Summer Newsletter Now Available

Well, the long-awaited (uh, overdue) family newspaper is now online.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Rosson-Family-Newsletter.html?soid=1101898662382&aid=aBmpQ9YMtso

Impressions from Leadership Conference in Hungary

We have just concluded the leadership conference for our denomination in Central and Eastern Europe. The meeting was held October 7-11, in Hajduszoboszlo, Hungary which is only 30 km from the university town of Debrecen.

This year's conference had three major highlights.

• Our guest speaker was Dr. Fred Garmon, president of "People for Care and Learning". As I have noted in earlier blog posts, Fred and I were in our doctoral program together at Regent. And we have enjoyed each other's friendship over the years. Fred taught on leadership develop - which is his area of specialty - and did a great job.
• Farewell and celebration of the ministry of Dieter and Hildegard Knospe who will retire at the upcoming General Assembly. Besides gifts for the Knospe's, various representatives from our field area spoke words of appreciation on behalf of the entire audience.
• 10-year anniversary of the Church of God in Hungary. Actually the Church of God in Hungary goes all the way back to the 1920s and '30s. However, with the help of the Nazi regime and the war, and the communist government that followed, this initial COG denomination disintegrated. In 1999, a new start began with missionary Csaba Tenkeley and today we have 25 congregations.

This year's conference had its usual share of representatives from Germany, Austia, Norway, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia (including Siberia, too), Ukraine, and Hungary (of course).

AG Church Destroyed in Italian Earthquake

Many of you may have heard about the 6.3 earthquake to rock central Italy early yesterday (Monday) morning. To this hour, about 180 people have been confirmed dead; over 1000 injured, and 50,000 homeless.

Italy is a staunchly Roman Catholic country. So I was quite surprised to learn that a Pentecostal church (Assemblies of God) in L'Aquila was totally damaged through the earthquake. It is too early to tell if any of its members are among the missing/dead. There are still several towns and villages that cannot be reached by automobile and the recovery efforts are still in process.

If you can read German, here is the preliminary report from idea.

Whirlwind Tour in Through Former Yugoslavia

Tom just finished a whirlwind tour through three republics of the former Yugoslavia. These Balkan countries recently came into our administrative area and this was a get-to-know the leaders visit for me, and a good-bye and transition tour for my predecessor. Hosted by my fellow missionary and outgoing education coordinator Vance Massengill, we first spent afternoon in Sr. Mitrovica, Serbia. There we met Miroslav and Blazhenka Radovanovic who were our former students at EBS. Now “Mik” is the national overseer plus the pastor of his own local congregation.

Then we spent a day in Croatia where Tom met with the overseer Josip Jendrico and later spoke at the church in Vincovci which is now pastored by David Hvala. It was the first time that I had visited the church since the civil war in the 1990s that had destroyed their former facility. All around Vincovci we saw several mine fields that we still to be swept clean of the mines.

Finally, we drove over 800 km (500 miles) to Ohrid, Macedonia where Vance awarded several MIP graduates with their certificates. Additionally, three ministers received their exhorters certifications and an additional three pastors their ordination licenses under the supervision of Vance and overseer Pavle Ginoski. Besides the baby dedication of the Overseer's grandchild, Tom was also asked to speak in the morning service. After lunch, we drove back to Croatia. On Monday, Vance brought be back to the airport in Belgrade, Serbia.

Anyone Hungary?

During the second full weekend of February, I had the opportunity to travel to and minister in Hungary. Originally, the plan was for me to travel with two colleagues (Dieter Knospe and Paul Schmigall) to Debrecen and Hajduszoboszlo to map out and plan the upcoming Eastern European/Eurasian Leadership Conference for the fall. But while there, we were asked to be involved in the local ministries there.

As it turned out, Paul Schmidgall fell ill (flu) and cancelled at the last minute. Dieter Knopse drove to Hungary and combined it with ministerial responsibilities in Austria. So I ended up doing most of the speaking and teaching in Debrecen.

So.... after a great Friday of planning with our local organizers (Csaba Tenkeley and Dan Smith). I was asked to teach on Saturday in a training program for gypsy pastors (see picture) -- eventually teaching for almost four hours on leadership and conflict resolution and servant leadership. Later that afternoon, I then spoke at the International Church of God in Debrecen. An English speaking congregation serving the university community led by Dan Smith. On Sunday morning, I spoke at the Hungarian congregation pastored by Daniel Kriszt.

This was one of the few trips in Eastern Europe where my knowlege of German came in really handy. One of my translaters worked better from German into Hungarian (leadership classes), while the church services went from English into Hungarian. But then again, when one remembers the strong bonds between Hungary and Austria, it shouldn't come as a surprise that German is used broadly as a second language there.

Our Winter Newsletter Available

This past weekend we mailed out the electronic version of our quarterly newsletter to our friends and sponsors. Didn't you get one? Then you haven't signed up for the newsletter. (See box below to the right.)

