Today, we are reminded of the many awesome responsibilities of each country’s president and leaders. We at Russian Ministries have prayed for God to work in the lives of the leaders of each country in order to bring about His will or change.

Twenty years after the collapse of the USSR, Russia has fallen upon hard times, as you may have read in the news. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets this past December in the biggest opposition demonstrations since Putin rose to power in 1999. The last massive rally was held on December 24th in central Moscow (100,000 protestors).  Unrest is rising in Russia and the Next Generation is marching against corruption, deceit, lies, theft, hypocrisy and power-grabbing leaders.

The Psalmist says:  “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry…. “  God has heard our cry, and unrest in the hearts of Russians is evident.   Join us in praying for the troubled land of Russia, especially for peace and wisdom for its leaders and for the transforming power of the gospel.

You may have also read of Putin’s condescension and apparent disregard for the mass demonstrations that have opposition leaders vowing to hold more rallies after the country’s January holidays are over in a few weeks.

We have prayed that God would provide wisdom, knowledge and unction from on high for each day, each decision, and each challenge facing the leaders of Eurasia.

The psalmist says: “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; ?he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand…“

Join us in praying for protection for Russian Ministries’ workers across Eurasia.  Pray with us for His intervention where needed. Ask God to bless Next Generation leaders who seek His will and want to serve God in their communities.

Today, there is a new move of God among Next Generation Christian leaders in the Eurasian window. These include homemakers, construction workers, nurses, lawyers, medical workers, mass media personnel, executives, CEOs, pastors and vocational ministers who, like other protestors, are members of the middle class. However, instead of simply protesting, these trained Next Generation Christian leaders are peace-makers, bringing Jesus to their work places and their communities.
God is helping graduates of School Without Walls understand the importance of bringing the presence of Jesus into their communities. God is calling evangelicals to part of the process of changing Russia from within because the unrest across Russia is a SPIRITUAL problem. School Without Walls students trained by Russian Ministries are bringing God’s presence into their work places, resulting in real transformation. They welcome more freedom to impact their communities for Christ.
God is calling Next Generation Christian leaders to establish “church-plants” in this new frontier of freedom seekers that the church has failed to focus upon. The “church” is two or more believers who come together in the name of Jesus. It is not a building. It is people. So today, pray for School Without Walls graduates to bring the church to the greatest mission fields of the 21st century—their work places and communities.

The Psalmist said: “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in Him.”
Evangelicals across Eurasia want more freedom of assembly and God has heard their cries. “Chanting ‘Russia will be free,’ opposition activists took to Moscow’s Triumph Square Saturday (New Year’s Eve) to demonstrate for their right to assembly.”  (New York Times)

These are hard times for Eurasia’s evangelicals who are expressing their desire for freedom of assembly. Pray with us that God will grant them the desires of their hearts. “At least 60 demonstrators were detained in Moscow after the latest wave of protests against the ruling United Russia party.”  (New York Times)

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; ?he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.  (Psalm 40: 1 – 3) NIV

Please pray in agreement with God’s Word for the entire Russian Ministries’ team: staff, leadership, board of directors, national directors, School Without Walls students and faculty and intercessors for:
•    The Lord to move across Eurasia as we intentionally wait patiently on Him.
•    God would hear our individual and corporate cry to Him for Eurasia.
•    Whatever seems to hold down a spiritual awakening would be removed from Eurasia.
•    We would find ourselves established on the solid rock of God’s sovereign will, and would be ready to respond to the spiritual needs of Eurasia.
•    We would find His Spirit surrounding every step of Russian Ministries, giving us greater confidence.
•    A new song of praise to God would come from each country where Russian Ministries’ School Without Walls program is taking place.
•    Many would see the difference God is making in the lives of new believers and would trust in Him.
•    Next Generation leaders who are reaching out to tens of thousands of needy children in the countries of the former Soviet Union during the Russian Christmas season, which begins January 7.

“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” Luke 2:10-11, ESV

Dear Friends of Russian Ministries,

This Christmas, we thank God for sending His Son to be the Savior of all the world . . . and we thank you for helping to carry that Good News to the furthest reaches of the former Soviet Union.

May God richly bless you this Christmas season and throughout 2012.

