Slavic Gospel Association CANADA nSight Serving Churches – ReachingI January 2014 A Personal Reflection

By Ruth Deyneka father was invited to South America, Erdel where he ministered to thousands of Slavic immigrants in Argentina, Uruguay As we observe SGA’s and Paraguay. In Ecuador, he preached 80th year of ministry what is believed is the first Russian- to Russia and other language sermon over the radio via HCJB’s nations of Slavic background, I can’t help but lovingly recall my father, Peter Naumovich Deyneka. He burned with a passion to reach Russian-speaking people with the Gospel wherever he found them! And that led to SGA’s birth on that January day so long ago in 1934. Missionaries were SGA founder Peter Deyneka (front) and first sent to Russian-speaking Aleuts in our shortwave radio ministry team. Alaska, and then to Cuba where Russians powerful shortwave signal. It was the were also living. beginning of decades of Russian Christian programming. Over the decades, Russian- When I grew up, I speaking people in 87 countries were joined my father on reached with the story of Jesus! the mission field, first in Europe and then My father’s vision included Bible-training in South America, centers for Russian speakers around where I participated the world, and he began the first ones in Russian- in Canada and Argentina. Hundreds of language Gospel Peter Naumovich graduates became pastors, missionaries, radio programs. Deyneka and Christian workers. SGA helped answer The stage for this was set years prior the plea for God’s Word by printing in November 1940, when I was 13. My thousands upon thousands of Russian Peter and his team would rejoice to hear Today, there is much work to do yet Bibles, New Testaments, children’s Bibles, believed would come. I rejoice that my the thankful reports from the faithful in restoring the church, but we are and many other sound Christian books. father’s vision—and his life’s work— missionary pastors you help sponsor as reviving! Please pray for us! There is so much more I could tell! continues. Praise God that for 80 years, they report the fruit of their ministries. Slavic Gospel Association has been taking Pastor Sergei Volokitin in Russia’s Kaluga I can imagine Peter Deyneka rejoicing My father went to be with the Lord the light of the Gospel to Russian people region is a great example—a faithful with us today in hearing from a faithful before freedom came to Russia and her around the world. Yet many more need to servant having powerful impact with your missionary pastor in Kazakhstan, where neighboring countries. But the Lord used hear of His love, and much work remains help. He wrote to tell how God used a growing Peter Deyneka’s tireless labors to prepare to be done. As my father would say, “Much tragic fire for the sake of the Gospel . . . Muslim and the way—anticipating the day that he Prayer, Much Power!” governmental Last summer, an electrical fire broke persecution out in the night, seriously damaging of the church 80 Years! our church and adjacent home. My cannot stop the wife Raisa and I awoke and got out Gospel . . . Kazakhstan is the largest of the Central Asian CIS nations. Praise and Thanksgiving to God for Eight Decades of Ministry just in time. The firemen said, “A few seconds more, and you would have We are so grateful for your prayers and By Dr. Bob Provost their hearts were full of eager anticipation. been dead. It means God is on your financial support. Now we’re trying to President They knew that millions of Russian- side!” All the neighbors saw the fire, build relationships in a neighboring speaking people were in desperate need and listened to us tell them about . We became acquainted with a This month we are of hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ. God. They said we were in trouble, very needy family with seven children. celebrating 80 years Their hearts were determined to answer but I said, “No! Tragedy is when a They listened joyfully as we told them of proclaiming the to the biblical call and challenge . . . How person turns away from God. Tragedy of the Lord. Their relatives are also Gospel of our Lord then will they call on Him in whom they is when we say farewell to an unsaved watching our fellowship closely. Two Jesus Christ. Our have not believed? How will they believe in Dr. Robert W. Provost relative. The fire is a temporary new families have begun coming to SGA President hearts are filled Him whom they have not heard? And how problem. It is possible to overcome our worship services, and one woman with praise and will they hear without a preacher (Romans everything with God!” We were repented! May our Heavenly