Couch Pulpit
Here is what Sunday morning worship looks like in Tomsk, Russia (yeah that’s Siberia, smile). First, we had to wake up and we were there, tough life I know. We have two house churches that meet in our apartment; we decided to “go” to those. The first includes only 5 other people so they were excited about making it 8. We greeted everyone and learned everyone’s names: Ira, Sergei, Sasha, Sergei (there are about 5 Sergei’s so far we have met) and Gene.
It has been fun trying to keep up with the Russian singing, which by the way is beautiful, I don’t know if it has been those we are around or if everyone sings amazingly well. We are slowly beginning to learn what we are saying as bog is God, eesus is Jesus and so on.
Then one of the members brought a message, by the way our preacher for the morning, Sergei, has been a Christian for just over a year and has an amazing life turnaround story. Every small group/Christian we have encountered as glowed with the infectious spirit of joy and love. The Christians stand out like a light in darkness (image that).
We then had communion (after earlier having some great cake that made Brad’s stomach feel badly). We sat in a circle while eating on our bread and drinking our cup of grape juice, spending solitude together, which seems like an odd pair, but I did feel like it was together. We then passed an empty tissue box around to collect the offering that supports the Church and the local minister (which frankly does not happen in other churches in Russia, to be self-supporting is an anomaly).
In both churches non-Christians were invited, which liven the Spirit. It makes people be even more involved in discussion, sharing their life story and sharing the good news and the good life. I wonder if I would have been more involved in Bible studies if I brought a friend I desperately wanted to experience God.
(5 hours gone by)
I just began thinking about the first experience I had leading someone to know who Jesus is. What a feeling! Really nothing to describe it, and that’s what we get to do . . . I’m reflecting on this because we just set up our first individual Bible study with a non-Christian. By the way we decided to leave some people behind in the states so that y’all could do the same with them (about 300 million actually).
As always sorry if our posts are scatterbrained (or just mine) I had forgotten how amazingly difficult it is to put experiences like these into words and how impossible it is too share such great feelings and thoughts.
This place is wonderful, as are all God created. The people are open to and in need of Christ, as all are who have been created that way. The Christians are all in a state of jubilee it seems, as all Christians seem to be who let God invade their hearts and fill them with His Spirit. Please continue to pray for us and for the hearts of those we will come in contact with. Love y’all!
It has been fun trying to keep up with the Russian singing, which by the way is beautiful, I don’t know if it has been those we are around or if everyone sings amazingly well. We are slowly beginning to learn what we are saying as bog is God, eesus is Jesus and so on.
Then one of the members brought a message, by the way our preacher for the morning, Sergei, has been a Christian for just over a year and has an amazing life turnaround story. Every small group/Christian we have encountered as glowed with the infectious spirit of joy and love. The Christians stand out like a light in darkness (image that).
We then had communion (after earlier having some great cake that made Brad’s stomach feel badly). We sat in a circle while eating on our bread and drinking our cup of grape juice, spending solitude together, which seems like an odd pair, but I did feel like it was together. We then passed an empty tissue box around to collect the offering that supports the Church and the local minister (which frankly does not happen in other churches in Russia, to be self-supporting is an anomaly).
In both churches non-Christians were invited, which liven the Spirit. It makes people be even more involved in discussion, sharing their life story and sharing the good news and the good life. I wonder if I would have been more involved in Bible studies if I brought a friend I desperately wanted to experience God.
(5 hours gone by)
I just began thinking about the first experience I had leading someone to know who Jesus is. What a feeling! Really nothing to describe it, and that’s what we get to do . . . I’m reflecting on this because we just set up our first individual Bible study with a non-Christian. By the way we decided to leave some people behind in the states so that y’all could do the same with them (about 300 million actually).
As always sorry if our posts are scatterbrained (or just mine) I had forgotten how amazingly difficult it is to put experiences like these into words and how impossible it is too share such great feelings and thoughts.
This place is wonderful, as are all God created. The people are open to and in need of Christ, as all are who have been created that way. The Christians are all in a state of jubilee it seems, as all Christians seem to be who let God invade their hearts and fill them with His Spirit. Please continue to pray for us and for the hearts of those we will come in contact with. Love y’all!
posted by Heath at 10:02 AM
1 Comments:
Great to hear from you! Tell Sergei hello for me.
As I comment I am using a Russian accent in my head - quite poorly I might add :)
Hope all continues to be a great blessing for you and for the church there in Tomsk! I am looking forward to reading more of what God is doing 12 time zones away!
Much Love,
J
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