The Church at Battle Creek
  Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
07 Dec 2007

 Their first day in country was a down day, a day to sleep, get a briefing, and get adjusted to their new surroundings. Crossing eleven time zones takes the starch out of the best of us. But on the morning of Day Two, they piled into Strategy Coordinator Chris Carr’s van and set off for Sipailovo where they would work for four days. Sipailovo is Ufa’s most populated district. The mile wide, mile and half long four block district is home to over 100 large apartment blocks and some 250,000 people. The bedroom district is saturated with casinos, gambling halls, bars, and strip joints. Alcoholism and drug use are pervasive. You can find drug paraphernalia (i.e. syringes and huff bags) on the top floor of nearly every stairwell. And yet, Sipailovo is a sought after residence. There is a McDonald’s in Sipailovo, a new mall, two new indoor markets, and a happening lake facility that sports a beach, places to eat, and a beach volleyball complex. Spiritually, Sipailovo is a very hard place to crack.

Cult groups such as the Mormons and Jehova Witnesses have unwittingly helped to shut the ears of the Russian people to the Gospel and make them less receptive to evangelical churches such as Baptists, which their culture considers just another cult group. The residents of Sipailovo are spiritually apathetic. About 95% would tell you that they are either Orthodox Christians or Sunni Hanafi Muslims, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that could share with you the tenets of his or her faith. On average, they attend either the cathedral or the mosque only once a year, and for now (a mosque is being built in Sipailovo) they must travel to other parts of the city to do so. They are nominal believers whose faith does not inform their life choices. Dead ritual is the extent of their religiosity. Although Team Ufa has an apartment in Sipailovo, very little ministry is currently being done there. Pastor Stas, who pastors an independent Evangelical church, can give one day a week to the region. And the Baptist Association simply does not have anyone who can spend very much time there. They simply don’t have enough man power. The only one available on a consistent basis is apprentice missionary Larry Moon, who has been asked not to jump out of the starting blocks without co-workers. And so when the Battle Creek Team arrived willing to work anywhere, the location was a no-brainer.

 The team arrived in Sipailovo about 10:30 and quickly broke into three sub-teams in order to prayer walk streets of the district. Larry took the district’s northern third. Grace Church’s pastor Zhenya took the central part of the district. And pastor Stas covered the southern portion. Team Ufa believes that if there is ever to be a spiritual break through in Ufa, in general, and in Sipailovo, in particular, it will come via God’s response to the prayers of His people. Prayer is not merely preliminary preparation for the main work, prayer is the main work. And so each of our visiting teams walks and prays for the day when the spiritual strongholds that have Ufa and Sipailovo in a vice grip will crumble. After two hours of walking and calling on God one can really build up an appetite. And so, the team headed for the Sipailovo apartment where the wife of Leonid Mikhailovich, the pastor of Ufa’s mother church, The House of Prayer, had prepared a lunch of borscht soup.

After three hours of what we called "light bulb ministry," we got the team to the Carr’s place where Eileen and Josie had prepared one of their now famous meals. The next day, Team Ufa and the visiting Battle Creek Team repeated the activities of the previous day before returning to the apartment for the worship service. To our surprise, five unbelievers attended. In America, if hundreds of light bulbs and invitations were distributed and only five people responded, the effort would be deemed a failure. But in Mother Russia, five non-Christians attending a religious service in a stranger’s apartment is practically a miracle.

After the service, Jim and Larry spoke to a man that we’ll call Yuri. Yuri, who spoke in fairly good English, identified himself as a medical doctor by profession, but not by training, which did not leave the two Americans brimming with confidence in the Russian medical system. Yuri said that he believed that after death human beings simply decay like any other animal. He did not believe that there was an afterlife. He went on to talk about his work and life, when Jim noted that nothing in the man’s life really amounted to much in that he was simply an animal that would live and die like any other. That led to 20 minutes of discussion between the three men before Yuri noted that life was like a puzzle and that he felt that he had finally gotten all the pieces of his puzzle in place, that is, he finally understood life. "You may still be working on your puzzle," he said, "but I’ve just about finished mine." "No you haven’t," Larry said, "You are still missing a piece to your puzzle and unfortunately, it is the most important piece. Without it, your puzzle will never be complete. A priest once said that there is a God shaped hole in the life of every man. And likewise, there is a God shaped hole in your puzzle that only God can fulfill." But Yuri was there to talk, not to listen, and eventually the men had to part agreeing to disagree.

Only one (not Yuri) of the five unbelievers there that night ever returned to the fellowship at the Sipailovo apartment. And even he disappeared after three or four weeks. Still, the news of what transpired that evening – five unbelievers attending a service in response to light bulbs and invitations – was much heralded in the Baptist Association. The Russian Baptists simply could not believe what the visiting Americans had tried and they admired their moxie.

As each of our guests left the volleyball court, the team gave them a Bible with an invitation to a fellowship. The mood was light hearted and no one challenged the visiting Baptists. We spent an enjoyable two evenings there by the lake, playing volleyball and sharing Jesus – it really doesn’t get any better than that.

