Places...
We welcome you to work with us in the
Russia Urals Region. Click on a city:
Ekaterinburg
Alapaevsk
Krasnaufimsk
Verkny Tageel
(Learn more about PARTNERSHIPS and
other KEY CITIES we are working to reach).
Ekaterinburg...
back to top
Ekaterinburg was founded in 1723 by
Peter the Great. In his desire to have an industrial city capable of
manufacturing metal and mineral works of art, it was decided that the Ural
Mountains in central Russia was the ideal location. Thus, the city was built
with four factories at the center and the natural resources of the Urals became
the source of life. The name, Ekaterinburg, was given to the city in honor of
Peter the Great's wife, Ekaterina. It was hoped that it would become a special
city to the czar and become the St. Petersburg of the east. That was not to be.
Following the revolution in 1917, the city became the home of Soviet military
manufacturing. Because of the secrecy and importance of the work, the city was
closed to foreigners and even taken off maps that were published during
communism. Today it is known that Ekaterinburg was the primary source of Soviet
military weapons, including both biological and chemical weapons. As a tribute
to the revolution, the city named was changed to Sverdlovsk, named after one of
the leading revolutionary figures.
 Known as the "Gateway to Siberia", the city became the initial stop for all
political exiles under communism. Many of the horrific prison camps were
located near the city. It is now known that thousands upon thousands of Russian
Christians lost their lives in the prisons and work camps of the city.
Memorials now stand to honor these who refused to denounce their faith and
became martyrs.
The most significant historical event in the city occurred immediately
following the Russian Revolution. It was in 1918 that Czar Nicholas and the
Royal Family were brought to Ekaterinburg in exile. The family spent 78 days in
the city. It was on the night of July 17, 1918 that the entire family was
murdered by the Ural Bolshevik Party. Their bodies were taken outside the city,
burned and buried in an unknown grave. Eventually, the house in which they were
murdered was torn down by order of the sitting governor of the oblast, Boris
Yeltsin. Many thought the tragic history had finally been laid to rest.
It was during the 1990's, following perestroika,
that people began to search for the remains of the last ruling fam ily of the
Russian Empire. Their bones were found, identified, and they were taken to St.
Petersburg for official burial in accordance with tradition. Today, an orthodox
monastery has been built on the site where the bones were located.
In July 2003, the new Cathedral of the Innocent Blood was opened on the site
where the Royal Family was killed. It has become a cultural center for the
nation and already has been the site of a summit meeting between President
Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Germany.
Today, the city of Ekaterinburg (the name having been returned to its
original form) is home to over 1.8 million people. It is now estimated that of
that number...
As the economy continues to boom, the population continues to grow and life
in general is improving, people still continue to live with the shame of the
past. Very little of the history of the city evokes happy memories or proud
patriotic sentiment. One Russian explained that "there is no doubt that this
city is under a curse from God for what we have done in our past."
But the hopeful reality is that God is at work in this city! His love and
hope are beaming in the faces of the beautiful people of Ekaterinburg who have
already come to know Him. Pray for the once dark center of Communism to become
a shining beacon of God's love!
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
While we live in the capital
city of Ekaterinburg, our ministry is predominantly outside the city. We do
maintain two areas of ministry inside the city: the ministry to the homeless,
and our work within the school that our daughters attend. We are looking for
teams that can assist with either of these ministries.
To see our photo album of some of the sites of Ekaterinburg, click
here.
back to top
Alapaevsk
back to top
 Situated in the beautiful
rolling hills of the Ural Mountains and on the banks of the Nayva River,
Alapaevsk is a city steeped in history. Unfortunately, this history includes
years of atheistic influence and harsh Soviet rule that hid the truth of the
Gospel and created a deep spiritual darkness.
Today, the emerging religious
culture of the city is dominated by the Russian Orthodox Church and a growing
group of Muslims. In the entire city of Alapaevsk, there are only 2 evangelical
Christian churches and at present there are no organized Baptist churches.
