The name Victor Saltykov is familiar to us at Salvation Church. Today we present his newsletter, addressed to those who pray for and support his ministry in the Kursk region of Russia:

Every year when autumn is winding down and winter is making its presence known, young people from all over the region gather in Poltava. Kotel'va and Kremenchug, Dykanka Zinkiv, Oposhnya and Horol, Great Bagachka and Chervonozavodskoe, Kobelyaki and Komsomolsk, Kiev and Pavlysh - that's the list of the cities and towns from which Christian young people came to our city (and in fact they came from more places than that).

Energy Club, that's what we call the club we started for teenagers who are looking for lively conversation and new friends! All of our planning team's prayer, training and effort finally came to fruition on Saturday, November 2. Eighteen young people responded to our invitation to the long-anticipated meeting. Live music provided by the band of Salvation Church made ​​this time especially festive!

Did you know that five women of Salvation Church are expecting babies? Irina Kovalenko, as a mom with vast experience, spotted them all with her keen eye, and together with a team of assistants arranged for a memorable party for these future moms. This festive and very enjoyable event for expectant mothers was held in our church on October 20. Poetry, video clips, games and competitions are only a few of the activities that were arranged for the pregnant participants and their husbands.

Господь подарував нам тіло, за яке ми відповідальні. Навряд чи хтось глибоко ігнорує свою зовнішню оболонку, будучи нероздільно зв’язаним з нею. «Хіба ви не знаєте, що ваше тіло то храм Духа Святого, що живе Він у вас, якого від Бога ви маєте, і ви не свої? Бо дорого куплені ви. Отож прославляйте Бога в тілі своєму та в дусі своєму, що Божі вони!» 1 Кор.6:19-20

From October 11 to 13 and again from October 15 to 17 we held a seminar for Poltava region Christian couples in the village of Kopylov, at the hotel "Zelena Dubrava". A team of American ministry workers, five couples, shared an amazing seminar with us.

In one small town a pastor once asked during his sermon: "Do you think that God can bring 200 people to our church service???" The people in the congregation thought for a moment, but then, knowing that for God nothing is impossible, they answered unanimously: "Of course He can!" The pastor was expecting that response and asked his next question: "So why hasn't God done it? Do we pray for our loved ones, relatives, friends, acquaintances, neighbors and coworkers?" No one said anything. The pastor continued, "God can bring 200 people to this church right now, but he isn't doing it because we aren't able to help that many people."

On September 23 we held an evangelistic event in Zavorsklo, thanks to the presence of a team from an international association of Christian doctors. The villagers had the opportunity to see the optometrists free of charge for a thorough checkup. Individually selected reading glasses were given to everyone who needed them. Everyone who came felt the love and sincerity of the Christian doctors and knew that in this world anyone who wants to can do good, without any self-interest.

The end of September in our latitudes is the traditional time of harvest. For believers all around the world autumn is a special time of thanksgiving to God for the gifts of the earth. For that reason last week the congregation of Salvation Church brought the best fruit from their orchards and gardens to the Christian Ministry Center in order to celebrate thanksgiving time together.

 

September 15 was the end of summer vacation from Sunday School at Salvation Church, not only for children but now also for adults. As Vissarion Belinsky wrote: "All human progress, the achievements in the sciences and philosophy, are only meaningful in the context of greater penetration into the mysterious depths of the divine book - the Bible." And that is exactly what the members of Salvation Church intend to do in the new school year: deepen their understanding of the Bible.