After volleyball on Day Five, we hustled over to our English Club at Grace Church in the Telecenter area of our city, where some 15 Russians were all too happy to spend an hour in conversation with the Americans. And God was mentioned a time or two don’t you knowJ .

In Russia, visiting Christians are expected to take an active role in worship services. And so, in that Day Six was a Sunday, the Battle Creek Team was divided up and parceled out to various churches. Larry took Jim, Michael, Katie, and Charlotte to the Light of the Gospel Church, where Jim preached, Larry and Michael gave their testimonies, and Katie and Charlotte sang. The rest of the Americans went to Grace Church with Chris and participated in the service there. Then after lunch, Larry took Adam, Meagan, and Melody to the Ufa Bible Church where Adam preached. Chris took the rest to Sipailovo. UBC is part of a fairly progressive Evangelical denomination that split off from the Baptist Union years ago over issues of tradition and doctrinal interpretation. UBC doesn’t even have a handful of men, and so a trip to the house church is all about hanging with the sisters. They have about 15 of them, all of which are either in college or have just completed college. Meagan and Melody had a great time of fellowship, sipping chaii (tea) and rapping with their Russian counterparts before we had to catch a tramvaii (a tram) to Chris’ for dinner.

Ask the Lord to help Grace Church and the Ufa Bible Church to grow. As they grow in numbers, beseech the Lord to give both churches a vision for planting churches in other areas. Pray especially for The Light of the Gospel Church. They sought a worship location for ten years. And when they finally found one, they took an old building and build it into a fine worship facility. Only in Russia (at least in Ufa), it is difficult, if not almost impossible, for a religious organization to own the land that its building sits on. And so, the government now wants to exercise the right of imminent domain and seize the Light of the Gospel’s property, effectively necessitating that 30 plus people meet somehow in one of the member’s apartments while they decide what to do. Pray that God Himself might forestall the government’s plans to the praise of His glory.

In Bashkortostan, one name is most closely associated with orphanage work and that name is Brother Mark. Over a period of years, bit by bit, Brother Mark has gained the trust of orphanage administrators simply by being attentive to their needs. If an orphanage is in need of some construction work, then Mark is fairly adept at finding a deep pocketed New Russian or a western church to finance and oversee the project. In broken English, Mark explains that that is what it takes to do ministry in Russia. One must first show that you care by meeting their physical and financial needs. And only then may the door crack slightly for the Gospel. And whether one agrees with that philosophy or not, the orphanage staffs trust and love Brother Mark.

On the morning of Day 7, The Ufa and Battle Creek teams set out for an orphanage in the village of Tolbazi. As usual, the Americans were met by a welcoming party of children dressed in traditional outfits and an older gentleman furiously cranking an accordion. As usual they were treated to lunch and a grand tour of the facility. And, as usual, the Americans came with a gift in hand – this time it was Venetian blinds.

 The door had cracked ever so slightly, and Team Ufa was grateful for the access. The Americans were then challenged to a game of football (soccer), an invitation, we were told, that we simply could not refuse. Larry was given the padded goalie gloves and the match began. From the outset, it was clear that other than Brother Mark (a Russian), the American side did not have any offense, whereas the Russian Team was always on the attack. Larry didn’t do badly for an out of shape, middle-aged guy. He surprised the Russian boys by stopping several shots on goal. But, perhaps inevitably, about twenty minutes into the contest, there was an attack to Larry’s left which he quickly set up for, followed by a sharp, quick pass to his right. One of the older boys put the ball away just beyond Larry’s outstretched fingertips. And that is how it ended – Russians 1, Americans 0. To a man, the Russian kids all approached Larry, shook his hand, and said that he played a great game. We took a group picture to mark the occasion with the winning team crouched in front. And suddenly it was time to go. The old man with the accordion appeared again and several of the Americans danced their way to our vehicles with the orphans in tow. The Battle Creek gang gave the orphans bracelets with Christian sayings, a number of Frisbees, and an American football. The kids kept coming up and asking what the words on their bracelet meant. We piled into the vehicles with well wishes being shouted all around and headed for Ufa.

 On the way back to Ufa, pastor Zhenya took us on an unexpected detour. He turned off on a dirt road and after several minutes pulled up to what resembled a pond fed by a small tributary.

What we did not know from a distance was that this pond is actually fed by an underground cavern beneath the pond. It was a natural spring whose waters were icy cold, even though the air temperature was in the 80s. We threatened to throw Lilly, our interpreter, into the frigid pond, and would have done so had she not pled here upcoming marriage to StasJ . Behind the spring there was a high bluff. Most of our group climbed up to the precipice. It was a steep climb, but well worth the energy expended. The summit afforded us a gorgeous view of the Bashkiri Plain. After five days of almost non-stop activity, Zhenya’s detour was a welcome respite. There were only two days to go. And so we returned home for some more of Eileen and Josie’s culinary feats, fellowshipped a while, and then turned in early. There was a certain nervous excitement in the air in that on the morrow we had a dinner date at the Peshkins’ house, which usually means that one also has a date with the Russian Banya (sauna).

