When you support School Without Walls, it’s more than an academic exercise. It’s support of a generation of godly, young national Christian leaders, who are ready to pick up the baton of faithfulness from the previous generation, and confront the realities of a changing society.

Even in the high-risk regions of the former Soviet Union, School Without Walls students are reaching out to the needy as the helping hands of Jesus.

School Without Walls students from Kabardino-Balkaria are no strangers to the violence that rocks their Northern Caucasus region.

In early spring, police killed a rebel leader in a shoot out on the streets of the capital city of Nalchik.

In July, School Without Walls students went to Makhachkala, Dagestan to hold an evangelistic summer camp for children in the community. A week after the students returned home, a pastor of one of Makhachkala’s largest evangelical churches was gunned down.

But, according to a recent report from Sergey, the School Without Walls coordinator in Kabardino-Balkaria, none of this has slowed down the students’ outreach and ministries in this region.

We have School Without Walls programs in Prokhladny and Nalchik. The School Without Walls students from Prokhladny regularly visit an orphanage, where they sing, tell the children about Christ and play soccer, volleyball, checkers, chess and other games with them. The students have also connected with the youth of the orphanage. Some of the children regularly read the Bible and pray. The students are accepted and liked by the children. Vadim, one of our School Without Walls students, has become friends with one boy. Vadim watches out for him, and recently bought him a new soccer uniform. The two of them now play soccer together, both wearing their new uniforms.

When the students drive up to the orphanage, one can often hear the joyful cry, “The Baptists have arrived!” and everyone runs out to meet the students.

School Without Walls students from Nalchik decided to take on missions work in the city of Tyrnyauz. For two years now, a small group of 12 believers has had no church leadership or support. These young leaders travel there to help out with Sunday morning services, encourage the believers and help them share the good news of Jesus in the community. This ministry is just beginning, but we have plans to develop it and reach many Balkars, who need Jesus.

Interested in supporting a School Without Walls student? Find out more here.

From July 31-August 7, join Russian Ministries at Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference, where you’ll meet Gennady Terkun, national ministry director in the Northern Caucasus, and hear how God changed his life as . . .

“a conscious slave of the devil and an influential criminal.”

These words don’t fit with the man who is speaking them. Today, Gennady Terkun is more likely to share a Christmas present with a needy child, or baptize young people who have chosen to follow Jesus in the Northern Caucasus than to choose to do evil.

Flashback to 1987, when perestroika was just beginning, and a younger Gennady sat in a prison, where he exercised a cult-like hold over the other prisoners. About that time, some Christians came to the prison and shared the gospel with the prisoners.

“I was enraged,” recalls Gennady. “Their preaching about Christ was destroying my authority and cult practices.” He shot off an angry letter, intent on destroying the believers and their faith.

His letter made its way to one of the Christians who had come to the prison, and that began a two-year correspondence between Gennady and this bold believer.

“Gradually, the simple truth of the Good News found its way into my heart,” Gennady says. In 1991, Gennady made another conscious choice: to follow Jesus and point other prisoners to Him.

No longer imprisoned in sin, Gennady began Bible studies in prison and met Next Generation Christians from the Association for Spiritual Renewal (ASR-Russian Ministries’ national partner). “One of them became my mentor, and helped me with advice, resources and a vision for ministry.”

By God’s grace, Gennady’s prison sentence was shortened by five years, and he was released in 1996. “The day after my release,” Gennady points out, “I attended an ASR training seminar in Krasnodar.” Gennady began traveling throughout the region, sharing the good news of Jesus.

Gennady also received training in church-planting at Project-250 seminars-Russian Ministries’ early training for young Next Generation Christians in the former Soviet Union.

Ten years ago, Gennady moved to Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia and began overseeing the ministry in North and South Ossetia, Chechnya and Ingushetia.