Father thanksgiving for all God has accomplished 10:14)? And answer it they did! shocked at how people began to help bless you and generously provide your through His people across Russia and us immediately. Our neighbor Igor every need! her neighboring countries. We are also In 1934, atheistic Soviet communism (an Armenian man) tried to help put deeply thankful to you, our partners in the fire out, and a woman who had We know from God’s Word that each ministry, for your steadfast faithfulness in visited our church named Tatyana repenting soul brings much joy in heaven prayer and giving. You put us up in her home for the night. (Luke 15:7). Peter Deyneka and SGA’s have helped make it all first board are now with the Lord, but I possible. praise and thank God that 80 years after it all began, this little mission is still doing When Peter Deyneka exactly what it was founded to do—to rush and the founding board A Soviet border gate — a symbol of the Iron Curtain. the Gospel to Russian-speaking people met in Chicago and everywhere. And with His help, together began the Russian was in full sway. Churches were being A young Peter with you, we will continue proclaiming the Gospel Association— Deyneka in SGA’s forcibly closed and God’s people were Gospel until our Lord returns. later renamed SGA— early days. being martyred. But today, in 2014, Rebuilding after the fire. Pray for SGA-Sponsored Missionary Pastors! Alexei Bikov, Russia: During the holidays, we organized evangelism around the city Christmas tree in The following are excerpts from reports we’ve received over the past year from our town. We put up a pulpit and a table with literature, calendars,U.S. CDs, Bibles, and the faithful missionary pastors you help support across Russia and her neighboring Chukchi children’s literature. The people were coming up to us and asking questions, saying countries. Chosen from variousNORTH locations, ATLANTIC these reports are a glimpse of their tireless, Sea OCEAN they never heard such music. We distributed all that we had, andProvideniya evangelized for Svalbard day-by-day labors to win their people to Christ. Wrangel (NORWAY) ARCTIC OCEAN five hours! Island Bering Departing, they began going throughout the , preachingNorwegian the Gospel . . . (Luke 9:6). Sea Sea Franz Josef Pevek Anadyr U.K. Land East Siberian New Sea North Siberian Severnaya Islands Sea Zemlya NORWAY Barents Vasily Furta, Ukraine: Amsterdam Oslo Sea U.S. NETH. SWEDEN Laptev Pastor Mikhail Pimonenko, Ukraine: Novaya Kara Zemlya Kolyma Copenhagen Sea We met Gulf of Bothnia Sea GERMANY 18-year-old Berlin StockholmEight yearsFINLAND ago, Andrei attended our summer camp. He was a NORTH PACIFIC Kolya while Baltic Sea constantHelsinki discipline problem. After camp, we heard nothing about him POLAND Tallinn Dikson OCEAN Prague Riga we were CZ. for aEST. long time, but the Lord had a special plan. A few months ago, he Georgi Vasilyan and Mikhail Moshkov, Russia: singing in the REP. repented!LAT. Now Andrei and his girlfriend, , attend Bible study to LITH. Lake Nar'yan- Warsaw Vilnius Mar Lena SLOV. Onega park, and he BELARUSprepare for baptism! Pechora We’ve done Christmas puppet shows and held Bible Norilsk Okhotsk Sea Minsk Konosha Vorkuta stopped out Pechora lessons for 25 children from unbelieving families Vasily Furta HUNG. Salekhard of Kotlas Igarka Novyy of interest in UKRAINE Urengoy (alongVilyuysk with their parents), and made visits to the ROMANIA Nadym RUSSIA Okhotsk Kuril Islands Kiev drug rehab center in Ryabichi. One of our brothers our music. The spiritual content Ob' MOLDOVA Okha Sakhalin Bucharest Kirov Lena shared his testimony, then of our songs attracted him. He Aldan Island Chisinau Aldan Amur asked a lot of questions about the Surgut we counseled. We had 28 Dnipro Izhevsk Kazan Nizhnevartovsk evangelistic fellowships Lord and the church. He comes to Sovetskaya Yenisey Berezovyy Gavan Don Yekaterinburg Saratov Tobolsk Ob' services and participates in the Tynda and visits to villages! Volga Angara Ust'- Never music though his parents forbid Black Sea Irtysh Lesosibirsk Ilimsk Urgal Ust'-Kut Amur Oral him to come. Please pray for him Ankara Bratsk Nizhneangarsk Kansk to repent and trust Christ, and for Lake Baikal Atyrau Novokuznetsk Sea God to use Him for His glory! TURKEY Ulan- Borzya GEORGIA Ude Pavlodar Abakan of Tbilisi Bamaul Yenisey Astana Japan ARMENIA JAPAN Kyzyl Yerevan Aqtau KAZAKHSTAN Semey CHINA SYRIA MONGOLIA N. KOREA Tokyo Aral Alexander Nagirnyak, Ukraine: Baku Lake AZERBAIJAN Sea Balkhash Caspian Nukus Tajikistan (Central Asia) Commonwealth of Independent Sea We are grateful to you for your prayers and constant