Easter Resurrection 1991

Since this is the season of Easter, it is a good time to remember the first service of the Church of God in Chelyabinsk. Church holidays in Russia still follow the Orthodox calendar, based on the Julian calendar. The majority of the world follows the Gregorian calendar, so often church holidays fall on different dates in Russia than in most parts of the world. For example, most of the world celebrated Easter this year on March 23, but our Easter will be celebrated on April 27. We just celebrate it twice, which makes it the 'season' of Easter, like the 'season' of Christmas (December 25/January 7).

Following the Florida Youth Convention of 1990, seven teenagers and one young youth pastor and a few other adults made the first ever trip to the closed Siberian city of Chelyabinsk. It was the week of their spring break, the first week of April 1991. Officially, the country of Russia was still the Soviet Union, and in particular, the city of Chelyabinsk was for the first time in dozens of years inviting Americans. This was a BIG deal, the teenagers were invited by the mayor and city officials, literally this was like an official state visit from US delegates. (photo: Mark Shaner)

For security precautions, the American delegation had to stay outside the city in a youth camp. They made visits to the city, about a two hour round trip drive, and were welcomed with official pomp and circumstance, red carpet greetings and even given a key to the city. Other than the official ceremonies, most of their time was spent more one on one with a group of specially selected Russian students, teachers, and officials. Each group made numerous cultural presentations, showcasing their skills and education, as well as trying to teach each other about their respective home countries.

As the week came to a close, the Russian delegates took notice that regularly the American group would withdraw to a room by themselves. What raised the curiousity was that the Americans were tired and weary when they entered, but each time they came out of the room smiling, full of energy and enthusiasm.
The Russian delegates wanted to know what was happening in the room that brought a total change upon the Americans. Since it was by request, the youth pastor and teenagers agreed to show the Russians what they did when they withdrew to a separate room. It was the last day of their stay, Sunday April 7, 1991, Easter on the Orthodox calendar. They organized a little service, read Scriptures, shared about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and sang "Amazing Grace". (photo: Stephanie Mulenforth Barber, who sang Amazing Grace) The audience of important teachers and students and influential city officials was captivated. At the conclusion of the "impromtu" Easter service, all but three prayed and received Christ as their Savior. Hallelujah!!! What a resurrection was celebrated that day!!

Officially, God began a new church that day, using the witness and testimony of a little group of teenagers and a youth pastor that shared their passion and love of Christ. Easter is a significant time for all believers, but for the church of believers in Chelyabinsk, it is also their Spiritual Birthday as a church. The first believers that formed the core of the church here today came together on Easter, April 7, 1991.

(photo: Don Pickett, Florida State Minister and member of 1991 team, Earlene Pickett)

Florida Youth Convention 1990

Starting at the beginning can be a little like pulling a thread which just keeps unraveling. You think if you pull you'll find the beginning, but instead it just keeps going and going and going. You get the idea. So, while we could keep following the thread a long way back, we have elected to start at this particular point. Of course, other events led to this point, but this is where our first hand knowledge of the story of Chelyabisnk begins.

The State of Florida Youth Convention was held the last weekend of November 1990. The speaker for the convention was Dr. J. David Stone, from Lousiana. Dr. Stone's daughter had been in an accident and sustained a paralyzing spinal injury. Determined to find a way to help his daughter regain mobility, Dr. Stone arranged for her to undergo a type of spinal surgery performed only in Moscow, Russia. While in Moscow, Dr. Stone and his daughter made the aquaintence of a young student, also visiting Moscow from a Siberian city one thousand miles from Moscow. To meet and become acquainted with an American was an amazing opportunity for the Russian girl.

Dr. Stone and his daughter, who had a successful surgery and did regain some mobility, returned to the United States. The young Russian girl returned to her city, far from Moscow and soon convinced her father to extend an invitation to her new American friends to come to Chelyabinsk to visit. The father of the Russian girl, happened to be the Minister of Education of the city of Chelyabinsk and the invitation was extended as an educational exchange. Dr. Stone received the invitation and realized what an honor and incredible opportunity was being offered. This is still more than a year before the official collapse of the Soviet Union and even more, the city of Chelyabinsk was considered a "closed" city, not open to visitors. But this city official had the authority to invite and so the opportunity was calling.

Dr. Stone shared this story with the youth and in particular, a youth pastor from Florida (at the time) Mark Shaner. Mark has a heart of passion for youth and for missions and this invitation nailed both passions into one. At the close of the convention, Mark extended the challenge and invitation to the youth of Florida- kids who have probably never seen snow- to go to Siberia to meet and make friends with Russian youth. God brought all the details into place- a relationship made by a "chance" meeting in Moscow, an invitation to a city that was unapproachable, a pastor with passion to challenge youth and reach the world for Christ.

Let's Start at the very Beginning...

A very good place to start. When you read you begin with A,B,C when you blog you begin with who, what, why. The first three blogs just happen to be, who, what, why.

The title and first couple sentences will make alot more sense to you if you sing them to the tune of Do-Re-Me from the Sound of Music! But as I sat here trying to figure out where to start- this was the first thing that flew into my head. Let's just start at the very beginning. The question then is where exactly is the beginning of this project? Officially the ground-breaking? or when the land was purchased? or when the first contacts were made that planted the real church of believers here? They are all beginnings, and though our attempt will be incomplete, we want to start at the root beginning which has brought us all to this moment in time. This will take numerous entries spread out over the course of time that we blog here, but it is a journey that we all need to take. A refresher in how we got to where we are- as the Lord commanded the Israelites to recall His mighty deeds and pass them on from generation to generation. We have passed through the first generation of believers and this is the time to pass the story to the next generation of God's plan, provision, and protection.

We invite you to take this journey with us. Many, many people have been part of this journey and each knows their part of the story. If you are part of this, in particular, we ask for you to refresh your memories and share with us your part of the amazing journey. The story begins in 1991.