Taking the Gospel to the Street: The Missionary Zeal of Russian Youth

Konstantin Petrov
SGA-Sponsored Missionary Pastor and Youth Leader
Ussuriysk, Russia

Our church youth group is a in ministries to children and other young people. The reactions we get can be quite different. Some refuse any conversation on spiritual matters at once, while others are very interested and we continue to fellowship with them. I continue to train those whom God gave us in last summer’s outreach ministries, and five people have begun coming to our church as a result of the camp and missionary outreaches in our region.

Hard Hearts and Open Hearts

Our summer ministries involved an outreach mission in Ussuriysk. The concept of the ministry was to work with youth and children. We ran into difficulties with the administration of the town, and we were not allowed to work with children. Therefore, we directed our efforts toward youth work. We handed out invitations to our evening meetings, and went to the central square of the town. This way, we attracted a lot of attention and soon had a whole crowd around us. They were curious and wanted to hear the songs we were singing, as they were so different from what they normally hear.

The enthusiasm of the young people over spiritual matters was contagious.

As we attempted to start conversations about God, some were attentive and also ready to share their views, while others didn’t want to listen at all. We had many conversations with people, and God used each member of the team. Those who were open for conversation actually came to our meetings a second or third time. Some came to us almost every day, and now we have some non-Christian young men who come to our church and they are open for fellowship. We felt the Lord’s presence in everything. Our missionary trip eventually came to an end, and we trust that the seeds planted will surely bring fruit.

The gathered youth listened intently to the biblical truth presented during the sessions.

Youth Camp Patmos

During the month of August for the past three years, we have organized a summer youth camp in Livadia Harbor, one of the most popular places for summer recreation in Russia’s Primorsky region along Vostok Bay. In 2010, we were able to purchase a large tent for our morning and evening meetings, as well as for different sports events. Last August, we had 90 youth from across the Far East in the camp.

Youth swimming in Livadia Hardor before the morning session.

After crossing over our simulated “Customs Control” and filling out their “Declaration Form” in order to enter our “Megalopolis,” the participants were divided into teams. Even before the beginning of the camp, the leaders — some of whom had many years of experience in youth ministry — knew the names of the young people in their teams and were praying for them by name. Each
 morning began with sports activitiesand then the morning assembly, where the youth would be given the main idea or lesson topic for the day. They would then receive their tasks to prepare for the evening worship service, and plan for creative demonstrations of memory verses from Scripture.

The morning worship was a wonderful opportunity for them to be fed spiritually, followed by discussions of important issues such as forgiveness, what sin is all about, preparation for marriage, and godly living. There was a wide variety of activity during the day, and then in the evening service, the youth would present sketches, sing songs, and listen intently as Pastor Vladimir Lebedev preached about serious issues for youth today. Each evening, invitations were given to receive Christ as Savior, and 16 young men and women came forward in repentance. Praise God!

The basic goals of our camp ministry — as with all else — is to bring youth into contact with Jesus Christ and His teaching, and to challenge Christian youth to be committed to the Lord — to develop their spiritual gifts.

Ministry to Families

In addition to youth camp, we also held a camp ministry for whole families. We had 120 people, or about 50 families from different parts of Russia’s Far East. Some of them had been to camp previously, and now they were bringing friends! For 10 of the attending families, this was their first contact with Christian people. The Lord blessed, and they attended our meetings with plenty of questions. Now they are in regular fellowship with believers and want to come to the camp ministry again. We also had some unbelievers from the village of Livadia, and we shared the Gospel with everyone.

One of the key events was a prayer night. In a large tent, we set up several prayer tables where people could come and pray according to the theme at that table — family, camp, children, and personal needs. Many wept as they prayed with us, and repented.

We are thankful to God for His blessing on these ministries, and are grateful to all who participated through their support, prayer and giving!