November 12, 2008

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I enter this Advent and Christmas season, I am again reminded of the charge to watch, wait, and anticipate the coming of our Lord. But, in this season, in this time of my life, it seems harder than ever to do. For in the back of my mind flows the poetry of the Old Testament text “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Truly, 2008 has been a year filled with joys in ministry in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland. It was sheer joy accompanying the Reverend Jerry Van Marter, coordinator of the Presbyterian News Service, on his first visit to Russia. The series of articles he produced focused church-wide attention on our mission in partnership with the historic churches in Russia.

The appointment of Doug and Liz Searles to serve alongside the Evangelical Reformed Church in Poland was an answer to prayer. We and our partner have patiently waited for five years, and now God has called a wonderful couple to serve as the first mission co-workers in Poland on behalf of the PC(USA), the United Church of Christ, and the Disciples of Christ.  Likewise, my continuing deep friendship with Bob and Stacy Bronkema, Donald and Laurie Marsden, Al and Ellen Smith in Moscow, and Joe and Hannah Kang, Jin Eun Kim, and  Garth and Lyuda Moller in St. Petersburg fills me with joy! Through all of these faithful servants we serve alongside Baptist, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Reformed in these former communist countries.

Presbyterian Women delegation in Red Square. With joy, PW leaders visited Russia, opening new possibilities for mission connections.

And can you imagine the excitement for me and Burkhard Paetzold, my regional liaison colleague for Central and Eastern Europe, at accompanying 27 Presbyterian Women leaders during portions of their visit to the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Ukraine? The opportunity to share our PC(USA) ministry with these amazing PW leaders from across the United States was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Watch for the March/April issue of Horizons to read about Global Exchange 2008.

But the wise one who penned the lines in Ecclesiastes told us there is “a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” And, with great regret there has been mourning in the conduct of our mission this year. 

Watching the August War between Russia and Georgia, juxtaposed against the pageant of “peace” that was the Summer Olympics, was painful to observe. I wrote about this in my October 2008 letter. My September trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg was dominated by conversations with church leaders about the Christian response to the flood of refugees into southern Russia and the plight of South Ossetians and Georgians. On returning to the States, much of my energy was devoted to working with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to respond to the crisis.

The Smolensk Baptist Church mourned when arsonists burned their summer camp they had invested so much work on over many years.

In October, the arsonist burning of the summer camp facilities of the Smolensk Baptist Church was another blow. The congregation of Pastor Victor Ignatenkov invested years of sweat to improve this aging children’s camp. Now it is a pile of rubble and ash. The anger shown to faithful Christians in Russia continues to be source of great pain.

There is, however, “a time to dance.” And, I for one am eager to dance in the coming 2009.

• I am eager to dance when a new U.S. administration turns a page on the last eight years and seeks new ways to build bridges with the nations of the former Soviet Union.
• I am eager to dance as some in the Russian Orthodox Church and in the Baptist Union seek reconciliation and respectful acceptance of the faith of “the other.”
• I am eager to dance at whole new possibilities of ministry in partnership in Poland—winter camps, summer camps, bell choirs, new church development, and more.
• I am eager to dance as more Presbyterians find ways to come alongside Roma in the nations of Eastern Europe, ways of faithful discipleship among the people who are most discriminated against in Europe.
• And, I am eager to dance by increasing from two to three the number of trips I make annually to meet with church partners and mission colleagues in the four countries of my region. These visits add greatly to my day-to-day interactions by email and calls with all in the region.

Will you dance with me in 2009?

My hardcopy newsletter is received by over 250 folks around the United States. My e-newsletter is read online by hundreds more.

In these troubled economic times, may I ask you to assist my ministry with an end of year gift of $10?  My travel expenses, lodging, meals and administrative costs are covered almost exclusively by gifts from you who receive my newsletters. Each contribution goes to purchase a part of an airline ticket, a ride on the night train from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the bus ticket from Warsaw to Lodz, cell phones minutes in Russia to connect with partners and colleagues, metro tickets, etc. So, please dance with me as we move into mission and ministry together in the year ahead! If you or your congregation can offer support, the addresses are listed below. Write “Regional Liaison for Russia/ECO #051663” both on the subject line of the check and on your cover letter or note.

Contributions from individuals may be sent to:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Individual Remittance Processing
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700

Contributions from congregations may be sent to:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Church Remittance Processing
P.O. Box 643678
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3678

Or, to give online, click the "give" button below.

It is a joy to serve the Lord, our faithful partners, and all across our churches in the United States who are called to come alongside brothers and sisters in Christ in far away lands.

Thank you for your prayers and for your steadfast support.

Yours in Christ,

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.158