The Ekaterinburg, Russia Church of Christ shares three great stories with us below. Read the stories directly from ICOCnews.ru, using the translation tool in the left column to read these articles in any language, or read summaries below:
Dina came to a women's day in 2011, on the invitation of her friend from college, Pauline. A self-described atheist, Dina didn't want to study the Bible. She soon moved to the United States to study abroad, where she fell in love and got married to an American. Shortly after her wedding, due to marriage trouble and the stress of visa problems, Dina moved back to Russia. Pauline had never stopped praying for her. Once Dina was back in Russia, Pauline continued to invite her to baseball games with disciples and to Bible talks. She liked to talk with people from church, and wondered why these ordinary people were open, kind, positive, honest, and loving toward one another. She was soon attending many church services and meetings, and after many months of building friendships with disciples, she was asked to study the Bible again. Dina decided to give it a chance, and the Word of God did not return void. Dina's heart sprouted seeds of faith! Though she faced many challenges to her faith -- a Muslim background, her relationship with her husband, and opposition from her mother and father -- she sought the will of God and learned to trust him. Dina was baptized a couple of months ago, and believes that God used this time in Russia to bring her to himself!
Read more of Dina's story here >
At the World Discipleship Summit last year, a large contribution was given to Chance for Africa, a project to help the children of African disciples to afford an education. Disciples in Ekaterinburg were inspired to continue to help these children, and decided to consistently raise money for four children, Joshua, Brenda, Stacey and Faris. This year, they were able to help pay for their second year of schooling; their goal is help them complete the entire program.
"We corresponded with our new friends - children of Africa. In their letters, they thank us for help, thanks for what God helps us find a way of helping them. It's really very touching and nice! For our church this is not just another "right" thing, but being able to really help a few people change their lives. We all live on the same planet, but we all have such different conditions. We did not choose where to be born, at what time and in what authorities. We did not choose to be born in what place and in what family. And the fact that we were born in richer countries, where there is a much better living conditions, does not mean that we are somehow better or that we deserve it. But it gives us an opportunity to help the weak. And God is always on the side of the weak!"
See pictures of the children and read their letters here >
The Ekaterinburg church is also very active in helping various orphanages around the city. Last fall, the disciples had the idea to give the children of "Orphanage #3" a trip to the Black Sea. They wanted to teach the children the value of earning their own money for this adventure, so they organized a charity concert and several craft fairs for the children to have opportunities to raise money. After many months of fundraising, nine children from Orphanage #3 took a two-week trip to the Black Sea this summer!
Read more >
At the World Discipleship Summit last year, a large contribution was given to Chance for Africa, a project to help the children of African disciples to afford an education. Disciples in Ekaterinburg were inspired to continue to help these children, and decided to consistently raise money for four children, Joshua, Brenda, Stacey and Faris. This year, they were able to help pay for their second year of schooling; their goal is help them complete the entire program."We corresponded with our new friends - children of Africa. In their letters, they thank us for help, thanks for what God helps us find a way of helping them. It's really very touching and nice! For our church this is not just another "right" thing, but being able to really help a few people change their lives. We all live on the same planet, but we all have such different conditions. We did not choose where to be born, at what time and in what authorities. We did not choose to be born in what place and in what family. And the fact that we were born in richer countries, where there is a much better living conditions, does not mean that we are somehow better or that we deserve it. But it gives us an opportunity to help the weak. And God is always on the side of the weak!"
See pictures of the children and read their letters here >
The Ekaterinburg church is also very active in helping various orphanages around the city. Last fall, the disciples had the idea to give the children of "Orphanage #3" a trip to the Black Sea. They wanted to teach the children the value of earning their own money for this adventure, so they organized a charity concert and several craft fairs for the children to have opportunities to raise money. After many months of fundraising, nine children from Orphanage #3 took a two-week trip to the Black Sea this summer! Read more >