put on the agenda. “The congregation could cultivate these contacts more intensively,” Schilbach adds. “Why don’t they plan to meet four times annually?” But now it does occur that the congregation will seek out city authorities without a German presence.

The diligent guest from Germany also hopes for closer ties between the congregation and the local university. “That can only be developed by taking small steps,” he states. “We need to get into dialogue with the people there. Crude evangelistic methods will not do.” He regards the local believers in any case to be „amazingly willing to learn“. The long decades sealed-off from the outside had taken their toll. In 1993, some church members still regarded fossils found on the riverbank as the handiwork of satanic powers.

Klaus Schilbach reports that all funds directed towards the Russian project pass across his congregation’s financial desk. “They check every cent – the city of Krefeld contributes nothing.” The initiative on Russia has neither name nor meetings; pressing questions are taken care of in passing. The group has roughly 12 “hard-core” members, including a retired, Catholic policeman who has gone along to Ulyanovsk three times. Some reports on Ulyanovsk appear on pin-up boards and in the church bulletin; local media are also involved on occasion. Ulyanovsk is known as the birthplace of Lenin; Krefeld, for its Mennonites, who have lived there for 400 years. Yet Mennonites are not participating in the Ulyanovsk project.

Klaus Schilbach expects little assistance from Baptist headquarters in general. He reports that his own German federation prefers to negotiate with official organizations, and he alone was only an individual – and a layperson at that. Yet what God had dropped off at his doorstep he did not have the freedom to ignore. That did not always converge with the concerns of German churches or mission organisations, who had already developed a missions programme heavily dependent upon the support of local congregations. Yet sitting between chairs can be an honourable endeavour, he claims: “Then we are open to work in any direction we like.”

Why are Inge and Klaus Schilbach going to so much trouble during the last major chapter of their lives? In certainly isn’t because of the national German state medal awarded to the husband in 2005 for his volunteer efforts. “It’s the love and cordiality there, the resilient faith in the face of extreme odds. It’s the fantasy people put into their efforts to reach others for Christ. No one returns back here without having been spiritually blessed. Those who have been there once are bound to return.” Klaus Schilbach adds a few examples: “One cannot find that kind of openness for the Gospel in German society and in prisons. But someone who visits a prison there gets besieged with questions. People still react there. That encourages us and makes us feel like pushing on. We still have an open door to the prisons of Ulyanovsk. The director of one prison is deeply grateful for our work with prisoners and with drug addicts. We still have vast opportunities. You can make things happen which are now unthinkable in Germany.”

The Krefeld effort is still on the upswing: This summer, two groups totalling 16 persons will travel to Ulyanovsk to help celebrate the congregation’s 90th anniversary on 29 June. That’s when the partnership will also be having its 15th birthday. On the way home, RUECB-offices in Moscow will be delighted to host the group for the first time.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 26 January 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. (Which does not imply that each member of the RUECB-leadership team shares all views expressed in the text.) Text may be published freely. Release #08-03, 876 words. A high-resolution photo is available.


Simon Borodin Provisional Director of RUECB-Missions Department
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Moscow headquarters more colourful than ever

M o s c o w – Since 1 November 2007, Simon Alexeevich Borodin has been serving as the new Provisional Director of Missions for the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) in Moscow. Contingent upon the agreement of the Union´s Council, Borodin will be taking over this major department officially from Leonid Kartavenko, who has become Department Director for Financial Services.

Borodin serves as a pastor in the 3.000-member „Missionary Union of Evangelical Christians“, which is active primarily in southern Russia. His official calling would make him the fourth Department Director arriving at RUECB headquarters from a non-RUECB congregation. During the second half of 2006, President Yuri Sipko had with the sanction of the Union´s Council brought three “predecessors” into RUECB-headquarters. Pastor Alexei Smirnov (Dedovsk near Moscow) from the „Association of Brethren Churches“ (ABC), had then been named Director of the Pastoral Department. He was followed by Valentin Vasilizhenko, once a member of the „International Council of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists“, better known initially as the „Initiativniki“ or the „Unregistered“. Before transitioning to RUECB-headquarters, Vasilizhenko had last served as head of the Moscow-based “Association for Spiritual Renewal”. He became at RUECB request Founding Director of the “Public Council”. Vitaly Vlasenko, President of the "Union of Christian Evangelical Churches of Russia", was named Director for External Church Relations. Today, Vasilizhenko and Vlasenko are both serving as RUECB pastors. All denominations mentioned here belong to the 10 churches with Baptist roots forming the loose, Public Council umbrella organisation headed by Vasilizhenko.
Borodin states: „I think the Public Council has done much to bring together both the tighter and the more distant brotherhood of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. Yuri Sipko has shown great foresight with his decision to call brethren from other denominations into Union services. The positive results stemming from the past two years point to the appropriateness of such a stance. The ABC is now cooperating strongly with the RUECB. My denomination also approves of the present process and believes that it serves both the larger and the smaller brotherhoods well.”

Simon Borodin states that Pastor Kartavenko has handed over a well-prepared house with seven experienced and trained staff members. “The missionary expeditions (involving motorised vehicles and bicycles) have plowed the earth well. We are now concerned about sowing and reaping. I see only great conditions for the continuation of our work.” Of course, the coming Director hopes to further develop the missionary spirit and training of leading workers throughout Russia. Yet the continued development of a missions network – involving tent evangelisation for ex. – is heavily dependent upon general conditions determined by the state. “We are in any case convinced that evangelisation from heart-to-heart cannot be restrained.”

