May 3, 2002

Dear Friends,

If you follow news of Russia closely you will know that the Russian secret service recently denied entry to the pastor of a large Charismatic church from Latvia. He was told they did not want people like him in Russia. Similarly, two Roman Catholic priests were recently denied entry into the country in what reflects a flaring of tensions between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church.

On my recent trip to Kirov I heard how fire protection authorities threatened suddenly to close a Baptist church. Members of the church who work in the fire department interceded and discovered that the order had come from the secret service, and they were able to negotiate to keep the church open. (In Russia it is almost always not what you know, but whom you know that counts!) Also, in many places taxes on churches have been raised two or three times this year. This is a difficult burden for churches to bear, because most people are quite poor. A pastor from another church in the Kirov area reported that the district attorney of his region had sent him a letter demanding that he immediately close his Sunday school. No reason was given, and there is no legal precedent.

Yet the work of the church continues. I was impressed by the effective outreach to youth by the church in Kirov. As I was riding through the city in a van driven by Alexei, the church deacon, he tooted the horn at two young men crossing the street, one with his long hair waving in the wind. They smiled and waved. He told me "These are boys who come to our meetings. They are seeking the Lord." Later, when we set out on another trip in the van, two teenage boys who had dropped by the church just to hang out asked if they could come along for the ride. Alexei invited them to join us. Such churches as the church in Kirov are growing because they are faithful to God and energetic in serving him.

In spite of many difficulties, God is blessing churches in Russia with new life. I am reminded of the words of the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 16:9, "A wide door for effective work has opened for me, and there are many adversaries." Opportunity and trial often go hand in hand.

Please pray for the churches and the nation of Russia.

Donald Marsden

The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 94