In the meantime, one can download the newsletter at
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs072/1101898662382/archive/1102413762277.html

ETSM: Students Go On Missionary Tour

This report was originally written by our provost in Moscow, Ilya Okhotnikov. Please keep our students in your prayers.

The Seminary in Moscow started this weekend (as of October 10, 2008) a Missionary Week: it is when students are sent in 2s and 3s to different churches of Church of God in Russia and Ukraine to:

1. teach and preach in the churches \ or learn from pastors in the field;
2. get to know the family of Church of God in Eurasia;
3. witness about Jesus and why and what did the Seminary do in their lives, they become the living letters of Christ and the Seminary.

Students will be back in 7-10 days, and we will hear many good things about their missionary travels and ministry in remote places of Russia and Ukraine.

Your prayers are needed for the students and those souls they will minister to!

European/Eurasian Leadership Conference in Ukraine

During the week of September 9-12, I attended the Eastern European / Eurasian Leadership Conference and the Ukrainian Church of God National Assembly, both of which were held held in Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine.

Invited to the Leadership Conference were the overseers and educational leaders of our denominations from most of the countries in the the Church of God is represented - from Germany to Russia.

The Ukrainian National Assembly was also a celebration of its 15th anniversary in the Church of God. The Ukrainian church now has 85 congregations with a membership nearing 10,000. Among the various guest speakers were two of my bosses - Dieter Knospe (Germany) and Douglas Leroy (USA).

Following the conference, we then toured southeastern Ukraine visiting the towns of Donetsk, Mariople and Slavyansk. Our last stop was in Kiev before returning home.

What were my impressions from the trip?

• First of the all, the Ukrainians know how to do music and create a great worship atmosphere.
  
• Second, they did a great job is working out the logistics. They almost put the always organized Germans to shame.
  
• But I couldn't help but to compare building standards with those in Germany - or should I say, I was looking for the comparisons between the two countries.
  
• Fourth, boy am I ever thankful for the good roads we have in the States and Germany. The contour rich roads gave our van/mini-bus a broken rear spring - thus making for a bumpy, slanted ride for hundreds of miles.
• Catching a stomach virus (or digesting foreign food) does not go well with bumpy roads.
  

Passing of a Soldier

Today I received the sad news that Jack Nkandu (pictured left) had passed on to his heavenly reward. He was diagnosed with cancer just one week prior to the General Assembly (in other words, just six weeks ago). I requested prayer for him in an earlier blog.

Jack was one of our students at the EBS in Rudersberg during the late 90's. He was always a mature and deeply spiritual voice in the crowd of young, enthusiastic schoolmates.

Peter Thomas (second from left), who serves as the Field Director for Africa, worked side by side with Jack for many, many years. Below is his tribute to a brother in the Lord.

Dear Friends,

With great sadness in our hearts we want to inform you that our dear friend, brother and colleague Jack Nkandu went to be with the Lord last night at 23:20hrs. While we feel this great loss we are at the same time comforted to know that he has gone to the One to whom he belonged and whom he served with all his heart and life.

Jack has served in his country Zambia in different positions. His time as pastor was marked by a special compassion for widows and orphans. He served the church in Africa as Regional CE-Coordinator for Central Africa and was appointed at this last General Assembly as Regional Superintendent in the same region.

Jack will be remembered for his passion for God, his deep love for his wife and family and for his great love and dedication for God’s Kingdom and His church. His burden for the lost and for the advancement of God’s kingdom was clearly evident to all who knew him. Personally I was blessed many times when I heard him minister and teach under the anointing of God’s Spirit, which was extraordinary. He will remain in our hearts as a true brother, friend and servant of the most high God.

At the time of death his wife, Gift was with him. She informed us that his transition from this life into eternity was very peaceful and without pain. At the moment she is preparing for her return flight back home.

Please remember Jack’s family, his wife Gift and his three sons, Timothy, Isaac & Joshua in your prayers.

May the Lord bless all of you

Peter & Deborah Thomas

August Newsletter is Online

Our latest newsletter is now online and can be downloaded by clicking on the following link. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and print the newsletter.

http://www.cog-europe.de/rosson/August_2008.pdf

Prayer Request: Jack Nkandu

This morning, I received some very discouraging news from our German overseer. Jack Nkandu (pictured to the left) is Education Coordinator for the region of Central Africa and is based out of Zambia. I've known Jack since 1996 when he came to study at EBS here in Rudersberg. At the General Assembly, he is to be appointed as Regional Superintendent for Central Africa.

Jack was passing through Germany on his way to the States later this week. He was not feeling well when he arrived. However, his condition worsened so much that he had to be delivered to the Heidelberg University Hospital where he was immediately placed in ICU.

The shock is the diagnosis: Stage four cancer. I don't know the particulars of the cancer (this is simply the best information I have.

Jack is currently in a coma and is on life-support. Please pray for Jack, his wife and three children.

