An Unexpected Death, a Poignant Reminder

Ivan N. Sukharev, bishop of the Augsburg Lutherans and father of Sergey Sukharev.

Sergey and Elena Sukharev with their son, Jacob, and daughter, Mary

A couple of days ago we heard the sad news from one of our most faithful pastor/seminary students, Sergei Sukharev, that his father had passed away suddenly and tragically at only 60 years of age.

Sergei has finished his course work and writing his dissertation hoping to graduate during the intensive course in St. Petersburg at the end of September.

Sergei is unique in many ways, he is the pastor of a downtown Presbyterian church, just a few blocks from the Czar's Winter Palace. But more than that, Sergei is literally the only student in our seminary who was raised by a believing father. His father, Ivan, was an evangelical pastor during Soviet times, loving Christ and outspoken about his faith .

His father, Ivan was the Bishop of the Augsburg Lutherans, and was attending a conference in South Korea. On his return home to St. Petersburg, he suffered a heart attack in Beijing, and died.

Here is the link to his last message Pastor Ivan gave in South Korea just 10 days ago. He preached on the sufficiency of God and His word to bear fruit in the ministry from II Kings 5 and Matthew 13. Now he knows, face to face, the realities he preached in his last sermon.

Sergei just let us know that the Chinese government is requiring him to fly to Beijing and return with the body. Most likely the cost will be up to $7000. So I am writing to you to help us contribute with our Russian brethren to this urgent need. Our Russian churches have already pledged $500.

I have said we would trust the Lord for $5000 from Hope Russia.

We have no savings at this time to help Sergei return his father's body home.

This is a poignant reminder that our ministry is planting churches and training pastors in 25 churches in 4 countries on a budget of $400,000/year. If we do not raise the $16,000/month support, we will not be able to host the September 2018 intensive course where Sergei is scheduled to graduate.

Since our last needs letter we have had 3 $100/month pledges and some generous one-time gifts but no larger commitments for the next 2 years.

If you make a pledge now, we will designate the first $5000 that comes in to go to paying for the plane tickets and cost of returning Sergei's beloved father home from China (no admin charge).

Please help us today! Click here and make a 2-year pledge from $100/month to $25,000/year.

In Christ,

Blake Purcell
Field Director
Hope Russia

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)

An Unexpected Death, a Poignant Reminder

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