In early January, Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko signed into effect a new law that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) swiftly called out as “a setback to religious freedom in Belarus.” 

The law essentially requires all churches to reregister with the government to be an approved religious organization. Read more of USCIRF’s reported concerns here.

SGA works with churches in Belarus, equipping them to proclaim Christ as King. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

“As we have seen in various places across the former Soviet countries, this can be used to shut churches down, if for whatever reason they apply for reregistration and they don’t get it,” Joel Griffith with Slavic Gospel Association says.

“When the Soviet Union first broke apart and the Communist rule came to an end, it was such a unique time in history. You had an awful lot of freedom that broke out, not just across Russia, but Belarus, Kazakhstan, (and) the other Central Asian countries.”

After a number of years went by, Griffiths says they began to see “retrenching” happening in various countries. Church restrictions slowly began to crop up again. 

“I would say even in the last five to 10 years in various places that pressure on the churches (has) really ratcheted up,” he says.

Thus far, SGA’s church partners in Belarus have been able to minister without too much interference, although Griffith says they have to be careful. 

Even so, these pastors are not fazed by this latest piece of legislation — they have gone through much worse challenges before. But they are prayerful, and you can join them in this.

“The prayer (of) the churches in Belarus is that they will be able to go through this re-registration process and be able to continue to function,” Griffith says.

“We certainly need to continue to lift them up in prayer as they navigate this and seek God’s wisdom.”

Learn more about SGA’s ministry in Belarus to help inform your prayers. 

Header photo of church in Belarus is a representative stock photo courtesy of Daniil Yakochovik/Unsplash.

Joel Griffith with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) affirms that during this season there has been a significant crackdown on any opposition to the government, as well as freedom of speech. 

“In terms of the churches, what they’ve tried to do is really focus on their ministries as much as possible,” Griffith says. 

Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

SGA comes alongside local churches in their ministries. Russian believers have a history of perseverance under pressure, and God has a history of preserving the Church in Russia.

“The churches continue on as discreetly as necessary to be able to not only continue their worship (and) their normal ministries, but also to send missionary pastors out to proclaim the gospel,” Griffith says. 

For example, there are areas within Russia where the gospel has not yet fully penetrated, such as in the Arctic Circle and Far East Russia. Believers are praying for continued open doors to reach these regions with the hope of Christ. 

“If things continue to tighten up in Russia, I have no doubt in my mind that they’re resourceful people, and they will find a way to continue to obey the Lord, share the love of Christ and the gospel going on,” Griffith says. 

Griffith asks for prayer for an end to the war in Ukraine, which has caused enormous bloodshed on both sides.

“Pray for the pastors, the missionary pastors, the children’s workers, the regional pastors across Russia, that they would be able to walk through this situation with wisdom, be able to function and continue to share the gospel with wisdom,” he says.

Finally, pray for world leaders, including your own. 

“Scripture tells us to pray for our leaders, that we could peaceably live and function in the times where God (has) planted us,” Griffith says. 

Header photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

The Grey Wolves are a far-right organization with ties to Turkey. It is a paramilitary group that advocates using violence to advance nationalist causes. France has banned the organization from operating in the country and other countries are considering similar action.

A derelict military vehicle from the first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. (Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Joel Griffith of the Slavic Gospel Association says Armenia and Azerbaijan have a history of warfare, tracing back to the end of the Soviet Union. In the first war, which lasted from 1988-1994, Armenia took control of the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region. “In the most recent conflict that broke out late last year, Azerbaijan came down and took back some territory. And they were able to reach (with some international mediation) a peace agreement. With this new wrinkle being thrown in with the Grey Wolves, it remains to be seen what that’s going to do. It is a troubling development.”

The Gospel vs. extremism

SGA works with churches in this region. They help local Christians provide humanitarian aid to those in need, showing the love and hope of Jesus. Learn more about these programs and get involved here.

Pray this good news would prevail over extremist ideology. Griffith says, “If this actually does come to fruition, and this kind of a school opens up, you’re obviously going to have a lot of ideology that can be very deadly coming out of a place like that. And who knows what impact that’s going to have on the churches of the days ahead. I don’t think it’ll be a good one, because this ideology tends to be very anti-Christian as well.”

Pray the Grey Wolves will not be able to build a school in a region already ravaged by violence. Pray that instead, the Gospel would bring peace and wholeness to the land.

The header image shows the logo of the Grey Wolves on a car in Munich. (Henning Schlottmann (User:H-stt), CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

The U.S. and European Union will likely impose sanctions as well, but the EU has been held up by Cyprus, who also wants sanctions on Turkey for oil and gas exploitation in the Mediterranean.

Several countries, including the U.S., have said they do not even recognize Lukashenko as the president of Belarus. French President Emmanuel Macron even set up a meeting with the leader of the opposition party and hopes to help mediate the situation.