In the course of these ten years, God has used Gennady and his wife, Vera, in strategic, far-reaching ministries from aid and counseling in the aftermath of the 2004 Beslan public school terrorist attack, to ongoing bridge building to Muslim families and their children at evangelistic summer camps, to regular trips to the volatile regions of Chechnya, South Ossetia and Ingushetia for children’s events such as summer camp follow up and special seasonal events.

From July 31-August 7, you can meet Gennady Terkun at Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference in beautiful western Michigan. Gennady will share more of his story of faith as well as the latest news from his ministry. Joining Gennady will be Anita Deyneka, president of Russian Ministries, and Greg Yoder, weekly anchor for Mission Network News.

Plan to have a vacation with a purpose this summer and join Russian Ministries at Maranatha.

Contact Maranatha directly for more information. Be sure to register for Week 6.

See you by the lake!

Read how Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camp ministry is helping to bring gospel peace and hope to Chechnya this summer.

Click here to read a Christianity Today article that features Gennady Terkun.

Russian Ministries continues to call on Christians worldwide to pray for peace in Russia, especially this Easter Week as Christ’s death and resurrection are celebrated.

Just two days after the rush-hour bomb blasts in Moscow on Monday that killed 39 people at two subway stations, a car bomb exploded in Dagestan in the Northern Caucasus. This blast killed at least 12 people, including a top local police official.

Read more about this bombing here.

Russian Ministries has a strong presence in the Northern Caucasus region through its School Without Walls program, special evangelistic outreaches at Christmas and Easter and evangelistic summer camps. Many of these ministries focus in areas where some say suicide bombers are trained and where extremists have established terrorist training camps.

Under the national leadership of Russian Ministries’ Northern Caucasus ministry coordinator, School Without Walls students and their churches are planning for summer camps for children and youth to help raise up a new generation of Christian leaders, whose feet will be shod with the gospel of peace.

PRAYER POINTS:

• Pray that Christians would effectively point others to Christ, the Prince of Peace.
• Pray for Next Generation Christians and their ministries, especially in the tense Caucasus regions, where the ethnic, political and religious hatred reportedly inspired the terrorists.
• Pray for the Easter evangelistic outreaches that take place this Easter weekend in the Northern Caucasus and other regions in Russia and Ukraine.
• Pray for young Next Generation Christian leaders as they prepare for the evangelistic summer camp ministry.

Northern Caucasus summer camp on YouTube

Russia and other nations discuss nuclear arms, hoping for a more stable world.

A country mourns when a fire roars through a club in the city of Perm and 113 people are killed in the blaze.

A bomb explodes in a busy marketplace in Grozny, Chechnya.

And every night, in large urban cities in Russia and Ukraine, four-five million children and teenagers sleep on the streets.

Where is the peace, the hope for Russia and the other countries of the former Soviet Union this Christmas?

This year, the hope of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will come for 50,000 orphans, street kids and needy children and their families as hundreds of young Next Generation Christian leaders give out Christmas gifts, filled with small presents and a children’s Bible or Christian literature.

These gifts of hope and peace have helped build bridges between young Christian leaders from Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia and Muslim families in Grozny, Chechnya in past Christmases—and will again this year through Project Hope: The Great Gift Exchange.

After clearing all the border checks in North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Chechnya, the team of young Christian leaders enjoyed re-connecting with children they knew from Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camp in Grozny as well as meeting new children and their parents.

“The parents express joy and gratitude that we don’t forget them,” explains one of Russian Ministries’ young Christian leaders, “and that we come to show them our love and share in the fate of the Chechen nation, which has experienced the horrors of a decade of war, and the trauma still remains in the minds, souls and hearts of the children and adults.”

A gift to Project Hope: The Great Gift Exchange will help Russian Ministries’ young Next Generation Christian leaders bring the hope and peace of Jesus to Russia’s hurting and needy children this Christmas.

download the itinerary now

From August 3-15, 2010, journey through history on the magnificent Dnieper River in Ukraine.