Not only Simon Borodin dreams of the RUECB transitioning from a receiving to a giving church. “We dare not remain a church which collects missionaries and funds from outside. We should develop missionaries in our own congregations and support them financially ourselves. But this requires that God change our ways of thinking.” The dream includes the sending of missionaries to both the Far East and the Near East, both to the Russian diaspora and to native peoples. “Not all countries allow American missionaries to enter. A number of countries have friendlier relations with us than with North America or Western Europe.”

Pastor Borodin has spent two years assisting Leonid Kartavenko in RUECB-headquarters. After years of church service in Krasnodar region and elsewhere, he had become pastor of Moscow´s “Good News” congregation in 2006. He also headed for an interim period Willow Creek´s „Global Leadership Summit“ programme in Russia. His job resume includes stints as a portrait photographer and army cook. Borodin was born in 1956 in Kropotkin, Krasnodar region. He and his wife Tatiana have seven children between the ages of 28 and 19. The couple is presently awaiting its sixth grandchild.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 23 January 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

This piece desires only to inform readers. It is not an official statement of opinion by RUECB-leadership.

A release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-02, 636 words.


Helping Out Brazil – Not Vice Versa
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Russian Baptists create fundraising department

M o s c o w – Since 1 November 2007, the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB) has a new department and an additional Vice-President. Its first “Vice-President for Financial Services” is Leonid Kartavenko (Moscow). He is creating a completely new service for Russian Baptist headquarters: fundraising. Yet Kartavenko does not regard himself as responsible primarily for the raising of funds – he is instead responsible for mindsets. “We are incredibly thankful for the help we received from Western churches after the collapse of our economy,” he states. “But we no longer have the same economy as 15 years ago. Unfortunately, many of our people still regard themselves as impoverished and incapable of accomplishing anything. So I have a mandate to change the mindsets of my fellow believers.”

The new Vice-President also thinks beyond the borders of his own country: “We have a higher standard-of-living than Brazil. Yet the Christians of that country are supporting mission work here with us! We must make clear to our members and congregations that they are responsible not only for Russia. We ourselves need to help countries such as Brazil financially and send our missionaries there.” Pastor Kartavenko does not view the drop in donations from foreign countries as punishment from God, but rather as a vital wake-up call: “He is showing us the way and saying: ´Work now on your own house by yourselves!´”

With this in mind, the budding Department for Financial Services has initiated a „Day of Brotherhood“. Representatives from all congregations will be invited to regional meetings. Persons representing the various departments active in Moscow headquarters will report on their duties and hopes for the future. Visitors will be given the opportunity to donate to a specific person, ministry or project. Those in attendance will also be invited to sign a statement of personal financial commitment. Days of Brotherhood even in the most remote of regions are intending to reach all 1.200 RUECB-congregations during the coming year.

The past anonymous and general donation by congregations for national offices of 50 roubles ($2 US) per member and year will be retained. Yet this amount suffices only to cover basic costs at national headquarters – nothing remains for the funding of regional projects elsewhere.

A second field of work involves the growing number of Baptist businesspeople. Weekly prayer breakfasts for Christian businesspeople – not to be confused with the National Prayer Breakfast movement - are already taking place in the south of Russia (Caucasian region). An initial meeting of 40 businesspersons is scheduled for 26 January in Moscow. Guests are expected from as far away as the Ural Mountains. Not all of those invited will be active Christians – Kartavenko therefore also regards such events as an opportunity for mission. He states: “These are serious business people - we want to point them to their responsibilities. God has given the funds they have for them to administer. They will need to administer those funds wisely.”

A third field involves the furthering of relations with Western partners. Leonid Kartavenko concedes: “We will need to continue making visits to America and Western Europe. Our financial independent is still only a future goal. But Russia remains the first priority for me.”

Pastor Kartavenko agreed to his new calling with a heavy heart. The native Ukrainian had only moved to Moscow from Kiev in 2002 to head the RUECB´s Missions Department. “Mission work was extremely enjoyable for me and I also regarded it as highly necessary,” he states. But he is also an old hand at fundraising. Already in his hometown of Makeyevka in Eastern Ukraine, where he had helped found three congregations, he had been required to put much of his effort into gathering donations. In the past five years, the Moscow Missions Department has also needed to solicit most of its own funding. “I understand well that fund collecting is a highly necessary matter. Every project around would need to shut down if it were not for donations. I therefore had no choice other than to agree – even if this duty is not a very prestigious one in my estimation.”

At least this die-hard missionary remains head of his favourite child for the immediate future: the RUECB´s long-distant journeys by vehicle or bicycle. He states: “These expeditions are like my statement of faith: Not remaining holed up at one location, but launching forth into the world to reach the unreached.” New director of the Missions Department is Simon Borodin.

Leonid Kartavenko (Kar-TA-venka), who was born in 1957, is married to Vera. The couple has five adult children. The RUECB, Russia’s largest unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members meeting in 1.750 local congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko.

Dr. William Yoder
Department for External Church Relations, RUECB
Moscow, 18 January 2008
baptistrelations@yandex.ru
www.baptist.org.ru
Tel/fax: 007-495-954-9231

A release of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. May be published freely. Release #08-01, 778 words.