Belarus: an Almost Unkown Country and an Unreached People
Peter and the other
apostles answered and said:
"We ought to obey God rather than men” (Romans
5:29).
Jesus answered and said
to them," Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to
God the things that are God's"
(Mark 12:17).
In America we seldom have to have consider
how to balance these two statements. However, in a culture like
Belarus (a former Soviet Union country west of Russia) this can
still be a decision that needs to be made.
Recently
on my ministry trip to Belarus I became keenly aware of the
struggles still facing Christians in Belarus. On Saturday I had
the privilege of speaking briefly at the Graduation for Pastor
Stanaslov Bokun from the Seminary in Minsk. Just before I was
about to speak one of the Seminary leaders informed me that the
KGB (secret police) were in the service and I needed to be extra
careful of what I said. My greeting to the graduates was a
simple challenge to fulfill their calling as a pastor/teacher
based on Ephesians 4:12-13.
Following the service I was informed that
the Seminary was fined by the KGB $4,000, a $1,000 fine for each
American who spoke in the service. The fine will be contested
and may be dismissed.
Pastoral ministry in Belarus is only
allowed within the walls of a registered church building, this
includes preaching and teaching. Christianity is confined to a
building. Pastors can be fined or even imprisoned for violating
the strict rules of the government.
This certainly gave me a renewed
appreciation for our freedoms in America. It also gave me a
great burden for my brothers and sisters in Belarus.
Gary Becker
leading a Pastor’s Workshop in Minsk Belarus
A
Door of Opportunity in Belarus
While there are limited freedoms in Belarus
there are opportunities for the gospel.
Minsk is a city of over two million people
with only four biblically based evangelical churches and about
2,000 professing believers. Additionally, there may be another
2,000 professing believers. If you do the math that means that
about ½ of 1% are professing believers in the city. The city of
Minsk and the entire nation of Belarus is truly an un-reached
people group.
My ministry in Minsk included leading a
pastor’s workshop, similar to BBM workshops. It was extremely
humbling to have pastors travel up to five hours on public
transportation to come to the workshop. There is a hunger for
the Word of God.
One of my priorities was working with
Pastor Stan Bokun from the Resurrection Church. His ministry is
strategically located near the center of the city of Minsk (the
capital of Belarus). The church is surrounded by a large
population of people hungering for the Word of God. The
University of Minsk is nearby which opens up a ministry to the
university students. This church has the potential to impact the
entire country of Belarus
Currently the church is meeting in a rented facility. However,
that could be taken away from them at any time. They are not
permitted to meet in homes or any other facilities, nor are they
are allowed to meet at other times except under very special
conditions.
Belarus faces very high inflation costs,
especially for building materials. In addition to the
inflation, the average income is less than $500 per month. So,
even as people give sacrificially it is not possible to raise
the funds from within the church itself to build a church.
Their building is about one-third finished.
Once the building is finished the ministry will be able to
expand and reach large numbers of people. Other pastors have
experienced spontaneous growth once they were able to meet in
their buildings.
Pray with us that the opportunity is not missed and
the doors of Resurrection Church open.
How
can you help?
Biblically Balanced Ministries is seeking
to partner with the Resurrection Church and Slavic Missionary
Service in an effort to complete the building and extend the
ministry of this church.
Additionally, David’s Church is increasing
its commitment to the Resurrection Church. They have been
supporting this ministry for about 10 years.
Gary Becker is available to share this
exciting work with churches and individuals. If your church is
interested in having him come please contact him directly.
If you would like to make a contribution
directly to the ministry of The Resurrection Church you can make
the check payable to:
Slavic Missionary Service at PO Box 307 –
South River, NJ 08882.
Please clearly identify it for The
Resurrection Church and send a notation that you are responding
to BBM and/or Gary Becker’s request for partners.
