Sharing Christ’s Love . . . With the Police!

… I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to refute (Luke 21:15).

SGA-sponsored church-planter Gennady Leschov had the opportunity to minister to the police in Vitebsk, Belarus

Across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), we have seen increasing instances of national governments and local officials renewing pressure and even outright persecution of evangelical churches. In the Muslim-dominated Central Asian republics, the oppression can be very severe, while in the other countries, churches encounter difficulties more sporadically. The exception is Ukraine, which thus far enjoys a tremendous amount of religious freedom.

Bible-preaching churches in Belarus have encountered their share of difficulties and increasing government restrictions since 1994, but the Lord also continues to grant tremendous ministry opportunities. SGA-sponsored church planter Gennady Leschov provided us with a tremendous example from the Vitebsk region, where he had actually been invited to speak to a district police meeting …

This meeting was held in the Pervomaysky district of Vitebsk. I was asked to speak about the harm of drinking hard liquor and the tragedy of suicide. The police are not immune to these problems that also plague the rest of society. Although it is not spoken of in public, there are police officers on the force that commit crimes and are disorderly both on and off duty. It has become such a concern to the Belarussian Ministry of Home Affairs that the ministry actually ordered the district to invite pastors to lecture in the precincts. There were at least 150 people present at the message I gave. It saddened me that the majority of the people in attendance hoped to change their situation without making any real changes in their lives. I spoke and hoped to make it obvious that there are habits and addictions that cannot be overcome without God. I am praying that the Lord will bring them to repentance and faith in Him.

Other Opportunities for Fruitful Ministry

There is a growing number of youth that are on fire for God!

For Gennady, the last part of 2009 was filled with conferences and messages, including a major youth conference. Young men and young women gathered from 86 different churches throughout the region. There were 130 people including brothers from the Belarussian capital of Minsk as well as from Moscow, Russia. The young people were able to attend seminars and lectures on a variety of topics, including “The Foolish Laugh at Sin”, “How to Overcome Temptations”, “Five Qualities of a Young Christian” and “Drugs as a Problem of Youth.” Yet another conference was held to a broader audience of youth, families and students in higher education. According to Gennady, believers who attended were edified, but most important of all, the topics created a lot of discussion among the unbelievers who attended. He is praying that these special events will bear much fruit for the glory of Christ. It is truly wonderful to see the growing number of youth that are on fire for God.

Gennady is thankful for the continued prayers and support of SGA partners …

It is hard for me to express my joy. Time is creeping on and we are growing older, but our spirit is being renewed every day. Our desire is to work much more for the Lord. I am planning to devote much more time to prayer, both privately and corporately as a church. I thank you for your financial assistance to my family and me, and may God supply your needs out of His great abundance!

Youth - excited and eager to grow in their faith!