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Information/Emails from Pastor Dave and Bill Murray
Voronezh, Russia Mission Trip
February 3rd - 15th, 2006A few weeks ago Illia Beznosov, our student who is first violist in the state opera orchestra, invited me to a concert of the student orchestra at the State Academy of Music. The orchestra was very good. The concert was a memorial concert in memory of the Academy viola teacher who had just died. Illia had led him to the Lord. The man's wife, who was at the concert, said that after her husband had accepted Christ his life changed greatly. Illia continues to witness to the many orchestral musicians in Voronezh. As a group these musicians are totally unreached by the gospel. This is "grassroots" evangelism.
- from the December, 2005 issue of the Cooperative
International Studies prayer calendar
Since its inception in 1995 at the request of the Baptist Union in Russia, students and graduates of the Voronezh Theological Seminary have
VTS has trained and graduated 2 District Superintendents for the United Methodist Church in Russia, and the Treasurer for the Russian Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Galina Kolesnikova, who planted a new church start in the village of Latnaya outside of Voronezh, has visited Faith Community Fellowship. In 2002 Pastor Dave, Ray Peterman, Deb Peterman, and Judy Kasunick visited that church. Pastor Dave will preach there again on February 5, this time accompanied by Bill Murray.
Pastor Dave and Bill will be in Voronezh from Feb. 3 - 15 on a short-term missions trip endorsed by the Missions Team and the Spiritual Council of FCF. Bill, who leads FCF's Monday night AA ministry, will visit a variety of alcohol recovery programs and ministries. Pastor Dave will teach a course on the person and work of Jesus Christ at the seminary. The total cost of the trip will be less than $4,000. With the endorsement of the leadership of FCF, they are extending an appeal for the approximate balance of $2,400 that remains. Please pray for God's hand on the trip, and please pray about making a donation to defray the costs. Checks should be made out to Faith Community Fellowship, with a note "Russia Missions Trip" on the check.
February 9, 2006
It is Thursday night, about midnight, so I thought I’d sent another update
about how things are going here.
The deep, bitter cold continues…..as I write it is about 8 below zero F.,
and it will get colder as the night progresses. The forecast is for even greater
cold tomorrow. Dr. Shannon will decide about 1:00 pm on Friday whether or not
to have class Friday night. The Nutcracker was cancelled at the local opera
house last night for the cold, which is very unusual. The Russians themselves
are commenting all the time about the depth of the cold.
Since our last update on Sunday we have visited with a total of four different alcohol and rehabilitation ministries. On Tuesday we spoke with representatives from Exodus, a Pentecostal alcohol and drug recovery ministry that is growing in Russia. It includes from six months to a year of support in a Christian residential setting with a dozen to twenty other recovered/recovering believers, then two years of living in an apartment. During all that time all expenses are covered by Exodus…..the only requirement as you live in the apartment is that you go out every day and talk to other addicts and invite them into the community. The second was what is called a Minnesota-model ministry. This involves living in a residential community for three months, followed by voluntary participation in something like an AA group. During the inpatient phase the meetings are led by a recovered alcoholic, and supervised by a psychologist. It is called “Minnesota model” because it originated from and apparently continues to receive funding from the States. It is more secular in design and does not have faith in Christ built into it the same way the Exodus ministry does. Then Tuesday night we visited a local Lutheran church that has a rehabilitation center for convicts who have been released from jail - we would call it a half-way house. It is church-run, but receives money from the government to operate. It gives convicts a place to stay - up to a year - and a chance to reorient themselves back to society and help with getting a job. Bill gave his testimony that night at the meeting with about a dozen residents present. It is run by a former prisoner who spent 13 years in jail, came to Christ, and is now a Lutheran pastor.
Today Galina Kolesnikova took us to a boarding school for children ages 7 -18 that she visits once/month for a Bible study and discussion time. It is somewhat like a foster home, with children who have behavioral or mental problems and either have no parents, or their parents have turned them over to the home. There are 10 such “boarding schools” in the Voronezh area. We spent an hour with about 24 children…..Bill gave his testimony, I told them a little bit about what we are doing in Russia, and then the rest of the time we responded to the children’s questions. It is fairly far away…..about an hour’s drive. That is why at present Galina gets out there only once per month.
