It might appear that there isn’t much reason for hope or joy in the former Soviet Union.

Summertime violence continued to rock the Northern Caucasus.

The global economic crisis has hit the former Soviet Union hard.

The once wide-open door for the gospel is slowly closing in Russia.

Several years ago, city officials in Moscow seized the prime property of a protestant church for no reason or cause.

Church members decided to fight city hall to get their property back. But the old adage that you can’t fight city hall proved true—two pastors of the church spent five days in jail for picketing the Moscow mayor’s office.

In Moldova, when the communist party declared victory in the April general election, students stormed the parliament in the capital city of Chisinau, and rioting broke out on the streets.

At the end of July, Moldovans returned to the polls in a rerun of April, but with different results: the ruling communist party lost its majority in parliament.

As politicians talk about alliances and decry violence, young Next Generation Christians burn brightly for Jesus, and bring His hope to a lost and restless generation across the former Soviet Union.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Moldova—one of the poorest countries in Europe.

There, young Next Generation Christians gathered for the third annual Lighter Youth Arts Festival at the end of August. Originally intended as a music festival, the festival quickly expanded to include other arts.

At Lighter 2009, these young Christian artists performed original works, ranging from hip-hop, to rap, poetry, theater, dance and video.

The art festival not only provided an outlet of creative expression for these young artists, but also provided a place where young Christians, after a full summer of ministry, could relax, exchange ideas and draw closer to God.

Young musicians from various churches united to help lead in worship during the festival. These morning and evening worship times were a balm to many creative souls.

The second day of the festival, Zhenya softly admitted, “This summer I worked with deaf children. As I saw their suffering, I shut God out. I didn’t understand why He allowed these children to live their whole lives without hearing the wonderful sounds of music. For two months, I didn’t pray. It was as if something inside of me had broken. But when I came here, God calmed my heart, and now it sings again.” After sharing this testimony, she performed an original work, signing as she sang.

Dima leads a club ministry at a church in Chisinau. At the festival, Dima slowed down and discovered new strength for serving Christ. Anya, who just turned to Christ a month ago, said, “At this festival I met young people who are so open and friendly that I received an unforgettable jolt of energy. I decided to start music lessons this year because I want to learn to create…”

Forty of these young artists committed themselves to deeper ministry, and expressed a desire to participate in events and projects that help people living with HIV/AIDS, children with cancer as well as other at-risk adults and children.

In a region of the world where the rates of new HIV infections continue to rise, there is often little hope for people living with HIV/AIDS.

That is why young Next Generation Christian leaders in Chisinau, Moldova are intentional about addressing some of their country’s pressing social problems through the Beginning of Life Center in Chisinau.

In July, a team from the center held a five-day camp for 67 adults and children who are living with HIV/AIDS. The camp not only provided friendship and activities, but also an opportunity for campers to discover the hope of God and learn from His Word.

After the first day’s Bible study on Zacchaeus, Ludmila could identify with Zacchaeus’ isolation. “When my friends and relatives found out that I had AIDS, they left me,” Ludmila declares, “but here in this camp no one avoids me because I have AIDS.”

After a look in the gospels, Ludmila commented, “It seemed that it was me in that tree, and God invited me to come down and share the time of fellowship with Him.”

Surrounded by caring young Next Generation Christian leaders, Ludmila discovered “on the very first day that I am important to God and He accepts me the way I am!”

As camp staff shared their personal stories of faith, Olga reflected on her life, “What an interesting people we are. [For us] to hear God we wait till He forces us to stop. Why didn’t I listen to my mother and my grandma who told me about God? It seems that I had to go through everything, through drugs and only stop when I found out about my disease. I know that it wasn’t God who punished me. Now I hear about God, and I understand how much I need Him.”

The last day of camp, the campers participated in a “Calvary Way,” where campers went from station to station that described the Last Supper, Jesus in Gethsemane, Peter’s denial, Jesus’ trial before Pilate and finally the Cross. It was a powerful experience that helped many campers turn to Christ.

Before Natasha left camp, she jotted this note to the staff, which best describes the ministry of these compassionate, young Next Generation Christians in Chisinau.

