Gospel Expedition

We are in Omsk — a big city founded in 1716, the industrial capital of Siberia. In 2006 its population was more than 1 million people. There are 10 Baptist churches and over 1,000 believers. Omsk could be called a Siberian Jerusalem. Several hundred missionaries have been sent from this church to various parts of Russia and even abroad. Covering 340 km in two days, we arrived in the city, which impressed us with its beauty and clean streets. The church amazed us by its love and hospitality. In fact, the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists is celebrating the 110th anniversary of the first UECB church in the Omsk region.

Yesterday’s Oppression and Today’s Jubilation

During its long history, the Omsk church went through much of what the first apostolic church went through and experienced. In late 1920s and 30s, practically all the ministers of the Omsk church were repressed. Some believers were shot while others were tortured in the Communist camps of death.

In 1935, the believers of Omsk found themselves without a church building. The Soviet regime took away the house built by the funds and by the hands of believers, and organized a district militia office there. Only until recently, the rooms where the Pastor’s office was, as well as the rooms for Sunday school classes, are where criminals were kept, as well as detained Christians. Thanks to Perestroika in early 1989, the district militia office was moved to another building and the building was restored to believers in Christ, who began to come together again in their original place.

Today, the Central UECB church in Omsk has 1,500 members. The God Who granted us freedom abundantly blesses the ministry of our brothers and sisters. They have a well-organized Sunday school, summer camps for kids, and publish a magazine, Word of Faith. The Omsk church is made up of various nationalities — Russians, Belarusian, Jews, Germans, Latvians, Estonians, Poles, and Ukrainians, and all unanimously praise God!

Russian UECB president Yuri Sipko was present at the worship service organized especially for the Expedition. He came from Moscow to the Jubilee of the church and remained to meet with the cyclists. Yuri Sipko is a blessed brother in the Lord, a devoted minister — an attentive and thoughtful person. It is easy to communicate with him and he is open to everyone. We saw tears in his eyes during the service. The testimonies from the Expedition team about God’s blessings during the trip became an encouragement for all who attended. The church blessed all members of the Expedition to continue to spread the Gospel.

Aching Spiritual Poverty

While in Omsk and observing that it is a rather beautiful town, we also saw sinners who need God and His redemption. Young people walked along the embankment of the Irtish River, most of them drunk, and completely indifferent to issues of faith and future eternity.

We saw a dating couple who were smoking and drinking a two-liter bottle of beer in their hands. We walked with them along the embankment and asked them a question about life after death. We received the following answer, “We are not at all concerned about your eternal life.” Kissing his girlfriend defiantly, and inhaling tobacco smoke, the young man made a face. We felt somehow uneasy. Later I realized that it was the evil one who was cackling, and who had found shelter in the heart, conscience and soul of a young man.

From Ishim to Omsk — The Journey

In closing, we should briefly relate our journey to Omsk from Ishim. We traveled all day long. Thanks to God’s mercy, there were no flat tires or accidents. We traveled along an even road. As we cycled along, we came to know better the nature of Siberia. For example, there were many dragonflies that day, which meant that the small Siberian gnats would not torment us. But the horseflies accompanied us. We became gradually accustomed to them!

When we entered the town of Tukalinsk, we were met by brother Sergei from Omsk and a local TV crew. We went to the stadium where correspondents interviewed each biker individually. The brothers said that they are volunteers, and serve the Lord freely in hopes that people will know about God.

Escorted by Brother Sergei (who took wonderful care of us), we visited the sauna, then had lunch in a cafeteria by the highway. At that time a heavy rain began. After that, the other members of the Expedition went to Omsk except the cyclists, who remained at a local school gymnasium and slept in sleeping bags. The next day (July 10), we arrived at Omsk accompanied by two police cars, which joined us about 40 km from the city. Many of God’s children came together for the meeting at church.