Merry Christmas from Sergey Rakhuba and the staff of Russian Ministries

"Father, forgive them!"

Persecution of Christians is a reality.  In the U.S. government’s “2009 International Religious Freedom Report,” Christians in at least 30 countries suffered noteworthy violations of their religious freedom. Praise God that Russian Ministries has active ministries in the persecuted countries of Eurasia.  As persecution continues to increase, our ministry continues to provide what persecuted believers need and want most: training the Next Generation, God’s Word and our prayers. Your partnership with Russian Ministries makes this possible.

Thank you for helping to provide the resources to equip these leaders with ministry tools, such as the Scriptures, that they can distribute across Eurasia to Christians who are persecuted for their faith. You gave from your blessings, and they received the blessing of God’s grace and peace.

Tensions between Muslims and Christians often run high in Central Asia, Tatarstan and the Northern Caucasus region of Russia.  When these tensions spill over into families, many difficulties result. Just ask Aigul. She grew up in a Muslim family. In 2010, she became a Christian and wanted to share Christ with her family. So she went to her village to tell them the Good News. When her father heard that Aigul was now following (Isa) Jesus, he tied her up and arranged for her to marry a Muslim man. Another family member freed her, and she escaped. She went back to live in the city.  Every time she tries to make contact with the family, she is always rejected.

This is what persecuted Christians face in the Muslim-dominated areas of Central Asia, the Northern Caucasus of Russia and Tatarstan.

• Rejection and attacks by family members
• Worship only in restricted areas or in secret
• Churches closed or locked
• Violent physical attacks and abuse
• Anti-conversion laws
• Arrest and beatings
• Verbal harassment and false accusations
• Displacement and isolation
• Required registration of churches
• Children unable to attend church

Thank you for providing tangible Christian love and care by providing Scriptures to Christians persecuted for their faith across Eurasia. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, your support and encouragement are reaching them in their most desperate moments. Please continue to lift them up in prayer as they continue to serve our God faithfully.

Someone said, “No one is more secure than the one who is held in God’s hand.”

We praise God for you and your interest in Russian Ministries!

“People in persecuted regions of Russia express their thirst to read and study God’s Word. Contact with them is very limited, so we must communicate with them through letters. They are asking for Christian support, fellowship and Bible study materials.”
—National Director of Russia

“With the help of Russian Ministries, many who are persecuted for their faith find the grace to stand for Christ.”
—National Director for Belarus

Prayer requests
As you pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Eurasia, please pray for:
• Christians to find sensitive ways to share their faith in countries that aggressively persecute Christians.
• Those who read God’s Word in a new translation (name not given because of opposition and persecution), that they may learn about God and His great gift to them.
• Protection for contacts, new converts, and Christians in the Northern Caucasus.
• Protection for pastors from attacks both physical and from the mass media.
• Success of several countries’ underground ministry programs in bringing more people to Jesus.
• Workers’ safe entry into Central Asia so that they can share the gospel.
• Christians to stand against radical religious groups and extremists.

Read the exciting report of our anniversary celebration, “Faithful Legacy, Strategic Future.”

Join Russian Ministries in Wheaton, Illinois on October 21, 2011 for our 20th anniversary celebration!  Together we’ll praise God for 20 years of His faithfulness and all He has done to change the future of Christianity in the countries of the former Soviet Union.  We’ll also dedicate our new ministry center in honor of Peter Deyneka Jr.’s lifetime legacy of taking Christ to the region.  Then learn about our vision for training and equipping even more Next Generation leaders at this crucial time.  You’ll leave excited and energized by what God has in store for the next 20 years!

To reserve your place or for more details, call Sarah at (630) 462-1739 today, or email her at sarah@russian-ministries.org.  We hope you can join us for this great time of fellowship and celebration!

How your support changed lives this summer!

At 98 different Russian Ministries evangelistic camps across the former Soviet Union this summer — in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and Central Asia — children gathered from broken homes, orphanages, and situations of abuse and misery. And where the Communist regime once indoctrinated boys and girls in the worship of state and duty, your support helped 8,554 children and youth discover freedom and love in Christ!

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it,” the Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6 (ESV).