“Thank you very much for this wonderful time of rest. People like you make our life brighter, better and happier. I thank the Lord that He made Himself known to me through you. I am grateful for your encouragement, since with you my life became more peaceful. You became very close to my heart, and I know that when I feel bad, I can always come to you, talk to you, and I will feel better.”

To read more about the AIDS crisis in Russia, click here: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gNi5RtC-D-o6OmjIUFzVA81o7w5w

In July, 700 young people attended the Rovno (Ukraine) Youth Festival. While the majority of the young people were followers of Jesus, about a third were young people who didn’t know Christ and were curious about the festival.

Each day featured biblical teaching, workshops and team sports such as soccer, volleyball and Frisbee competitions. The theme of the festival was “The Life of Faith,” and young people were challenged to live a life of faith and produce positive fruit.

During the festival, some of the young people went into the nearby village to share the gospel. They helped the old, the physically challenged and the poor—encouraging them and sharing the good news. Later, several people from the village came to one of the open evening sessions and discovered more about God’s grace and love.

Festival organizers knew God was at work during the festival as they saw young people trust Christ for the first time, and many others make a stronger commitment to God. “All the time during the festival, the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of the young people,” said one young Next Generation Christian leader.

Here are some comments from a few of the young people who attended the festival.

It is my first time at the festival. Even though I’m not a Christian, I am very much impressed with what took place here. I enjoyed this time very much and I hope that it is not my last time at such a festival.

Actually, I didn’t expect that God would be working in our hearts with such strength. He talked to my heart, revealed a lot to me. I am grateful for all of you! May the Lord bless you!

The festival was great! I gained a lot of useful and valuable knowledge here that caused me to evaluate my faith and my personal relationship with God.

International Evangelical Missions Forum
Irpen (Kiev Region), Ukraine
October 24-25, 2008

If you represent an organization that has been involved in ministry to Russia, Ukraine or another former Soviet country, you are cordially invited to participate in an International Evangelical Missions Forum sponsored by Russian Ministries/Association for Spiritual Renewal on the topic: “Missions Today: History, Analysis, and New Approaches: Perspectives for International Partnerships in Countries of the CIS.” This Forum will take place at our ministry training center headquarters located in Irpen (Kiev region), Ukraine on October 24-25, 2008, and will begin with a dedication ceremony for this new facility which is already serving as a national center for our national affiliate, Association for Spiritual Renewal.

During the International Evangelical Missions Forum, leaders and representatives from many different national and international organizations, missiologists and theologians will analyze the experience, results, new opportunities and strategies for ministry in the countries of the CIS. Specific goals of the Forum include:

• To analyze missions during the past 20 years of religious freedom in the CIS;
• To understand the reasons for the crises facing national evangelical churches;
• To outline prospects for partnerships between churches and Christian organizations;
• To study successful models of church growth and effective missions.

The Forum will be designed to encourage networking and the sharing of experiences between national churches and foreign missions, as well as promote future fellowship and expand partnerships between leaders of churches, missions, educational institutions and international organizations.

In addition to plenary sessions, the following four workshops will be organized to discuss:

• Planting new churches: experience and new models;
• Social evangelism as a new form of missions ministry;
• Education as a form of ministry training: diverse approaches with a single goal;
• Theology of missions: in search of new paradigms.

The Forum organizational committee consists of the following representatives: Gregory I. Komendant, Ukrainian Bible Society and UUECB (Ukraine); Sergey N. Rakhuba, Association for Spiritual Renewal/Russian Ministries (USA/CIS); Victor Hamm, “Vozrozhdeniye” Christian Center/ Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (Canada/USA/CIS); Victor K. Kulbich, Center for Christian Cooperation (Ukraine) Alexei I. Melnichuk, Connect International (USA/Ukraine); Valery S. Antoniuk, All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian-Baptist Churches (Ukraine); Konstantin V. Goncharov, Movement “For A Healthy Church” (Ukraine); Sergey V. Sannikov, Euro-Asian Accrediting Association (Ukraine); Yuri K. Sipko, Russian Union of Evangelical Christian-Baptists (Russia); Sergey Golovin, Christian Scientific-Apologetic Center (Ukraine); Peter Panner, International Baptist Theological Seminary (Czech Republic); Malcolm Johnson, Youth for Christ (Ireland); Gennady Brutsky-Stepanovsky, ASR Director (Belarus); Vladimir Ubeyvolk, MCPC/ASR (Moldova); Ted Rodgers, Russian Leadership Ministries (US); and others.

