SLAVIC GOSPEL ASSOCIATION

Lost Generation is Russia’s Best Hope

Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; (Matthew 18:3-5)

Russia’s youth face forgotten past, forbidding future

In Russia today, a lost generation is looking for truth and a reason to go on. When the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, people were free to worship God for the first time in over 70 years. But after so many years of atheistic teaching, very few were left who knew anything of the Gospel of Christ. In the past 16 years, a new generation of Russians has grown to the edge of their adult lives in a moral vacuum. This absence of ideals was caused by the nearly complete purging of Christian faith during the Soviet era.

Now, a young generation is growing up amid serious social and economic problems and a declining population. Thousands of kids each year are placed in orphanages or abandoned to the streets to make their own way. They have no connection to their communist past, no legacy of Christianity in the present and no clear sense of opportunity for the future.

As these young people prepare themselves for adulthood, they’re facing a life of pain and isolation. Many of the problems can be traced back to the lack of a moral compass. As the youth of today become the new faces and voices of Russia, they will be scrambling to meet their country’s needs.

Children and youth with no homes or families are evidence of a declining social order. More than 700,000 live in one of the government-operated orphanages. It’s been estimated that another 2.5 million are homeless, living on the streets. Hundreds of thousands of kids are arrested each year. Many are victimized by organized crime, prostitution or the pornography industry. Often the kids come from homes broken by alcoholism and domestic violence. Suicide rates are high among Russia’s youth. Drinking and drug use are on the rise and so are the crime rates typically associated with substance abuse.

With a clear view of what’s wrong, but little direction for healing these ills, this generation is ready for the Gospel. They’re searching for truth. The role models they are looking to have not been able to provide it. But when they see the testimony of someone truly living with Christ and for Christ, they embrace the hope found in a loving God with passion and commitment.

SGA supports the work of UECB churches in Russia as they reach out to young adults, youth and children. One special ministry in the city of Ufa focuses on the special needs of homeless and orphaned children and youth.

The Good News Church meets in the basement of the police station. It’s a hostile environment, yet Victor and Natasha Slobodyan faithfully minister to kids on the street. These are kids who steal, attack people for money and use drugs. They are hated and feared by the community, but they are loved by the church. Giving them food and telling them about God 5 times a week, Victor and Natasha are backing up their words with their deeds.

But it’s a difficult and risky outreach. Kids are being stopped on the street by police and clubbed for going to the church. Or they are detained and the Slobodyans must intervene on their behalf. Many of the police officers are Muslim, and they will go to teenagers’ houses and fabricate stories about what Christians will do to them.

Along with this year-round ministry, Victor and Natasha coordinate summer camp for these kids. They are ministering to about 60 boys and girls in their church. 20 of them went to camp where they repented and accepted the Lord. But it will not be easy for these young believers to change their lives. Returning from camp, there was no one waiting to take them home. They will continue to struggle for survival, for a place to sleep. They will still have to steal in order to eat. Yet the kids coming to The Good News Church recognize their crimes and carry a burden of shame.

Victor and Natasha desire your prayers. They are on the front lines of a spiritual battle and recognize their dependence on God, and on those who are praying for this ministry.