Summer camps are our most effective strategic mission tool reaching out to children and youth in the countries of the former Soviet Union, from the poverty of inner-city Moldova to the war-torn towns of Chechnya. Most of the children who attend come from non-Christian homes. Many are from a Muslim background, or Buddhist, or atheist.

But at camp, they have the opportunity to discover God’s love, learn from His Word, and grow in their faith under the caring guidance of young Next Generation Christian leaders. An estimated 20% of our campers make the decision to trust in Jesus at camp, while the rest are sown with the seed of the gospel! These boys, girls, and teens will someday become Next Generation leaders themselves, so it’s important to give them a strong foundation now.

For the young men and women leading each camp, this is also a crucial time to put into practice the ministry lessons learned during their School Without Walls (SWW) classes. This hands-on immersion in children’s outreach helps build their confidence in sharing their faith, and launch them into a future of service to God, their churches, and their communities.

The “least of these”

For example, in Poltava, Ukraine, Russian Ministries teamed up with Samaritan’s Purse to create a summer camp for 55 children living with HIV and special needs. Most Ukrainians know little about HIV, despite the fact that the country has one of the fastest growth rates of HIV/AIDS in the world, so these children live under a daily cloud of fear and stigma. But at camp, they were surrounded by God’s love as they did crafts, sang Bible songs, and learned about Jesus. For once, they felt wanted and accepted—a wonderful witness to them and to their families.

Putting faith into practice

Kabardino-Balkaria, in the Northern Caucasus, is often in the news — as a breeding-ground for suicide bombers and a hotbed of Al-Qaeda indoctrination of young boys. But at the Russian Ministries summer camp, your generosity brought the Prince of Peace and a message of hope for the future.

Oksana, a SWW student who helped lead the camp in Kabardino-Balkaria, reports that, “I was greatly helped by knowledge gained through SWW, which I graduated from this year. I called to mind what our teachers had taught us about children’s ministry, which really helped me. We became close friends with the children during the camp. There were three children from a needy family who were on their guard at first, like animals. But during camp they were transformed into thankful listeners. They were grateful for every piece of candy and every kind word. By the end of the camp they were completely ours, and parted with us with great sadness. You could tell that they didn’t want the camp to end.”

These stories, and hundreds more, show how the lives of both campers and leaders were transformed by Russian Ministries evangelistic summer camps. And it doesn’t stop there! Our bold young Next Generation Christian leaders will use the foundation of camp as a bridge to build strong relationships with the campers and their families.

We know from experience that many of these boys, girls, and teens will come to church for Sunday School and other programs, and soon, they’ll be bringing their families along. In this way, the simple seed planted at summer camp can reach whole communities! Thank you for giving so many children this time to explore God’s love for them and learn to trust Him for the rest of their lives.

Samaritan’s Purse UK teamed up with the Association for Spiritual Renewal (ASR)—Russian Ministries’ national affiliate—for a summer camp in Poltava, Ukraine, for 55 children, who were HIV-positive. Rachel Schupack, communications coordinator for ASR talked with UK journalist Peter Wooding about her experience at this camp. Here’s Rachel’s story.

According to Alexander Belev, the second annual School Without Walls (SWW) Festival that took place earlier this summer was “the most powerful event in the history of School Without Walls.”

Belev, the Moldova SWW coordinator, described the three-day festival as a “winning combination of teaching, fellowship and music. By the second day, I saw the ‘generator principle’ at work as young people soaked up the atmosphere of the festival and began to generate new approaches, projects and ideas to implement in their own towns, regions or churches.”

Russian Ministries’ President Sergey Rakhuba echoed Belev’s enthusiasm. “I was so excited to see how much enthusiasm, excitement and strategic innovations in evangelism come out of the SWW festival, as its theme-‘Innovations in Evangelism’-came to life,” remarked Rakhuba from the Wheaton office.

“I was so proud of my young colleagues who ran this festival, encouraging young people to apply creative methods toward effective evangelism in contemporary society. I only wish that I could have been among the students and graduates who came together to celebrate God’s faithfulness, to worship and to learn how to more effectively expand God’s kingdom.”

Over the course of three days, young Christian leaders explored issues such as influencing society through non-government organizations, initiating Christian student groups, sharing the gospel with the disenfranchised and witnessing in an Orthodox context.