Protests

The header image shows a member of the riot police in Belarus during a protest. (Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels)

Inside the country, protests have not abated. Crowds of thousands gather each weekend in Minsk to express displeasure about the election.

Joel Griffith of Slavic Gospel Association says, “The government launched another crackdown with the most recent protests that took place. It just seems like whenever they crack down, that just adds more protestors. It doesn’t look like this is going to settle down anytime soon.”

Since the protests began over 7 weeks ago, police have made over 12,000 arrests.

The sanctions by the UK and Canada have hit Lukashenko with asset freezes and a travel ban, accusing him of mistreating protestors. But will they make any impact? Griffith says, “Some will argue that these have a definite impact and have resulted in a lessening of oppression on people. Others will say that they’ve really had a counterproductive impact. Economically, they tend to impact the average person on the street in these countries more than they affect the leadership.”

Christians in Belarus

How are Belarusian Christians responding during these difficult times? Griffith says, “I know that a number of the church groups over there, including the UECB leadership, did put out a call for a cessation of the violence that’s going on. I know it grieves their hearts deeply to see this kind of unrest in their country.”

Despite the political chaos, these believers remain focused on worshipping Christ and spreading the Gospel. Join them in praying that peace and reconciliation would come to Belarus.

Pray also that in all this turmoil, many Belarusian people would find the indestructible hope that can only be found in Christ.

The header image shows a protest in Belarus. (Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels)

Another view of protests in Minsk. (Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels)

Joel Griffith of Slavic Gospel Association says, “This last election that came through [and] how it was handled brought people out into the streets. Their economic challenges and the impact of the pandemic sort of had a domino effect. And that’s brought people out into the streets as has not been the case in previous situations that have arisen.”

As the political and social unrest grows, Griffith points to a shift in demographics in the country. “You have an entire younger generation that has come up within Belarus that maybe are a lot more media savvy. They have more access to the internet and the outside world. Some of them have traveled to other locations and have come back in. I think all that might be adding to some of this.”

Christians in Belarus

A photo from the protests. People in Belarus long for hope and peace. Pray that many would come to Christ, the true Source of hope and peace. (Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels)

While all of this is going on, Griffith says, the church in Belarus continues to provide for people’s needs in the country through SGA’s Christ Over COVID program. “We’re basically helping missionary pastors and churches go out and visit needy families who are impacted by the pandemic, taking them humanitarian aid, food, groceries, hygiene items, and basically sharing the Gospel with them.”

SGA received word from Christians in Belarus, who wrote and said, “We do not participate in any political affairs, we only pray that God will save us from war and that His holy will be accomplished. Instead, we have fellowship with our brothers and continue our ministry.”

As Griffith points out, this level of national unrest isn’t just happening in Belarus. 2020 has seen mass protests in many countries around the world for a variety of reasons. Read more about protests about racial injustice and police brutality in the US here.

Christians serve a Lord that has risen from the dead, which is a radical message even in the most turbulent times. Griffith says, “As more and more people come to saving faith in Christ, that love then gets shown toward the community. As churches help meet the physical needs of others who are in great need, that love of Christ has a transformative impact on the communities and brings peace.” Pray this would be true of Belarus.

The header image shows the protests in Minsk. (Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels) 

Russian forces say the Ukrainian ships came into their national waters and shouldn’t have even been there. Ukraine says they told Russia they were coming through the strait and did nothing to provoke an attack.

A bridge over the strait connects Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, which the Soviet nation annexed in 2014. Ukraine and most other countries do not recognize Crimea as a Russian territory.

Mined area in Eastern Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

Joel Griffith with Slavic Gospel Association says, “It’s obvious [there are] an awful lot of geopolitical considerations going on here. This situation certainly has been going on since 2014 when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out, especially in the Eastern regions and the Crimean Peninsula. Now, this most recent affair certainly is a major escalation of that situation.”

Ukraine’s president and parliament met yesterday to discuss instating martial law — a move typically reserved for war or an invasion. Martial law would allow the military to take over the activities of a civilian government and even delay Ukraine’s upcoming elections.

“The [Evangelical] Baptist Union of Ukraine leadership is asking for churches around the world to pray for their country in light of this. Of course, [they are] not taking a political position on this…. If this conflict escalates even further and then if martial law is declared, there are an awful lot of concerns about what that means for the Ukrainian people.”

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

Griffith says tensions between the two nations can also indirectly affect SGA’s ministry in Ukraine.

“As the missionary pastors we sponsor go into Eastern Ukraine to try to help the churches there as well as to try to visit people who are in some of the most heavily damaged areas to take in humanitarian aid like food and medicine, it can be very dangerous. You never know when shelling is going to break out in Eastern Ukraine and these regions that are controlled by the separatists.”

With winter here as well, the frigid temperatures and restricted travel conditions only make humanitarian needs starker in Ukrainian neighborhoods affected by Russian-backed separatist clashes.

