Wednesday kicked off three days of pomp and ceremony in Moscow as Dmitry Medvedev was sworn in as Russia’s new president.

At his inauguration, President Medvedev declared that, “human rights and freedoms . . . are deemed of the highest value for our society.” He also promised to work for a “better” Russia.

Thursday, as expected, Vladimir Putin was named prime minister, and today the week ends with a Victory Day parade.

An annual celebration, Victory Day marks Russia’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. This year’s parade through Red Square shows off Russia’s heavy military—a display that hasn’t been seen since the Soviet years.

While this show of might made some uneasy, Vladimir Putin stated that this wasn’t “saber-rattling,” but a show of “Russia’s growing defense capability.”

As the celebrations wind down today, a new generation of young Christian leaders continues to confront the spiritual and moral bankruptcy of its generation.

These young Christian leaders are being equipped and mobilized to proclaim Christ’s victory over sin and despair to children living in orphanages who need the Heavenly Father’s love, to teenagers roaming the streets in search of purpose and meaning and to men and women who struggle to survive and long for the peace and security only Jesus can give.

Next month, thousands of children and young people will participate in Russian Ministries’ evangelistic summer camps, where they will discover God’s love, learn from His Word and grow in their faith.

The evangelistic summer camp ministry has a broad reach to the youngest and neediest of the Next Generation to young women struggling with HIV/AIDS and to children and teenagers who live in Norther Caucasus, a region scarred by war and ethnic conflicts.

For news about Russia’s new President Dmitry Medvedev, follow this BBC World News link.

As expected, Vladimir Putin’s hand-picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev easily won Russia’s presidential election yesterday.

Shortly before the election, the head of Russia’s electoral commission said that the media coverage had been “unequal, but fair.” As deputy prime minister and chairman of the oil giant Gazprom, Medvedev enjoyed positive media coverage during his campaign, as most television and radio stations are state-controlled or owned by Gazprom.

In the days prior to the election, Putin urged the Russian people to “cast a vote for our future” on Sunday—a future that is likely to include Putin in his new role as prime minister.

With little political experience, Medvedev, a forty-two-year-old lawyer, has stated that he will continue Putin’s agenda. This was evident, when only hours after his election, Medvedev and then-President Vladimir Putin cut gas supplies to Ukraine by 25% over a long-running debt dispute between the two countries.

Only the coming days will make it clear if President-elect Dmitry Medvedev is his own person or following Putin’s directives.

In an interview with Christian World News anchor Wendy Griffith, Sergey Rakhuba, senior vice-president, pointed out, “Lots of things have changed since 1992. The economy has improved a lot, people live better, a new generation is there. [But] there are new threats to the new generation, and . . . a kind of spiritual wilderness . . . [as] the young generation has a lot less interest in spiritual values.”

With Russia’s leadership in transition, Russian Ministries remains constant in energizing and equipping young Next Generation Christians for future leadership in the church and community. “Through our School Without Walls program and other strategic training, we are developing young Christian leaders to be relevant, effective and able to meet the needs of a changing society,” says Sergey Rakhuba, senior vice-president of Russian Ministries.

The School Without Walls program takes place in 49 locations in five countries: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Uzbekistan.

The current number of students enrolled at all locations is approximately 2,200. Of this number about 75%, or 1,700 students, are involved in practical ministry outreach such as evangelism, church-planting, orphan care, street children ministry, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, summer and winter youth camps and youth clubs.

These young Next Generation Christians are confronting the problems and issues that plague Russia and the other countries of the former Soviet Union, and they are bringing about lasting change through the gospel.

PRAYER POINTS
• Pray for a smooth transition of power as Medvedev assumes office in May.
• Pray Next Generation church leaders in Russia. Ask God to give them wisdom and the resources they need to continue leading the church into the future.
• Praise God for His faithfulness to His church in the former Soviet Union.
To read the full transcript of the Christian World News interview with Sergey Rakhuba, click here: CBN Interview with Sergey Rakhuba

Related links to Dmitry Medvedev: Newsweek article on Medvedev

Related links to Russia’s Presidential election: BBC World News