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| To Rostov with love |
| by Charlene West |
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Preparing for the harvest
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Exciting things are happening in Rostov, Russia! Two-week series of reaping meetings in eight locations in the Rostov-Kalmykian Conference of Russia began on Friday evening, September 30, 2005 through October 15, 2005. Pastor Bill and Jackie Tucker, along with seven other evangelistic teams from North America conducted harvest meetings, health education, and orphanage outreach.
 Rostov-on-Don, a major city in eastern European Russia, is located on the River Don, near the Sea of Azov. Since antiquity, the Greeks, Genoese, and Turks have colonized the River Don’s port on the Sea of Azov. Rostov-on-Don served as an important commercial center from the 16th to 19th centuries, and has experienced considerable economic growth in recent years. Companies are starting up, median income is increasing, and the city is being transformed into a modern, industrial, and technology-rich hub. More than a million people live in the city.
It is within and around this metropolis that eight venues were selected for the harvest meetings:
- Kalmykia (an area between the Black and Caspian Seas)
- Chaltyr
- Taganarog
- Rostov-on-Don (Pervomaiski)
- Rostov-on-Don (Voroshilovsky—two sites)
- Rostov-on-Don (Proletarski)
- Rostov-on-Don (Railway and Soviet)
It is a typical cross-section of Russians with an average age of 33 years (life expectancy is 59.6 years for men and 72.4 years for women) which The Quiet Hour teams are ministering to. High rates of alcoholism and crime contribute to a shortened life span, and infant mortality rates are higher in Russia than in other countries, so the population has dramatically shrunk in the last 30 years.
In preparation, months of pre-meeting groundwork was done for this project by the church members in Rostov-on-Don. Through the use of door-to-door ministries, and organization of small fellowship groups and individual Bible studies, many seekers and new believers were prepared to join God’s family.
The visiting teams, which included a pastoral or lay evangelist, health and family lecturers, and children’s coordinator, made the commitment to visit Rostov and join the church members there in conducting Health Expos and training seminars, sharing God’s grace and His love through the spoken word, and providing family presentations.
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| Reaching out to the children |
 In 1992 there were reportedly about 400,000 children living in institutions. These children were orphaned, abandoned, or taken from their parents because they were mentally or physically handicapped. Inside and outside Russia, everyone knew there were orphanages, but no one had any idea of the numbers. Unfortunately, today that number is more than 600,000, an increase of 50 percent over the last few years. (The Quiet Hour has financially assisted many orphanages over the years, including the Vladimir area north of Moscow in 2004, and currently, we are assisting orphanages in the Tula region, south of Moscow.)
But the sad part is that approximately 65 percent of orphanage ‘graduates’ will end up in a life of crime or prostitution. Russian children need to hear about Jesus. It is wonderful when they have an opportunity to have their eyes opened to Jesus and the importance of having Him in their lives, for they are the future of Russia. Programs and activities for the children were provided during each evangelistic meeting. The programs included songs, stories from the Bible, nature nuggets, puppets, and other activities, as arranged by the team’s children’s ministry coordinator. Many times, it is through the children that the adults are brought to the meetings. Therefore, it is important that as much emphasis and preparation is given to the children’s programs and activities as to the adults’.
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| Health education for a better tomorrow |
Though free medical, dental, and eye clinics were not included in this project (as is usual for a Quiet Hour evangelism series), health education was provided. The number of HIV and AIDS cases in Russia and deaths from AIDS is “on the verge of exploding,” according to the former Minister of Health. Their prediction was that one million Russians would be infected with HIV by the year 2000—a prediction that unfortunately came true.
The Rostov/Kalmykia area was one of several vast regions affected by the nuclear accident in Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986. The radioactive fallout poisoned water and soil, and has affected hundreds of thousands of lives, raised cancer and birth defect rates, and caused other long-lasting effects.
Besides AIDS, polluted water has become a major health hazard, leading to high rates of bacterial dysentery, hepatitis and cholera. In addition, alcoholism has increased drastically, causing problems especially among the families. Through the health seminars provided each day, those in attendance will learn the importance of clean water, and living a life free from alcohol and other harmful substances.
Another contributor to Russia's health crisis is the growing problem of homelessness. Five months after the latest financial crisis in Russia, which began with the collapse of the ruble on August 17, 1998, 10,000 people were forced to live on the streets. With city shelters only capable of holding 1,200 a night, the crisis worsens as the winter months continue.
The good news is that in the face of these problems, The Quiet Hour teams have stepped up to the challenge, forming a partnership with the church members in Rostov to make a difference. The teams may not be able to solve the water problems or the housing issues, but they can provide simple health principles, share how to a sound family environment, and bring Jesus into their lives.
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| New disciples for God's kingdom |
At the conclusion of the meetings on October 15, one of the most important components of these meetings began. Jesus Christ trained His disciples how to nurture the new church members and to make new disciples out of them. Thus, in following Jesus’ example, it is important that the Russian church members are encouraged to provide a strong nurturing program for the new believers within their community. Through advanced Bible studies, witness training, and home visitations, strong friendships develop and new disciples are created, which will keep them in the family of God.
The entire Russian project is based upon The Quiet Hour’s methods of evangelism—SEEK, REAP, and KEEP.
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| Russia evangelism 2005 home |
Related articles:
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| Let the dead bury the dead: but go thou and preach |
| Pastor Bill Tucker's e-mail reports from Russia: September 30 | |
| October 2 | October 3 | October 9 | October 14 |
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