support. We UZBEKISTAN (Name of Missionary Pastor Withheld for Security) Baghdad TURKMENISTAN States (CIS) had Easter celebrations in the orphanage, Tehranwhere the children listened Ashgabat International Boundary Railroad National Capital IRAQ Amu Darya Bishkek to the story of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Tashkent We have been holding camps for unbelievers. We held a spring evangelistic effort and Road Rivers SGA Ministry Locations Christ. We also visited small daughter churches in the villages of KYRGYZSTAN visited families, nursing homes and the disabled. They send their greetings and thank you IRAN 0 250 500 750 Kilometers Kayutino and Korsuny. Thank KUWAITGod, the work is advancing and people Dushanbe for your spiritual and financial support. I thank you and pray for you! Kuwait TAJIKISTAN CHINA 0 250 500 750 Miles SAUDI are repenting! Persian ARABIA AFGHANISTAN Gulf PAK. Sensible Stewardship

From time to time, SGA receives questions that they request, and more—to make others More than Orphans about why we enclose notes about planned aware that resources are available to protect giving, wills and estates in some of our their estates by minimizing taxes, providing Editor’s Note: While SGA-sponsored Orphans around his neck. I decided to take them mailings. We’re thankful for the questions, as it for families and retirement, and to help them Reborn teams largely focus on children to the clinic and get them a medical card. gives us an opportunity to share an opportunity! increase their charitable gifts as they desire. housed in orphanages and children’s homes, We went into the house, where I washed they also reach out to children from needy them, found some clean clothing, got their Through the years, many of SGA’s faithful SGA has made special arrangements for you or dysfunctional families who often end up medical insurance and quickly went to the ministry partners have generously chosen to look into such matters with the help of an on the street. As Lena Liskina reports from clinic. On the way, I prayed that God would to include our mission in their wills and independent group called PhilanthroCorp, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, in many ways, these help me get their medical cards. The estate plans. In so doing, they express their a nationally known Christian charitable children are orphans in all but name. doctor examined them, and then agreed to heartfelt desire to see a portion of their planning firm that works exclusively in the give them the cards! I was so happy. Now resources be used for the progress of the areas of estate and gift planning. There is no Vika is 15 and lives with her Mom and these children could hear the Word of God Gospel and service of Christ after they cost or obligation to you for this service. To two brothers. One of them is disabled. for 10 days and have a chance to rest. And have gone to be with Him in glory. Other learn more, visit our website – www.sga.org. All of them live in a tiny 180 square foot praise God, when their mother found out concerned, interested partners call or write Or, you can call PhilanthroCorp at 800-876- apartment, and that is why Vika spends that they had their medical cards, she was us to ask for information on how to best go 7958 to visit on the phone with one of their much of her time on the street. She has thankful and allowed them to go! about leaving such a legacy. Our desire is Estate Specialists. spent every summer outside, and was glad to help provide them with the information to be able to go to our summer camp. There are two more children—Timur Next to Vika in the and Alina. This past photo are Ruslan, spring, they lost age 10 and his 7-year their home and were Timur and Alina with How You Can Help their mother. old sister—children temporarily staying When ministries such as SGA reach major milestones from a different with relatives. I am helping them with such as an 80th anniversary, it is always good to pause family. Their mother Vika (right) Ruslan clothing and food, and I hope that the and his sister (left) and reflect on God’s gracious provision. More than that, it is raising them alone, authorities will provide them some sort of provides yet another opportunity to realize what has been and we paid for them to be able to come housing. They were also at our camp. accomplished across Russia and her neighboring countries to the camp. The children needed medical for His glory, and for the sake of the Gospel. And through it all, our faithful partners help. Two days before we were to leave I thank God for these opportunities. I hope have steadfastly walked by our side in ministry. Much