Gifts came in from 39 individuals and families and 17 churches. Many churches gave love offerings, above and beyond their budgeted giving...The Lord is obviously moving North American churches to suffer with their brethren in the more oppressed parts of the world and we thank Him for His faithfulness and mercies through believers and churches like you and yours!
We need to find 100 people who will pray for the church in Moscow and for #RenewRussia2016. We have already raised $42,000 for #RenewRussia2016, but we still need another $58,000 to make it possible for the church in Dmitrov and other ministries to continue.
Will you be one out of one hundred?
With very mixed feelings I want to introduce you to Vlad and Ella Nevjidovsky and their family. Vlad has been a ruling elder and preacher in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of St. Petersburg since 2002.
The Board of SRS has designated May-June as #RenewRussia2016. Please check out our quick report detailing our needs and how you can get involved.
You may already know Russia for its ballet, great nesting dolls, and museums.
And you may personally know Rev. Blake Purcell who labored almost thirty years as a Christian missionary among Russian-speaking people of the former Soviet Union, and whose work God has blessed with 5 church plants, a seminary and a ministry residence that welcomes Christians and seekers.
But you may not know the TOP THREE REASONS for making RUSSIA your MISSIONS PRIORITY in 2018
My name is Evgeni Kruzhkov. I’m a rector of the Biblical Theological Seminary of St. Petersburg. At our regualar intensive course last month we hosted 17 Russian ministers who came to study in our seminary. Ten of them were new. There is a good tradition in our seminary to share testimonies. Every story is amazing and unique.
In the past week I have shared with you the hard news that one of our SRS empowered churches was raided by 40 armed federal agents in Russia. I also passed on to you the wonderful news that the $60,000.00 given by our American donors has already paid for the building of a church facility in the Far East, which in turn has helped significantly grow the men's morning bible study in that church, despite the recent spread of TB among its members.
Today I want to refer to the raid on Pastor Nik's church, and the sad reality of Pastor Ruslan's whole family coming down with tuberculosis to illustrate how vulnerable the Evangelical Church in Russia really is.
Until now, Romanovka, near Vladivostok, has had no functioning church nor any church building with a congregation meeting in it. SRS donors have contributed the entire $60,000.00 needed to complete the construction of this church building before winter this year! Praise God! The Holy Spirit is pushing the Gospel and the Church where they have never been before!
In July of 2016 the Russian government passed a law which outlawed public evangelism in Russia. Most churches expected their ministries to be greatly hindered. In fact, in 2017 SRS has experienced unprecedented growth in our seminary and churches. And we have critical support needs. Please enjoy an account of God's amazing work in Russia and beyond during the past few months, and learn how you can participate...
In January 2017, SRS sent Zach Purcell to St. Petersburg, where he spent 10 days and a donation of $10,000, filming and interviewing the parents, counselors and Babochka club members. The five minute film linked below highlights the fruit of that labor. Two thousand Russians watched it online the first day it was available.
My name is Brian O'Leary. I come from the little fishing village of Baltimore in West Cork, Ireland, I have been a U.S. citizen and lived in the USA most of my life, the past twenty-two years in the beautiful state of Kentucky. As the newest member of the board of SRS, I wanted to write to you about three of our four SRS supported church plants. I am excited about them all because, just as St. Patrick in Ireland, they are preaching Christ where He is not otherwise being preached.
As you know, Russian-American relations now are at a low point. That is why I am encouraged to report to you that some Russians are still very appreciative of what America did during WWII. And I am glad that an American helped by SRS is very appreciative of what the USSR did for the world in fighting Hitler and Nazi Germany. As a Russian who has worked with Americans since 1993, and for SRS since 2000, I know that Americans have a hard time understanding Russia's commitment to remembering WWII. One simple way to understand our passion for this holiday is to realize that the USSR lost 20 million souls in this war, and America only lost 400,000.
Dear friends and supporters of SRS,
Greetings in Jesus Christ! Happy Reformation Year!
I’m Evgeni Kruzhkov, a dean of the Biblical Theological Seminary of St. Petersburg. Thanks to your generous support we were able to hold another intensive course. Fifteen ministers participated in it including four new students who came from cities that we have never reached before.
For Cathy and I, one of the challenges of living stateside is the feeling that few people are willing to be vulnerable about their needs. But when we come to Russia, the Lord fills our lives with wonderful people who are not ashamed to describe their real needs, opening the door for us to tell them about how God can meet them.
"I thought I knew how unreached Jurmala was, with a population of Russians of about 20,000, but I had no idea. We saw in Timur's community that there was 1 Catholic church, of about 15 women, 5 men, a Pentecostal church of the same size, and a Lutheran church of the same size. Pastor Timur told us none of them is attempting effective outreach to the community with the Gospel."
Pastors Timur, Yuri, Evgeni and Blake Purcell will attempt to invite 300 Russian-speaking men to attend the seminar (Friday and Saturday, March 3-4) What Is a Real Man: God's Perspective. Pray for the Holy Spirit to touch 20 men's hearts to attend, and from this group for a men's Bible study to begin, which pastor Timur will lead. Less than 1% of the Russian-speaking population in Latvia is evangelical Christian!