Recent estimates put the number of believers in the city somewhere around 100.
That means that at present only one tenth of one percent of the city are born
again believers in Jesus Christ.
 It is into this spiritual
darkness that Missionary Ilya Obvintsev has been called. He and his family are
seeking to bring light into the darkness, giving hope to every heart in
Alapaevsk and meeting the greatest need of these dear people– to know Jesus
Christ, the true light and hope of the world.
The primary strategy of Team
Alapaevsk is to identify people in the city who have an interest in the Bible or
at least finding out more about God and forming small Bible study groups across
the city. With little hope of building church buildings, the team has adopted a
small group/house church strategy. Working with other evangelicals, partners
from across Russia and the United States, the goal is to identify these
interested persons, find creative ways to engage them with the Gospel, help
facilitate the building of relationships between the existing team and all
interested persons, and promote in all possible ways the formation of these
small Bible study groups. The long term goal is to have small groups in every
area of the city, spreading the Gospel message and joining in the effort to
create more and more small groups in Alapaevsk and surrounding cities.
Key facts
about the city...
|
Population: 60,000 |
|
Average Monthly Income: $350 |
|
Chief Source of Work: Factories |
|
Typical Housing: Apartments, Homes |
|
Primary Problems: Unemployment, |
|
Transportation, Communal Housing |
Points
of Interest...
·
During the murders of the Csar Nicholas and his
family, Alexandra’s sister Elizabeth was murdered in Alapaevsk.
·
Great Russian composer Tchaikovsky lived in
Alapaevsk until the age of 12.
·
The city has an outdoor museum featuring the wooden
architecture of Old Russia.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
We are looking for teams to do some very
basic evangelistic work, passing out Bible and surveying the interest of the
people. We will also utilize teams of children’s workers, medical teams, music
teams, and others. Because of the vast lostness of the city, we are looking for
teams that can help Team Alapaevsk connect to the people who so desperately need
to know the good news!
back to top
Krasnaufimsk
back to top
 Sitting in the southwest corner of Sverdlovskaya Oblast (state) is the small
city of Krasnaufimsk. Though boasting a population of sixty thousand, the city
has no evangelical churches inside the city limits. People will tell you that
there are Protestants, Muslims, and Orthodox believers in the city, but the only
church found in the city is an Orthodox cathedral. For years, Baptist believers
have congregated in a small church on the outskirts of the city, but now, a team
is prepared to launch a new church in the very heart of the city.
Why
has no church been founded in the city? Many have tried, but each time have met
with opposition. The city faces incredible problems with alcoholism and drug
abuse, but the biggest problem is that the people of Krasnaufimsk face life
without God.
So
why does Team Krasnaufimsk think they can plant a new church when others have
failed? Believing that they are moving forward under the leadership of the Holy
Spirit, they have tried to plan a strategy aimed directly at the problems that
have hindered previous attempts. Through targeted evangelism, Bible lessons
directed at specific population segments, and purposeful relationship building
with the population and with the city administration, they believe that God will
begin to assemble a new kind of church that will not only change the lives of
those who attend, but change the life of the entire city as well.
 Aleksei and Nadia Maksimov have taken the first step by totally surrendering
their lives to plant this church. They have formed a group of believers who are
interested in seeing Krasnaufimsk come to Christ and have reached out to seek
the blessing of existing churches in outlying areas. They sense the hand of God
even in these early stages and are now waiting to see the power of God displayed
in Krasnaufimsk.
Team Krasnaufimsk has already
begun to look at important ways that they can reach the city for Christ. One of
those ways is through partnering with existing churches and with believers
around the world. Already they have identified specific needs that could be met
through partnership with visiting groups. These ideas include musical ministry,
evangelistic outreaches, service projects around the city and especially work
with young people. Aleksei and the team are fully prepared to welcome mission
groups and explore all the possibilities of such partnerships. They believe
this will help them greatly impact the lostness of the city. Working together
with other believers, they believe that Krasnaufimsk will be won to Christ.
