Story number 2 for 11 Jul 2000

Meanwhile, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s state of the state address seems to bode well for evangelism in that country. During his speech Putin attacked government corruption and emphasized private enterprise. Russian Ministries Andrew Semenchuck says this is good for the future of ministry. “What was the most exciting was to hear him talk about the fact that they’re never going back. He’s made a strong commitment to democracy. So, we see a good future.” Semenchuck says religious freedom is expected to continue for the time being. He says the biggest concern is finding places to worship. “That is the crying need at the moment, where before you could easily rent a school room, you could rent a theater, you could rent a cultural center. Today these places are becoming more and more difficult to rent.”