After all of that, we went to the Thursday night service at Irina Mitina’s church. There are about 100 Methodist churches in Russia now, as compared to 60 when I first visited in 1999. As for our remaining time here, there is one additional rehabilitation ministry we will visit on Tuesday. I will be preaching at the main service in Irina Mitina’s church on Sunday, we will be at a 2 hour Exodus meeting Sunday afternoon, and of course we will have the remaining classes/lectures at the seminary. The students will have a test Wednesday night; Bill and I will take a taxi right from the church Wednesday night to the train station and begin the journey home. When all is said and done we are scheduled to land back at Akron/Canton next Thursday night at 9:40 pm.
Love to everyone there at FCF…..can’t wait to return to warmer weather!
Much love, in Christ,
Pastor Dave
February 5, 2006
Hi everyone and love from Voronezh, Russia!
Well, I just spent almost an hour composing a report online for you all, got
arbitrarily disconnected, and lost all my work! Last night the electricity went
out in the building for 15 minutes. We arrived in Moscow to subzero weather,
and here in Voronezh they are experiencing the coldest winter in 30 years. Welcome
to life in Russia!
Bill and I arrived here Friday morning without incident - well, we did have
something of an adventure in Moscow. Our courier was not at the airport when
we arrived. We stood around for about an hour wondering what was next - happily
he finally showed up. So we got over to the train station, slept on the train
overnight, and got here just fine.
The program that CIS has here is in transition. The norm in Russian higher education
has been to take coursework full time and receive a stipend for living expenses
- a paradigm that CIS was able to replicate here through 2002. Upon the death
of a primary supporter with an accompanying impact on funding, that has not
been possible since 2003. The structure of the program was consequently changed
to classes on weeknights and all day Saturday. Accompanying that has been the
establishment of denominational training centers based upon the VTS curriculum
taught by VTS graduates. The Pentecostals, Baptists and Methodists now have
a total of four centers with a current total enrollment of about 80 students….in
the absence of full time coursework and a stipend, Russian students have naturally
chosen to attend classes taught in Russian by VTS grads. So by way of discipling
indigenous leadership to continue the work of Biblical training according to
the mandate of II Tim. 2:2, the years spent by CTS in Voronozh have been well
invested. The class I am teaching now is the last class taught in English with
a translator, and CTS will conclude its work here in June.
Bill and I worshipped at two churches today: the church Resurrection in Voronezh
pastored by Irina Mitina , and the church Revival in Latnaya pastored by Galina
Kolesnikova.
The service at the church Resurrection was for African students studying at
Voronezh State University, conducted in English. Irina is a former atheist professor
at the University. She came to Christ in 1993, and then planted the church.
From the one service the church had when I was there in 1999 it now has three.
I pray some day Irina can visit FCF and be in the pulpit.
The church Revival in Latnaya was the church that Ray and Deb Peterman and Judy
Kasunick visited in 2002. After the service at Irina’s church Galina and
a translator picked us up and drove us over to Latnaya. Judy - Dmitri was there
today! We have a personal message to you from him! Some in FCF may remember
Galina’s two visits to FCF. On her last visit she and her daughter Victoria
stayed with the Budner’s, and the Welsh’s hosted a dinner party for
them in their home with the Missions team. The church continues as a house church.
It is worshipping now in a different home, has purchased land, and needs to
build a building…..Lord willing and civil permissions granting! The site
is very good - right where the bus from Voronezh stops. In addition to the church,
Galina has a ministry in an orphanage and in a prison - she will take us to
the orphanage this coming Thursday.
Bill’s itinerary has fallen into place very nicely. He’ll be visiting
a number of alcohol and drug recovery ministries. I asked him if he’d care
to write out some of his initial impressions on the web site, but he prefers
to wait until we get back and share his thoughts personally. Ray - Bill says
he now understands what you meant when you said that you felt like you were
leaving family when you left the people in Latnaya!
It’s late, I’m somewhat tired, so I’ll sign off now. Continue
to pray for God’s presence and hand as we give ourselves to His Gospel
for such a brief time in this part of the world.
Much love, in Christ,
Pastor Dave
February 4, 2006
We've arrived safely and evertyhing is going well. Bill has been accompanying
me to the classes while we set up his itinery further. We'll be at two churches
tomorrow, I'll be giving the sermon at both. Bill will be meeting with various
drug/alcohol recovery groups next week.
Once again, very struck by the depth of the faith of the people here. Victor
Lazukin, who is the student FCF supports, is in the class. He is pastoring a
new church start about an hour outside of Voronezh that is currently worshipping
about 200.
Well, the electricity just went out in the entire building. Laptop's working
because of batteries. I'll give sending this email a try.
Love to eveyone at FCF.
Hey....lights just came back on. Praise the Lord!
--Pastor Dave