We would greatly value your attendance and participation in the International Evangelical Missions Forum. To register, please click here. NOTE: Online registration for this event is now closed.

“YOU +” CONFERENCE ATTRACTS 800 CHRISTIAN YOUTH

On May 30, approximately 800 young national Christians gathered in Chisinau, the capital city of Moldova, for “You +”—a special event that was part of a “Time to Live!” rally sponsored by Russian Ministries in the former Soviet Union. About 100 young people from non-Christian backgrounds also participated in the event.

The conference was designed for youth to look at themselves from a positive perspective—no small feat in a country where young people face unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse and even human trafficking. Moldova ranks first in human trafficking in Europe.

However, through the redemptive work of Christ, God has a positive perspective on these young national believers. The conference zeroed in on 2 Peter 1:13, which states that God has blessed His followers with the gift of righteousness, and in Him they are strong. Young people are already a “plus” in God’s eyes, in church and in society.

This theme was emphasized by local Pastors Peter Litnevsky and Viktor Myrza, who are passionate about reaching out to youth, along with Michael Cherenkov, vice-president of Russian Ministries’ in-country affiliate, the Association of Spiritual Renewal. (Cherenkov traveled from Kiev, Ukraine to attend the event.)

Three local churches in Chisinau participated in the conference, with the support of 15 other local congregations. The three main churches were Agape Church, Light to the World, and the Veritas church—a church “without walls.” The Association for Spiritual Renewal/Russian Ministries initiated and funded this rally that motivated and mobilized the Next Generation to be proactive in their Christian walk and witness.

Along with the seminars, “You +” also featured Sergei Briksa, a popular musician and the band “Sons of Day,” from the U.S. They filled the meeting with music and their positive attitudes toward their faith. The musicians also talked about their return to Jesus after a period of meaningless wanderings. They are now using their talents in evangelizing this young generation.

About 20 students from Chisinau’s School Without Walls volunteered at the meeting, and passed out fliers, greeted and seated participants, maintained order in the facility, and put into practice some of the training they received in the classroom.

Near the end of the conference, participants were challenged to renew their commitment for ministry. A sea of hands went up in the packed community center as an affirmation that God is at work, and that “YOU+” is in fact God working through them.

“Each time I see young people who are being inspired for the ministry and rejoicing in Jesus, I realize that all of our efforts were not in vain. It’s worth the risk to give ourselves for their sake, for the sake of the Kingdom in their hearts, and for the One who saved us all,” declared Vladimir Ubeyvolk, director of Russian Ministries’ ministry center in Moldova.

Many young people came that night with intention only to listen to the music and left with their hearts changed for deeper commitment and ready to spread His Kingdom. As the young people left the conference, hundreds of excited voices echoed, “You are a plus.” And indeed this Next Generation is a plus to God, their churches and society—a positive force poised to bring Jesus to their generation.

Conference organizers were pleased to see a group of 20 teenagers from an orphanage at the event. Afterwards, they connected with Christian youth, and asked all s orts of questins about the issues the “You +” conference addressed.

Here are some comments from participants.

“Thank you very much for setting up the festival. These days we hear so much about what we should do, and so little about who we are.”—Inna

“We had a blast! Briksa and our pastors explored and showed to us the other side of our minds—the positive one.”—Sergei

“Before this event I just couldn’t visualize how people from various denominations could simply be together, vibrantly rejoicing in God, and not blaming one another.”—Pavel

“I was pleasantly surprised that no one at the meeting attempted to advertise their own church, instead the organizers would encourage us to stick to our churches and inspired us to live out a ‘plus’ lifestyle.”—Anya