CEE Story From The Mission Field
God at Work in Belarus
March 14, 2004
Belarus has recently experienced a new wave of religious repression, but this has not been a deterrent to the Belarussian Baptists and the missionaries serving alongside them. In response to a law passed last year that virtually banned the work of church planting missionaries, the key Union leader has said that this is not the time to build fortresses but advance the kingdom.
"God is at work and man is at work,” he said, “we are choosing to look and see first and foremost where God is at work.” This is the passion and vision that our missionaries have been praying for.
As a result of this commitment, Belarus recently had the first ever national lead, national written training conference on family groups. They trained 40 people on leading recovery groups to help families of alcoholics. These 40 people are now part of our Church plant strategy as our missionaries engage them and their groups in further training and Bible study.
In addition, the Baptist leadership also asked IMB missionaries to help train all 300 churches (in the Baptist Union) in one-on-one discipleship in 2004. This was exciting because God in His goodness had already prepared a way to do this, through a very special couple.
Jerry and Marilyn have spent much of their life discipling others. They were in Belarus this fall leading One on One With God discipleship groups in five cities. Every church that participated found the groups to be challenging, life changing, and essential to the health and life of the church. These churches have now finished the initial courses and have continued into deeper study with the One on One material. New courses began in January for several other churches in the region. Now One on One will be used to help the Baptist Union achieve its expectation in church training.
Another group of people that Team Belarus wants to disciple is a group engaged each week in English classes. Last year they taught English to over 450 students in three cities. Over ninety percent of these students do not attend any church and almost all do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Each week the students spent two hours with IMB missionaries: one hour in a conversation class studying English and another hour in a chronological Bible study class going from creation to the resurrection. During this past Christmas season, they saw about a dozen students make genuine professions of faith, and a dozen more acknowledge that they are seriously seeking. Team Belarus is rejoicing to see God at work!
Please pray for Belarussian Baptists who have caught a vision and are following it with passion. Pray for Team Belarus as thy work together with Baptist leaders in the country to win and disciple the lost. Pray for continued openness among the people and for courage in the face of repression.