September 18-29 we hosted a team from Smokey Point Community Church (SPCC) in Arlington, Washington. The team consisted of Bryce McFadden, who was on his fourth mission’s trip to us here in Russia, along with four women from the church. The team’s goal was to hold nightly evangelistic outreaches for women, lead several seminars on the “Celebrate Recovery” program, and work some on the Rehabilitation center in Tobolsk. The team came well prepared with lots of energy. And God exceeded our expectations in what the team was able to accomplish.
The team began their ministry in Tyumen. On Saturday night 20 women came to the outreach organized by the SPCC women. The event was called “Women and their Secrets.” Although the evening was filled with fun and make-up (one of the women on the team is a professional aesthetician), the testimonies and focus was on the reality that, regardless of how we look on the outside, God looks at our hearts and we are all beautiful in His eyes.
One of the women attending the event works at the facility that rents the hall the church uses for Sunday services. This was the first time she had come to any type of service of the church. Pastor Sasha shared that she was one of the most vocal opponents in allowing the church to rent a hall in the facility. After the outreach she shared this with Pastor Sasha: “The people were really friendly and I had a good time. Maybe I will come back for your church service.”
The following morning the church gathered for Sunday Service. A little over two years ago we started this church plant with just one family. On this Sunday there were 40 people in attendance. Just two weeks prior to this service two women, a mother and daughter, accepted Christ. Continue to pray for this young church. This Fall they are planning several outreaches targeting university students since they have 10 students attending now. Over 20,000 students are studying at various universities in the city as it is the capitol of the large Tyumen region.
The team then traveled to Tobolsk to spend the week in ministry. Each night the SPCC women conducted a women’s outreach. Monday night was a unique opportunity in the Old City church to gather over 20 women from a range of nationalities—Russian, Uzbek, Tatar, and Tajik. Overall over 120 women came to these outreaches. For some of the women attending it was their first exposure to the church. Many others are non-believers who were invited by church members. Pray for God to continue to work in of the lives of those who don’t know Him.
The SPCC team also conducted seminars sharing the principles of the “Celebrate Recovery” program. On Thursday night over 100 people attended with 70 of those returning for the all day seminars on Saturday. Pray for the leaders of the Tobolsk church as they take this material and determine how best to adapt it for use in the church and rehab center.
During the week the team also got their hands dirty by working at the site of the rehab center. With winter quickly approaching the team helped to put up insulation and siding on the building. This will help to keep the building warm during the long Siberian winters. Continue to pray for the beginning of ministry of the rehab center. Pray for Maxim, the director of the ministry, as he recently became engaged to a women in the Tobolsk church. They are planning on getting married in December. They will live at the center as both of them have a strong desire to serve God and enable people to find Christ and freedom from their additions. Pray also for Vadim, a single man who moved to Tobolsk this summer to help Maxim in the rehab ministry.