The next morning we all drove up to Gorsoviet (the city council) to meet with a man in charge of foreign investment in Ufa. Jim and Rev. Adam presented him with official letters of greeting from the municipalities of Broken Arrow and Tulsa, Oklahoma. They also gave him some postcards and brochures depicting their home city. Ruslan graciously gave the Americans about 20 minutes of his time, fielding the Baptists’ questions about business, economic growth, and investment opportunities in Ufa.

Then leaving the halls of power, we had every intention of busying ourselves with street evangelism in the Telecenter district of our city. But suddenly, the skies grew dark and it began to pour. It was one of those rains that Chris often calls "a toad strangler." It rained on and off for the next four or five hours. There must have been quite a few toads strangled. But we wouldn’t have seen them if they were, as we invaded Chris’ living room, some playing the Carrs’ Sony Play Station and others catching 40 winks while the getting was good. Then about five o’clock we all headed down to the Peshkins place in Nizhegorodka.

Two things are a constant at the Peshkins – more food than you can heat and Banya temps hotter than you can withstand. Mrs. Peshkin is always after Larry to make the guests eat, even after they’ve already consumed three plates full. Her husband, Anatolii, loves to get Americans in his banya. Once his guests have gotten used to the high temps in the steam room and have relaxed a bit, he rushes in with a bucket of water which he quickly pours on the furnace. The banya immediately fills with super heated steam and almost invariably Anatolii’s guests flee the room. The big hearted Russian chuckles whenever he recalls the Americans’ retreat and one does not have to know Russian to get the gist of it. Several of the Americans’ experienced the banya for the first time. And the men, of course, got the Anatolii treatment. And Vera stuffed us to the gills. No one had any trouble sleeping that night. The Peshkins had done it again.

Pray for Anatolii and Vera. As far as we know, they are the only Christian couple in the Nizhegorodka region of our city. They have a great desire to see a church planted in their region, even though the majority of the populace there is either Bashkir or Tartar, ethnic groups that traditionally claim Islam as their faith. Ask the Lord to protect the Peshkin family and to give them favor with their Muslim neighbors. Beseech the Lord to plant a church in the Nizhegorodka region of Ufa, home to some 35,000 lost souls on the banks of the Belaya (White) River. Ask the Lord to send a revival amongst the Bashkir and Tartar peoples, to speak to them through His Word and through dreams.

The last day of a visiting mission team’s sojourn with us usually follows a familiar pattern. A local tourist agency helps us take our guests on a tour of Ufa that includes a few souvenir shops. Then in the evening we gather at a local eatery to share our experiences during the week and say our goodbyes. One of the spots that we frequent on our tour is the Lya Lya Tul’pan Mosque.

Lya Lya Tul’pan is the most elaborate mosque in all of Bashkortostan. Its most stunning feature is its two towers that are topped off with red roofs appearing over the horizon like two tulips (hence the name). Team Ufa usually uses some of our time in the mosque to pray for the salvation of Muslims. And this trip was no exception. But there was an interesting new wrinkle to our trip to the Tulip Mosque this time. When we were about to leave, the imam suddenly appeared in the prayer hall. Larry had been in the mosque several times but had never laid eyes on the man before. The bearded leader of the mosque asked if he could help us and Chris explained who we were. He offered to pray for us and we accepted. We sat in a circle on our knees while the Imam extended his palms towards heaven and sang his prayer in Arabic. Larry could not turn off the images flashing through his head, images of airliners crashing into the World Trade Center, images of news footage depicting attacks by followers of Allah that have marred every day of this century. None of the Americans, including Larry, sitting in a circle on the floor of the mosque that day hates Muslims. And all of them were aware that Bashkortostan’s Sunni Hanafi Islam is one of the mildest expressions of Islam in the world. And yet, the imam’s chant in Arabic was chilling, causing the hairs on one’s arm to stand up, and spurring some in the group to call upon the name of the one, true God, and that name was not Allah. We went from there to

Victory Park, a World War Two monument nearby. The citizens of Ufa paid a heavy price in their bloody struggle with Nazi Germany. Some 27 million Russians perished. Although the city itself was never threatened, Ufa lost about a third of its citizenry in the war. The monument has an "eternal flame" and a large statue depicting a soldier sacrificing himself while shielding soldiers behind him from gunfire. The monument is dedicated to two soldiers who demonstrated conspicuous bravery and selfless sacrifice in the conflict that is deeply and indelibly ingrained in the soul of the Russian people. In one area of the park there is a stone obelisk not entirely unlike the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. upon which are written the names of towns and cities in Bashkortostan, the numbers of men from those municipalities who fell in combat, and the words "They fell unknown." They were sent to battle, but simply never returned. And their bodies were never recovered. It is a sobering monument indeed.

Please pray that Bashkortostan will never know the radical Islam that is found in other areas of the world. Pray that Muslims in Bashkortostan will be reconciled to the one, true God through faith in Christ. And pray that the Lord might appear to the Imam in a dream and reveal His glory to the leader of the mosque. Pray for the Imam's salvation.