Join Anita Deyneka, president of Russian Ministries, and Sergey Rakhuba, senior vice-president, for an unforgettable journey on the Black Sea and along the beautiful, peaceful Dnieper River.

During this 12-day educational and inspirational river trip, you will enjoy a full sight-seeing tour of the historic cities of Odessa (on the Black Sea), Yalta and Sevastopol (in the Crimea), as well as Kherson, Zaporozhye—Sergey Rakhuba’s hometown and the ancient cradle of the Cossacks and later the Mennonites), Kremenchug and Kiev.

You’ll not only explore these unique historic and cultural sites, but also see the work of Russian Ministries in action through a variety of ministry outreaches, visiting churches and meeting with evangelical workers and leaders.

As a native of Ukraine, Rakhuba will provide you with unique, personal insights about the places you’ll visit and introduce you to the strategic ministries that are done with the support of Russian Ministries. A special highlight of the trip will be a visit to Russian Ministries’ new training center and headquarters in Kiev, where you’ll meet with our national team and see firsthand what God is doing to expand His kingdom in Ukraine.

Accommodations are aboard an elegant ship built specifically for river travel. Staterooms are spacious and comfortable, each with an outside river view.

Anita Deyneka and Sergey Rakhuba would be delighted to have you and your family members join us for this first-ever Russian Ministries’ river journey in Ukraine that is sure to be an enjoyable and unforgettable experience. Please let us know of your interest at your earliest convenience, and we hope to see you next summer in Ukraine.

For more information, please call Sarah at Russian Ministries, 630-462-1739, or email her at: sarah@russian-ministries.org.

This report is from Russian Ministries’ Senior Vice-President Sergey Rakhuba.

I just returned from Vladikavkaz in the Northern Caucasus, where I traveled with a group of Russian Ministries’ partners and donors.

We had the privilege to participate in a glorious event in that turbulent region: the dedication of a newly completed church, which also will serve as a ministry center in to the entire region.

But while sightseeing, we were startled by the number of heavy army equipment such as tanks, staff carriers and other armored vehicles we saw. Sadly, for the local residents, these vehicles are a common sight after the war in South Ossetia, the terrorist attack in Beslan and the rising unrest in Ingushetia.

During our time in this volatile area, it was great to realize that a group of highly dedicated Christian leaders have committed their lives and resources to expanding God’s kingdom throughout this turbulent area.

These Next Generation leaders bring hope to needy orphans and abandoned children in orphanages, thousands of war refugees in South Ossetia and to the young generation who attend schools and universities and are open to learn about biblical values.

Our ministry center in Vladikavkaz is an outpost for Christian ministry today, reaching out to Ingushetia, Chechnya, South Ossetia and other areas with the gospel of Christ.

Monday morning, as I watched the news, I learned about another assassination attempt in this volatile region. I immediately thought of all of our dedicated workers there, knowing that this event would have significant implications for weeks and possibly months to come.

This summer violence erupted in the largely Muslim region of Ingushetia. A small region in the Northern Caucasus, Ingushetia struggles with both poverty and violence.

This latest assassination attempt was directed at Yunus-Bek Yeukurov–the leader of Ingushetia, who was appointed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in October.

Human rights activists and opposition politicians told news agencies that Ingushetia–which neighbors Chechnya–is “now in a state of civil war.” Conflict between Russian troops and Muslim fighters has escalated throughout the year.

It’s in the midst of this turbulence that Russian Ministries’ young Next Generation Christian leaders from the ministry center in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia are sharing gospel hope and peace.

Throughout the year, School Without Walls students from Vladikavkaz have been involved in humanitarian projects in Ingushetia, including distributing Backpacks of Blessing. These projects are part of the students’ practical ministry training.

As a result of these humanitarian aid projects, small-group Bible studies are being organized in homes in Ingushetia. These small groups will eventually form the basis of church plants in this Muslim dominated region.

Pray for the peace of God to visit this region and turn the hearts of the people toward Him.

