SLAVIC GOSPEL ASSOCIATION

Belarus Orders U.S. Ambassador Out — Possible Impact on Evangelical Churches

(LOVES PARK, ILLINOIS) — The diplomatic tit-for-tat between Belarus and the United States continued Friday as the Belarussian government demanded that Karen Stewart, U.S. Ambassador in Belarus, leave the country. The Belarussians also simultaneously recalled their ambassador in the U.S. The move is widely seen as a response to Washington’s economic and travel sanctions against Belarus.

The U.S. government slapped travel restrictions on Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko and his inner circle, as well as the financial sanctions, in response to crackdowns by Belarus authorities aimed at political opposition and free media.

The response from the U.S. government was low-key, with a spokesman for President Bush calling the expulsion "deeply disappointing." State Department spokesman Gordon Johndroe added that the president and "the United States will continue to stand with the people of Belarus as they seek to live in freedom."

Western governments and media often refer to Belarus as "the last dictatorship in Europe." President Lukashenko has tolerated little dissent since coming to power in 1994, and is frequently at odds with the U.S. and other European nations.

Although evangelical churches in Belarus enjoyed a brief time of relative freedom after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the government began significantly tightening restrictions on the churches after Mr. Lukashenko took office. SGA president Dr. Robert Provost said that sustained, ongoing prayer for our Russian brothers and sisters is vital.

"In Belarus today, evangelical churches are not allowed to engage in public ministry outside of the church walls. Pastors and church-planting missionaries can encounter significant difficulties from local authorities as they seek to fulfill their ministries. But despite these challenges, the ministry of these churches goes on and the Lord continues to draw many to Himself as the Gospel is proclaimed.

Our desire is to serve these churches in any way possible. We serve a sovereign God, and His Word tells us that 'the heart of the king is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes' (Proverbs 21:1).

Please continue to join us in praying that Belarussian churches will become fully free to proclaim the Gospel and God’s great love to their people."

SGA is an interdenominational mission, which has been working in the former Soviet Union since 1934. SGA serves churches in Russia through pastor and lay-leader training, sponsorship of national church planters, and provision of Christian literature. SGA represents the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (UECB) and is a principal sponsor of the Eurasian Federation of Evangelical Christians-Baptists.