Key
facts about the city... (click
here to
read Wikipedia's article on Krasnoufimsk)
|
Population:
60,000 |
|
Average Monthly Income:
$100-175 |
|
Chief Source of Work:
Railroad Work |
|
Typical Housing:
Apartments, Homes |
|
Primary Problems:
Low Living Standard, |
|
Crime, Alcoholism, Drug
Abuse |
Points of Interest...
·
City was founded in the middle 19th century and
many of the original buildings are still standing
·
For a small city, many nationalities are
represented in the city
·
There are no churches in the city proper.
HOW CAN YOU
HELP?
We are seeking teams that can
engage people in relational ministry such as children’s Bible camps, orphanage
ministry, music ministry, general evangelism, etc. With an international flavor
already present, we feel we utilize our American talents and uniqueness to
greatly impact the culture.
back to top
Verkny Tageel
back to top
 Sitting in the low rolling
hills of the Ural Mountains lies the beautiful village of Verkny Tageel. It
would be hard to find a more beautiful setting for a small city. Green hills
and gently flowing creeks and rivers provide an absolute picturesque setting.
But despite the beauty of it’s surroundings, there is a harsh reality for the
people of Verkny Tageel. Many are living well below the poverty level and
people find themselves searching for hope in all the wrong places. Alcoholism
and drug abuse is running rampant. To make it worse, there is only one small
Orthodox church in the city and no evangelical work at all. Where will they
find the hope and the help they so desperately need?
Seeing the needs of the city,
Sergei Myakshin has returned home. He was raised as an orphan in a local
orphanage and has now come back to try and help his hometown find hope. Sergei
felt very strongly that he didn’t need to depend upon others for support in this
missionary endeavor and has begun his own business. Working out of his small
one room house, Sergei has begun using taxidermy to not only support his family,
but to become a platform for the work in Verkny Tageel. Through his business,
he is building relationships with city leaders, neighbors, and others in the
city. He hope that his business will one day allow him to also sponsor another
missionary family, that will be able to help him in the planting of the first
evangelical church in Verkny Tageel.
By meeting immediate needs,
showing the love of God, and building meaningful relationships, the Myakshins
are bringing hope to the hopeless.
After moving to the city in
November of 2004, the Myakshins began to sow seeds. The work has
 been
hard and slow, but it has given them time to seek the Lord and birth a vision.
The next step in the planting
of a church in Verkny Tageel is to build a strong relationship with the city
administration. The vision that Team Verkny Tageel has been lead to is one
of answering the city’s problem with drugs, alcohol and other social dilemmas.
The team plans to focus their work on reaching out to these troubled youth and
adults, as well as reaching out to the city’s businessmen who have the potential
to also help work on the city’s problems. The vision also includes
beginning Bible study groups across the city, targeting them to specific groups
of people such as a businessmen’s group, a youth group, an alcohol recovery
group, etc.
While the long term goal is a
reproducing, thriving church in Verkny Tageel, the Myakshins realize that it
will take many small steps to get there and they are stepping out in faith each
and every day.
Key facts
about the city...
|
Population:
15,000 |
|
Average Monthly Income:
$150-200 |
|
Chief Source of Work:
Furniture and Building Material Factories |
Typical Housing:
60% small homes,
40% apartments |
|
Primary Problems:
Alcoholism, Unemployment,
Drugs |
 Interesting Facts about Verkny Tageel…
·
The city was founded in 1716, which
makes it one of the oldest cities in the Ural Region
·
The city was closed to foreigners for
many years due to military manufacturing
·
The city is home to one of the largest
orphanages in the Ural Region
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
We are looking for teams to address needs
while sowing seeds of evangelism. Specifically, we are looking for teams to
work in the local orphanage through children’s ministry or construction
ministry, teams to target the alcohol and drug abuse situation by helping
establish recovery ministries, teams to target the business sector and city
administration, and general evangelism teams to help survey and distribute
literature.
back to top
| 