Pray for young Next Generation Christians from Vladikavkaz who travel to Ingushetia to share the gospel and to encourage believers there.

Pray that God will protect believers in Ingushetia and help them bring peace and reconciliation to their region.

Visit our giving page to make a secure line gift to our Next Generation Ministries.

For the past four summers, young Next Generation Christians in the Northern Caucasus region have traveled to Grozny, Chechnya to hold an evangelistic summer day camp for Chechen children.

There have been summers where the sounds of exploding bombs were a backdrop to teaching and singing, and armed security guards patrolled camps.

“Nowadays it’s calm in Chechnya. Still our pilgrims feel a bit uneasy,” reports Gennady Terkun, Russian Ministries’ ministry director in Vladikavkaz, Russia.

While fighting in Chechnya has eased, many children are still affected by the war. Marina, a young Christian leader from Vladikavkaz, asked the children to draw pictures of their homes and families. One girl turned in a blank sheet of paper, with the caption: “This is my house.”

Moved to tears, Marina was even more motivated to share with the campers the hope that Jesus gives, and to help them understand the peace of God.

Victor traveled from Chisinau, Moldova to help with the children’s camp in Grozny. “I’m very thankful to the Lord for the chance to join the team that was bound for Grozny,” says Victor. “My attitude to this country has changed. The news reports on Chechnya are often one-sided, but the campers helped change my attitudes about them and their country!”

As a father, Victor was touched when the young campers would rest their heads on his shoulder, and show other signs of affection. “We were able to show these children that the world is not as cruel as they might think it, and they were able to show me that I shouldn’t judge a whole country because of one tragic event, or horrible things done by a small group of terrorists.” (Victor was referring to the Beslan school tragedy that took place in 2004.)

Even when the campers figured out that their camp leaders were Christians, not Muslims, the children kept returning to camp. “We played with them and talked with them a lot,” recalls Victor, “and they shared with us their impressions of camp, their worries as well as their Chechen traditions.”

Your online gift to Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camps helps build these bridges to Muslim families today.

When refugees pour into your city or you’re stopped endlessly at police checkpoints en route to an evangelistic summer camp, you quickly learn to dispense with the “extras” and focus on what it really means to serve Jesus.

That’s a lesson young Next Generation students at the School Without Walls program in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia have learned from experience. In this region of the Northern Caucasus, students hold summer evangelistic camps in Grozny, Chechnya for Muslim children, present programs and events at an orphanage for children with disabilities and venture into the public schools to talk to students about drugs, AIDS, abortion and family issues.

Twice a month, School Without Walls teachers travel to Tskhinvali, South Ossetia (which was devastated in last summer’s Georgian-Russian conflict) to teach at the School Without Walls program there.

“For people to sacrificially and successfully serve the Lord, it wasn’t necessary to complicate our School Without Walls program with the deep theological disciplines,” explains Gennady Terkun, Russian Ministries’ national ministry director for the Northern Caucasus. “But it is essential to equip young people with the knowledge they need to have a practical Christian life and ministry.”

Terkun points out that each year, School Without Walls is expanding. “We are reaching new parts of our society, and getting young people involved in ministry—and that is expanding the kingdom of God.”

One region where School Without Walls has taken root is in Dagestan, a republic that borders Chechnya. Patimat (who asked not to be picture due to security reasons) is a School Without Walls student who lives in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan. She is a Kumyk, which is a Muslim people group.

Patimat’s life was orderly and smooth—until her husband died. Suddenly she had more questions than answers: What should I do? How can I live? Where is God?

“Eventually, God calmed my soul,” Patimat shares, but she still faced an uncertain future.

When she heard that a School Without Walls program was starting at her church, she decided to help out in the kitchen, cooking for the students.

Curious about what the students were learning, Patimat would stand outside the classroom door and listen in, sometimes entering the class for short periods of time. “I enjoyed it,” Patimat recalls, “and I received answers to many of my questions, and now I attend School Without Walls as a student, not a cook.”