Workshops zeroed in on practical ways to share the good news of Jesus in six specific arenas: sports, youth ministry, journalism, drama, the Internet and small groups.

In one workshop,  Mykola Malukha, a well-known Ukrainian blogger, gave tips on using blogs and other social media to influence people for Christ. Andrei Pismenyuk, from the More Than a Cup project, outlined ways churches could get involved in this project to reach the millions of soccer fans, who will flock to Ukraine during the Euro 2012 soccer championship matches.

Igor Malin-pastor, psychologist and lawyer from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia-was the keynote speaker the opening night of the festival. And Sergei Pankov, a youth minister from Moscow, Russia, concluded the festival, challenging these young Christian leaders to take advantage of the many opportunities to build bridges between God and modern, non-religious young people.

Music was center stage each night, as Christian groups performed concerts and shared their passion for music and the gospel.

Festival Coordinator and SWW Director Konstantin Teteryatnikov quickly pointed out that the festival’s theme-innovations in evangelism-begins “with an ability to listen, an ability to share stories from your life, a search for God’s kingdom, and a desire to help young people meet the living God.”

For Teteryatnikov, the three days “passed by in a flash, and produced many impressions, new ideas, new friends, innovative thinking, creativity and fresh approaches to evangelism, which enriched each delegate and participant. The festival turned a new page for youth in innovative outreach and evangelism.”

After the festival ended, Michael Cherenkov, vice president of the Association for Spiritual Renewal, reflected on its significance, saying, “For festival participants from countries where Christians’ freedoms are severely limited-Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Belarus-the festival provided a rare opportunity to freely fellowship with other believers, share stories and experiences, and strengthen their missions vision. The festival also provided a second wind to participants from Russia, Ukraine and Moldova, where there is still relative freedom, yet at the same time, apathy and indifference.  Missions is relevant to each of us, and God has a calling for each of us.”

The School Without Walls training effort this past school year had 2,007 students enrolled in nine different countries and graduated 853 students. The annual festival brought diverse students together, and they now return to their communities strengthened, encouraged and renewed for whatever lies ahead for them in their cities, towns and villages.

Based on a firsthand report from Paul Tokarchouk, Moscow Office

Nestled among the Caucasus mountain range-Europe’s highest peak-and stretched between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the North Caucasus is home to over 40 different people groups.

The region’s reputation as a place rich in traditions, hospitality, history and ethnic diversity, has given way to a reputation of perpetual conflict and turbulence, and a place where racial, religious and political groups collide.

According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, an estimated 900 terrorist attacks took place in the North Caucasus in 2010.

An in-country journalist once remarked, “There is one problem, to which no one in Russia has been able to offer a solution for almost 20 years-the North Caucasus. In the North Caucasus there’s nothing to offset the ideas offered to youth by the ideology of terror.”

Others point out that the situation in the North Caucasus plays into the hands of international terrorists, who want to use the young generation for their purposes.

There’s another movement afoot in this region, a movement made up of young national leaders and their churches that offers an alternative to the terrorism and violence.

Like other teenagers, those in the North Caucasus abuse drugs and alcohol. Some even turn to crime. But in this region, rebel extremists easily sway teenagers to join their violent causes. To help combat these negative and destructive influences, Next Generation Christian leaders have organized a series of weekly events at local schools and universities called the NEXT Generation project. This project presents creative talks on the dangers of drugs, alcoholism, sexual immorality, and also emphasizes biblical ethics.

Throughout the year, and especially around the major Christian holidays in Russia, churches come together to serve needy children, troubled families and other at-risk groups through a variety of outreach projects.

Tokarchouk also pointed out that God has used pastor and church-planter G. (name abbreviated for security issues) to lead and mentor over 20 leaders of various ministries to bring gospel hope and peace to this region. G. has been faithfully serving in this region for 10 years.

Peter Wooding, Europe Bureau Chief for ASSIST News Service, talked with Russian Ministries’ President Sergey Rakhuba about the next generation of young people in the Northern Caucasus and other Muslim dominated regions of Russia.

Read Peter’s interview and discover how one young man turned from violence to peace.