However, that doesn’t hinder SGA or their ministry partners’ persistence in getting the hope of the Gospel to Ukrainians — which is needed now more than ever.

“The churches we serve with SGA, we’re really trying to simply dedicate ourselves to helping people whose lives have been shattered…with the Gospel and certainly humanitarian aid. The churches, of course, are wanting to minister to their people as best as they can,” says Griffith.

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

“It’s just a horrible situation, but hopefully, it’s one where the Gospel can shine a light and the peace of the Gospel can be proclaimed and the love of Christ can be shown by the churches as they try to render help in Jesus’ name to these shattered people.”

SGA has a Crisis Evangelism Fund which is designated to “meet the special needs of people living in regions or countries ravaged by war, extreme violence, and acts of terror.” It’s a tangible way you can encourage Christians in Ukraine and inject the hope of the Gospel into this situation.

Griffith explains, “Anybody who wants to support the ministry in these regions can certainly make a gift to that. They can either designate it to general humanitarian aid or if they specifically want it to go to help Ukraine, that can certainly be done as well.”

Click here to give to SGA’s Crisis Evangelism Fund!

Then, most importantly, you can pray. The tensions between Ukraine and Russia, although ongoing, have seemed to fade into the background with less media coverage dedicated to the conflict.

“It’s been out of the news for quite a long time even though the conflict hasn’t ended. Now that you’ve got this open situation with the ships being shelled and the possibility for martial law, I think that’s going to maybe serve to drive that back into awareness again and, hopefully, people will be reminded to pray about this and pray that peace will come.”

Header photo of the Kerch Strait courtesy of Valeri Pizhanski via Flickr under Creative Commons: https://goo.gl/zSgGDg

(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Russia (MNN) — The world’s eyes will soon be off of Sochi, Russia, with the Paralympics coming to a close this Sunday. But there’s one thing that should stay on your radar: Sochi’s government is trying to auction off the property and buildings of an evangelical church.

According to Forum 18 News, the next court case is coming up on March 25.

“The #1 concern is always the Gospel and the advance of the Gospel, and the right of people to worship and evangelize,” says Joel Griffith of Slavic Gospel Association.

SGA is the official North America representative of the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptist (UECB), a large evangelical Protestant fellowship in Russia. SGA supports the ministry of these churches in many ways, including missionary sponsorship, biblical training, and distributing Russian-language Bibles and Christian literature.

The fellowship involved in the land struggle with Sochi’s government, the House of the Gospel Church, is a former UECB member.

“Within Russia-proper, you don’t see the registered UECB churches encountering anywhere near this kind of difficulty,” Griffith notes.

A House of the Gospel spokesperson told Forum 18 that he thought the church’s location was a motivating force behind the government’s targeting. Although the church received a property title from Sochi’s government in 2007, and they have occupied the site freely since 1993, authorities started coming after their land and buildings a year ago.

Shortly before the 2014 Winter Olympics came to Sochi, government officials approached the church again. This time, officials suggested the church re-locate, claiming they had legal ownership of the property.

Church officials with the House of the Gospel are expected to demonstrate their rights to the property on March 25, says Forum 18.

Fun Zone at the Mountain Cluster of Sochi, Russia.

Until then, the church will continue to host a “Fun Zone” — a hospitality center that’s using the Olympics to launch Gospel conversations. Multiple ministries have come together with the local church to make the Fun Zone a success.

SOAR International provided the tents, as well as sound equipment and televisions used to watch the Olympics in the Fun Zone. Russian Ministries partnered with the Gideons International of Canada to provide biblical literature.

“On an average, we have about 10 people make a commitment to Jesus Christ. Some make re-dedications,” Wally Kulakoff with Russian Ministries told MNN’s Greg Yoder during his coverage of the outreach.

Funding is needed to keep the Fun Zone open during these last few days of the Olympics. Click here to help through SOAR International.

Pray for courage for church officials to speak boldly at the March 25 hearing. Pray that the Gospel will continue to go forth in Russia.

“I think in all the former Soviet countries, we need to keep that first and foremost in our prayers,” Griffith adds.

Those threats are a concern for evangelical Christian leaders in the country, especially as ministry is gearing up surrounding Russian Christmas and the Winter Olympics.

Joel Griffith with Slavic Gospel Association says the president’s vow could affect Christian ministry. “Certainly the secular government is concerned about Muslim extremism, and they will use that as reasons to justify crackdowns. Unfortunately, peaceful evangelical churches tend to get roped together along with that, and they suffer the consequences.”

Slavic Gospel Association is supporting children’s ministry up until Russian Christmas January 7. (SGA photo)

Griffith says area churches are interested in one thing: the Gospel. Since Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7, many Christians are just starting the Christmas/New Year ministry.  Griffith says SGA’s Emmanuel’s Child program is underway. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to not only provide a Christmas gift of some kind for a lonely forgotten orphaned child, but also to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel.”