As the students studied children’s ministry, Patimat felt God’s leading to begin a children’s Sunday school class at the church. “I shared this with my friend Sabina, and we both began to pray and talk with our pastor and other church members.”

Today, Patimat and Sabina teach God’s Word and His great love to children from both Christian and Muslim families. “School Without Walls inspired me to begin this ministry, and now I have found my calling,” says an enthusiastic Patimat.

Read more about the positive effect of School Without Walls.

At the end of September, Gennady Terkun, Russian Ministries’ national ministry director in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, Pavel Tokarchuk, administrative director of the organization’s Moscow office, and Alexander Plukchi, School Without Walls coordinator in Vladikavkaz, traveled to Tskhinvali, the capital city of South Ossetia to deliver humanitarian aid.

“These ethnic areas of North and South Ossetia and other regions of the Northern Caucasus have been trapped in territorial disputes for years,” noted Sergey Rakhuba, senior vice-president of Russian Ministries, “which flared again the early 1990s. However, they enjoyed comparatively peaceful times until a couple of years ago.”

Christians in America, who wanted to reach out to help the refugees and others who suffered through the horrors of war, fueled this mercy mission.

As the three men drove into the city, charred cars and fallen trees littered the road. In the city itself, very few houses, if any, were left unscathed in the attack.

“Many house were destroyed beyond repair,” observed Terkun. “But life continues. We saw an old man driving his herd of goats, and an old woman pushing a gas cylinder to her house so she could cook.”

Working with local believers in the city, the purpose of this trip to Tskhinvali was to deliver a second round of backpacks and children’s Bibles in the public schools. The backpacks were filled with schools supplies, warm blankets and clothing and other aid. The team also gave away hundreds of Russian Bibles to anyone who wanted them.

“We hope the Bibles we gave out will be a source of comfort for them, and may they find the living God, who alone can make up for any loss and fill a grieving heart with joy,” explains Terkun.

At each school they visited, the students and staff greeted them with joy and traditional Ossetian hospitality. But Terkun noted that the joy was tempered by the late summer war. “We still saw its [the war] signs in the children’s eyes—the anguish and horror. Some of them had to run through heavy gunfire and others lost their homes, their fathers and mothers . . . and by some miracle they survived.”

Terkun and Tokarchuk are sadly familiar with the violence and tragedy that frequently rocks the Northern Caucasus. Both men helped bring in relief and other aid to the nearby community of Beslan during its recovery from the violent and senseless school tragedy in September 2004.

This a a call to prayer for refugees from the Russian-Georgian conflict and the churches and Next Generation Christians caring for them.

Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries calls upon the churches and people of the world to pray for the grieving families and thousands of displaced people in the wake of last week’s clash between Russia and Georgia. There may be 180,000 refugees in Georgia and 40,000-50,000 refugees in South and North Ossetia. Massive aid is needed by both sides. The US and international organizations are shipping relief supplies to Georgia, but are restricted from sending relief assistance to North Ossetia and areas of South Ossetia under Russian control.

Many of the refugees are near Belsan, the site of the terrorist murders at the Beslan School in 2004. Christians there who suffered so greatly and believers in other regions of North Ossetia want to reach out to the thousands of suffering, homeless people almost at their doorstep. They are doing all they can but need funds to buy food, clothing, and other supplies for the refugees, which will be given by national Christians and churches with the love and compassion of Jesus. Please pray for the funds needed to purchase emergency supplies and Christian literature for the refugees.

Pray for God to use the caring outreach of churches and Next Generation Christians to break through ethnic barriers of race and the horrors of war with the peace of Christ. In North Ossetia, of the 35,000-50,000 refugees who have fled there for safety, an estimated 5,000 refugee children from South Ossetia are currently housed in schools, orphanages and Internats. Some of these children are with their parents; others are not. Pray for local churches and Next Generation Christians as they reach out to these refugee children.