prayer, much power! for camp, their mother said they could not and pray that the seeds of God’s love sown get medical cards so the children could in their hearts will bring forth fruit. We Your prayers and support help accomplish so much—providing Russian-language not go. I was upset since their situation will keep visiting these kids, talking with Bibles and Christian literature, Bible training, compassion ministry, sponsorship at home is unsatisfactory. I went to visit their parents, and trying to help them. of summer camps and other children’s ministries, and support of hardworking them. The children were home alone Thank you, dear friends, for your help and missionary pastors dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel. Please prayerfully consider playing outside. Ruslan always hangs kind hearts. You are our co-workers in how you can help advance the Gospel in the CIS. the keys to their apartment on a rope God’s Siberian harvest field! Canadian Connectionby Allan Vincent “Every good tree bears good fruit” (Matt. 7:17). CANADA In very few places is the above Scripture about Christ before. He had tried to be InSight is published to report more true than in Nizhny Novgorod, diligent and obedient in fulfilling all religious news about Russia, Russia. Seven years ago, shortly after the demands and rituals of his religion. the rest of the CIS and the ministries of: Vasily Kozorezov became the Regional But when he came to church and heard Pastor there, a coalition of several about Christ, something happened in his Slavic Gospel Association — Canada Atlantic Canada churches formed an heart. Aziz did not understand much, 55 Fleming Drive, Suite 26 Antioch Initiative (AI) partnership with but he realized Whom he was looking Cambridge, ON N1T 2A9 www.sgacanada.ca the Baptist churches in the Nizhny for and needed very much, the Lord E-mail: [email protected] Novgorod region. Jesus. Since then, he has never missed Phone: 519-621-3553 Fax: 519-621-7571 a single service. Aziz learned about Twice a year for seven years, pastors Christ and began to read the Gospels. In from the Atlantic Canada churches time, Aziz repented of his sins, turned To start, cancel or change the mailing address on your faithfully taught the Nizhny Novgorod to Christ and was baptized. Aziz is now subscription to InSight, Pastors and church leaders a series of married to a Christian sister and sings in please send your name, your old address, and your Bible college-level courses. When the a men’s church choir. new address to the address Canadian pastors taught, they also saw listed above. Please allow six to eight weeks for the ministry needs and opportunities with Last March was a special milestone fulfillment of your request. the result that the Canadian AI coalition for the Atlantic Canada AI partnership. International Offices partnered with Rehab Center, Summer The final course had been taught, but Camp and Orphans Reborn ministries. over the years, the teaching times had Loves Park, USA Noble Park, Australia Local pastors are also being supported. resulted in unforgettable fellowship, Eastbourne, England joy and blessings from the Lord. Pastor North Shore, New Zealand With more trained pastors, new Vasily is especially grateful for the churches are being planted in Nizhny devotedness of the Canadian pastors Canadian Board of Novgorod, and there are many new who left their families and churches Directors believers. One of them is from a Muslim to serve and teach pastors in Nizhny Dr. Stephen Code, Chairman background. Aziz (not his real name) Novgorod, giving them a greater Ivan Barber, Vice Chairman Carol Dean Jeffries, came to Russia from a Central Asian knowledge of the Word of God. The Lord Treasurer Republic to find work. Those who graciously brought this partnership Dr. Allan W. Vincent, Director promised to help, tricked Aziz, leaving together and for that we praise Him. John C. Goetze him in a difficult situation. When Aziz Walter Gnida Arnold Heron visited a barber shop where a Christian Although the formal training process Michael Nichols sister works, she told him about is finished, the AI partnership is not. Rod Wilkinson Dr. Robert W. Provost the Lord and invited him to church. Pastors and ministries in Nizhny Eventually, Aziz became very interested Novgorod continue to be supported and SGA is a member of: and came to church. When Pastor Vasily Lord willing—some of the Canadian met with him, Aziz talked and he shared pastors will be involved in an annual his problems. Aziz had grown up in a Nizhny Novgorod pastors’ conference. Evangelical Council for Muslim family and had never heard Financial Accountability