The terrorist attack, coupled with the two events, is giving Christians a platform. “In the midst of this hate and anger, in the midst of terror, the peace and grace and mercy and love of Christ through the power of the Gospel is what they want to communicate.”

Support SGA’s work here.

Immanuel’s Child gifts are seen as a tangible expression of God’s love.
(Image courtesy SGA)

Russia (MNN) — In the past several years, adoption has become a touchy subject between the U.S. and Russia. Some U.S. parents who adopted Russian children abused them and “cast a shadow” on the U.S. as a whole; although they are not the norm, it caused a rift nonetheless.

Last year, Russia put an official stop to U.S. adoptions of Russian children.

“[Adoption] became basically a political football, and the children have suffered for it,” says Joel Griffith of Slavic Gospel Association (SGA).

Griffith says there are between 500,000 and 700,000 orphans in Russia alone, not to mention those in states formerly belonging to the Soviet Union: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.

“The vast majority of those children will never be adopted out,” Griffith explains. “Many of them end up in crimes and drugs and prostitution; it’s just heartbreaking.”

SGA supports churches ministering to kids in Russia and the former Soviet Union. They address the orphan crisis through their Orphans Reborn program.

“It involves the churches sending teams of workers into the children’s homes, where they can spend quality time with the kids; they’re able to hold Bible lessons,” says Griffith.

Find a full description of the program here.

Each Christmas, Orphans Reborn holds a special Christmas outreach called Immanuel’s Child. Gospel workers deliver gift packages donated by Western believers to children and their families.

Gifts include a Star of Bethlehem ornament signed by the donor; a special gift chosen by Russian church workers; food, warm clothes, or other toiletry items; and Russian-language children’s literature and discipleship materials.

“I can’t stress enough the vital importance of prayer in this…asking for God’s direction on how they should approach these children,” Griffith states.

Pray that gifts are seen as a tangible expression of God’s love. Pray that discipleship efforts of local workers bear much fruit.

To learn more about SGA and their work in Russia and the Former Soviet Union (FSU), click here.

Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev is one of the persecuted believers in Central Asia who needs your prayers. (Image courtesy Russian Ministries.)

“There’s a date on November third, and then there’s an optional alternate date of November tenth,” he states.

According to IDOP.org, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day (November 1 and 2, respectively) were set apart in the traditional Church calendar to remember the saints of the Church and souls of those who went before us.

The modern-day global Church sets two dates aside during the month of November to remember and pray for the Persecuted Church. This year, those dates fall on Nov. 3 and Nov. 10.

However, “we would urge ongoing prayer, 365 days a [year] for our persecuted brothers and sisters,” Griffith notes.

SGA serves Bible-preaching churches in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States by helping national pastors and churches reach their own people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“There definitely has been an uptick in the level and intensity of persecution in these countries,” says Griffith.

“The worst persecution believers get would be in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, but it certainly has been stepping up in Kazakhstan.”

Persecution Personified

Earlier this year, Pastor Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev was imprisoned as part of a nationwide crack-down. He’s been arrested on trumped-up charges, denied medical attention, and imprisoned in a psychiatric asylum.

Now, according to International Christian Concern (ICC), Kazakh officials are harassing members of Kashkumbaev’s Grace Protestant Church.

“You are worse than spies. You bring Kazakhs to Christ,” an officer reportedly told one of ICC’s sources.

In Eastern Kazakhstan, Baptist Pastor Pavel Leonov is facing up to a year’s imprisonment for refusing to pay a fine equal to two months’ income, according to Forum 18 News. Leonov is a Council of Churches Baptist; a group which refuses to register their fellowships with the government.

SGA works with churches of the Union of Evangelical Christians Baptist (UECB), a group registered with Kazakhstan’s government. But, that doesn’t mean they don’t run into problems, Griffith notes.

“They try to comply with registration laws,” he says. “They try to follow the law as closely as they can, and they still end up getting persecuted anyway.”

The Silver Lining

Though persecution is on the rise, it isn’t stopping believers in Central Asia from sharing their faith.

“The churches remember what life was like under Communism,” Griffith states.

“They know what it is to live and serve under persecution, and they’re certainly not going to stop proclaiming the Gospel because this seems to be stepping up again.”

Keep praying for persecuted Christians around the world. Pray specifically for believers in Central Asia.

“Pray for these pastors who are encountering difficulty right now,” adds Griffith.

You could also ‘Share’ this story on Facebook to get more people praying for the Persecuted Church. Just look for the Share bar at the top of this article.

“For some reason, it just doesn’t seem to grab the attention of the news media, and it needs to,” says Griffith. “I mean, these are people that are actually being killed for their faith.”