September Seminary Session 2009

2009-09-08

Busy days

Some days are busier than others. Today, I arrived at 6:10 a.m. on the train from Kyiv, along with 3 guests for breakfast. As I write this, Darlene is out showing a different group around town, and our bedroom is a doctor's office. The doctor's wife is sick, lying on our living room couch. And, after giving a tour of the church and counseling center, I am now catching up on paperwork after 2 weeks teaching at seminary in Kyiv. Whew!! Maybe then I can unpack!

Pop-gun License

At 10:30 last night, the Police showed up at our door and asked to see our gun license! The officer spoke in fast and garbled Russian, but I explained that there were no guns here and it must be my landlord's affair. As it turns out, it was probably just an air pistol. Perceiving that I was a foreigner, he then asked for my documentation, asking me to make out a statement, asking what I was doing here, and asking for documentation of my rental contract. It was all disconcerting, especially since Ukrainian immigration laws are becoming strict and unreasonable. We pray there will be no backlash from this late-night encounter.

Nobody's home

Darlene is having a good trip in the States while I’m running a 2-week session of ERSU seminary in Kyiv. She is introducing our Ukrainian daughter-in-law Irina to America, visiting Seattle, Newport News, VA, & Jackson, MS! They’ve already seen the space needle, the Seattle port, Mt. Ranier, and many close friends. Now, they’re off to Virginia. I’m jealous!

Easter concert

There was an AWESOME concert in the Odessa church tonight. Helena Udras (our regular church organist now) joined with others to organize a chamber music/organ music concert that not only hit it right, but hit the calendar right. It was a holiday, the day after Easter here, the very BEST time for religious outreach, and the place was full. They got the Philharmonic chamber orchestra and a couple of great soloists to join with our beautiful organ to perform Bach, Handel, and other religious pieces that matched the moment. Pastor Babuinin asked me to pray with him beforehand, and he gave a great introduction, giving glory to God, calling all to spiritual reflection, and connecting the music and Easter-time with the right blend of the “Russian soul” and a “spiritual” message of Christ's Resurrection. The music, setting, and atmosphere blended well -- I was inspired!

Missions in Presbytery

The First Presbytery of Ukraine met on Thursday, with visiting representatives from Bulgaria, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tatarstan, Uzbekistan, and America. Besides the Particularization Ceremony itself, establishing them as a national church, one of the most significant acts of Presbytery was to change the name of a committee from “External Affairs” to “External Affairs & Missions.” It’s a small change, but it reflects the reality of a growing vision on the part of the churches to reach out with the Gospel to nearby and distant parts. Praise God!

Ditch-digger Clay

I'm tired! The Odessa church pastor has been talking for the past 6 months about the need for more evangelism and missions. There have been classes, changes in the budget, teaching, and even training of a greeting committee and outreach committee. But now that the weather is clearing up, new possibilities are open to us. Today, about 30 of our church people met at Langeron Beach, set up a tent, passed out tracts, sang praise songs, and worked together in the park. We joined a city-wide “green” campaign, raking, collecting trash, and digging a huge hole (some called it a grave) in which to bury it. After digging for an hour with little result, we commandeered a backhoe! A number of people came up to us asking for tracts, and many of our people shared the Gospel with the people on the park benches. Praise God for this day of fellowship, service, and outreach! It was encouraging, so there may be many more!
See pictures here: clayq.smugmug.com