Representing the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of RussiaHistoric 9,000-Mile Gospel Bicycle Expedition Underway
SGA-Assisted Gospel Expedition to Reach Across Europe and Russia
SGA NEWS RELEASE
(VAREL, GERMANY) — Bicyclists from evangelical churches across Russia set out on an historic 9,000-mile evangelistic journey on Sunday, May 13. The transcontinental Gospel Expedition began in the northeast coastal city of Varel, and will eventually cross Europe then all the way through Russia to the Pacific coast city of Vladivostok.
Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) will be assisting the expedition by helping to provide Bibles, books, and Russian-language evangelistic literature to be handed out over the course of the entire outreach. SGA will also be helping with rental of venues for evangelistic events.
According to Leonid Kartavenko of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (UECB), the bicycling evangelists will pass through 89 towns, holding 117 planned evangelistic events in town squares, concert grounds, community centers and churches. Covering the great distance will be four sequential teams, involving musicians, evangelists, counselors, journalists, and Sunday school workers.
One of the four teams will be led by prominent Russian champion bicyclist Vladimir Skovpen, who won the Soviet National Championship in 1980 only to give up competition for the sake of the Gospel.
The teams plan to bicycle from the Atlantic to the Pacific, where water taken from the Atlantic Ocean will be poured into the Pacific to symbolize the union of East and West. Rev. Kartavenko says there will be a huge variety of outreach taking place …
It is our goal to preach the Gospel everywhere, to all nations, in all languages, to all people, all day long! There will be evangelistic events for Russian immigrants in Europe, as well as almost daily events in towns across Russia. There will be preaching by evangelists from all over Russia, with concerts by choirs and groups. Educational and other cultural activities will be held in big regional centers when possible. Public figures and sportsmen will be invited to take part as the cyclists show their skills and testify of the healthy way of life in God. As this is the official ‘Year of the Child’ in Russia, we believe this expedition will have a vast impact on young people as they see other youths participating and joyfully sharing their faith in Christ.
Such expeditions have been a popular missionary program with evangelical churches, especially because of their appeal to youth. Past smaller scale bicycle expeditions have helped draw attention to the Gospel, and have resulted in changed attitudes toward Russian Baptist churches, and more open doors for dialogue with Russian authorities. SGA president Dr. Robert Provost says he is thankful for this opportunity to serve Bible-preaching churches as they reach their people for Christ …
In 2004, SGA assisted with the historic Gospel Expedition across all of Russia and back, which utilized four Arctic—quality vehicles — sometimes in very dangerous conditions such as using frozen rivers as highways. The Lord was lifted up in a powerful way through that epic event, and many men, women and children heard the Gospel for the first time, as they came in large numbers to see what was making such news.
This time, young Russian believers are reaching out to their country, and we are rejoicing at the opportunity to help them in every way we can. Please pray daily for the cyclists, asking the Lord to go before them and prepare the hearts of those who will hear their powerful testimonies.
SGA will be regularly posting photos and reports from this remarkable journey on a special Gospel Expedition Web site.
SGA is an interdenominational mission which has been working in the former Soviet Union since 1934. SGA focuses on helping churches in the lands of Russia with Christian literature, pastor and lay-leader training, and sponsorship of national church planters. SGA is the official representative of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists and a sponsor of the Eurasian Federation of the Evangelical Christians-Baptists.
