Izhevsk, Russia Church Celebrates 12 Years

This weekend, the Church of God in Izhevsk celebrates 12th Anniversary of its ministry in Izhevsk, the capital of Udmurtia Republic. As you can see by the previous sentence, the ICOG was among the first generation of churches planted by the Church of God in Russia after the fall of the communist regime.

Most of us Americans have probably never heard of Izhevsk; but it the home region of the AK-47 machine gun. Our provost in Moscow, Ilya Okhotnikov, hails from this region. Representing the seminary, Ilya has gone to his home church for the celebration and he gives this report.

In 1995 I was there in Izhevsk as well as the whole team of 7 men and women and wonderful missionaries of the Church of God: Dr. Jack R. Buskey and Jeanette L. Chesser at the very establishment of the church. The legal incorporation with the government was part of the ministry the Lord allowed me to have there and also I served as Assistant Pastor, Church administrator, translator, home group leader etc.

Some facts and statistics:

• 250 and up to 360 during special events in attendance are currently at the Izhevsk Church of God.
• 2 services during the week with Sunday service.
• 6 branch churches in towns and villages of the Republic (Kilmez church, Sarapul church, S.Zyatsi home group, Lukshudya home group, Izh-zabegalovo home group, Kambarka home group) have been established by the mother church.
• 5 ministers have been trained at Eurasian Seminary in Moscow.
• One branch church already sent their own minister to be trained at Eurasian Seminary in Moscow.

Pastor Peter Ovechkin as well as his first Assistant Albert Shakirov are graduates of the Eurasian Seminary with a Bachelor of Pastoral Ministry degree. The church trains it ministers in a church Bible School and also sent 5 ministers to be trained at the Seminary.

Also the Izhevsk Church of God has 10 ministries of its own that are actively functioning at the church on a regular basis:

1. Youth Ministry (30 members)
2. Children's Ministry (60 children)
3. Men's Ministry (15 members)
4. Home group (7 groups) ministry
5. Prayer Ministry and Co-dependant Ministry
6. Golden Age ministry (for those with rich life experience) 12 strong grand mothers.
7. Drama Ministry with Professional Theater artists (12 members of the church)
8. Social Ministry via a non-profit organization established by the church, called "Spring" fully supported by the church with the annual budget of $4,200.00:
1. Bread and cloths and food distribution to homeless (for 25 people every Sunday, once in 3 months financial support of widows and large families).
1. Rehab center support (financial support).
1. Children's home ministry (camp meetings for kids, assistance to the homes in repairs, financial contributions, assistance to grown up kids in finding employment, housing, etc.)
   
9. Missionary ministry among villages of the Udmurtia Republic (evangelistic outreach teams traveled via 10 villages for the last Spring-Summer 2007).
10. Church Bible School ministry.