EBS Alumni Visit Rudersberg

This weekend, I had the privilege of translating an EBS alumnus (the forerunner of the European Theological Seminary). Victor and Nahed Sadek from Egypt were students here in Rudersberg from 1989-1992. Although he is ordained in the Church of God, he works as a chaplain in a German Evangelical hospital in Aswan. And on the weekends he pastors and leads outreaches into minority ethnic areas of Egypt. While in Germany, he visited congregations in Plüderhausen, Allmersbach and Rudersberg. In fact, he particpated in the baptism service in Rudersberg in which his own daughter was baptized.

In his presentation, Victor presented the need of the Nubian people. Just recently they have received the Bible in their own language. Just recently, Victor was able to help the group produce their very first worship song in their native language (and not in Arabic). Ironically, Nubia is a biblical land - for many Christians more commonly known as Cush. Remember - Moses' wife was a Cushite.

It's Official - We Have Our License

The little picture to the right of one sheet of paper has been the occasion for blood, sweat, tears, and lots of prayer. ETSM officially received the licensed on July 14, although the date of validity is May 21, 2008. Thank you for your constant prayers that have helped us navigate the murky waters of Russian bureacracy. Throughout the past year, we have seen time and time again how the Lord gave us divine favor in the eyes of various governmental offices.

Of course, lots of thanks also go to our rector, Dr. Ilya Okhotnikov, who did much of the legwork, and made sure that we had dotted all of our i's and crossed our t's.

With this license, we are now able to publically advertise for the school. But more importantly, it prevents us from being closed down by federal authorities. Already a number of church schools (some purporting to be on a college level) have been closed down and charges have come from the State's Attourney's office. In fact, we had to asked twice for an extention to federal deadlines. But thankfully this threat is behind us.

Sunday in Geislingen

Yesterday, Claudia, the kids and I spent the day in Geislingen (and nearby Süßen) with Pastors Stefan and Debby Oesterling. (I'm sorry for showing only his picture. I forgot the camera and only could find his picture on the web.) I was invited to speak at the church - and it went well except that my PowerPoint was in Russian (I put the wrong file on the stick). It got a little awkward when they wanted to read the Bible text along with me. Afterward we spent the afternoon at their home enjoying pizza and watching the kids (our three and their three) have fun in the sun.

The Church of God in Germany is about 60 years old (unless you count the "unofficial" work during the Nazi war era). Most of our younger pastors in German are bi-vocational. That is to say, they must work a full-time secular job and spend the evenings and weekends for a church that is not able to pay them a salary. Additionally, many of these smaller churches have been around for a while -- they are not new church plants, but churches in need of a turnaround.

This is also the case with Stefan who works as an insurance agent. While in his mid-twenties, he assumed the pastorate from a retiring minister. And although there were some young couples in the church, there was (and still is) a considerable percentage of seniors in the church.

It was refreshing for Claudia and me to see how the church has grown over the years. Stefan has brought in much change in the church over the years. But he'll be the first to tell you that it has been a slow process that has taken place with the help of the Holy Spirit. And they're facing transition since one of their leading young couples (Chris and Lambrini Lindeman) will move to the States in September.

Homosexual Memorial in Germany

Germany, and the rest of Europe for that matter, it its contemporary expression of postmodernism is very much into giving "repressed or supressed" voices of the past a platform for the present. The latest minority group to receive such recognition in the German media is the homosexual community.

What follows below is a news story from Deutsche Welle, the major source of German news outside of Germany. In short, it's a memorial to gays and lesbians who were victims of Hitler's Nazism. While you read the story, pay attention to the tone of the article. It will give you a good picture of the spiritual and moral issues facing the church here.

26.05.2008

Memorial for Gays Persecuted by Nazis Opens in Berlin

German politicians will dedicate a memorial in Berlin this week to the tens of thousands of homosexuals persecuted during the Nazi regime. Gay activists say the memorial is long overdue.

Seventy five years ago Nazis launched a series of raids and public book burnings aimed at homosexuals. It was the start of Adolf Hitler’s crusade against homosexuality which saw an unknown number of gays arrested, tortured and murdered by the Nazis.

The subject of Nazi persecution of homosexuals has long been swept under the carpet. Yet a new memorial which opens Tuesday, May 27 will bring the past persecution and ongoing struggles of homosexuals to be accepted in society to the heart of the German capital.

Showing a forbidden kiss

The homosexual memorial will consist of a grey rectangular block some four meters (13 feet) tall. One side will have a small opening through which viewers will see a black and white art film scene of two men kissing.

"A simple kiss could land you in trouble," says the text which accompanies the memorial.

The memorial was designed by the Danish-Norweigan artistic duo Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset.

The memorial has a prominent place in Berlin's Tiergarten park, half a block from Brandenburg Gate. The monument sits across from the Jewish Holocaust Memorial. Originally it was debated whether homosexuals should be included in the larger memorial before the decision was made to give homosexuals their own monument. But the design corresponds to the Holocaust Memorial's field of steles, a series of concrete blocks of varying sizes.

While the Nazi persecution of the Jews is well known, for many years there was little public acknowledgement of Nazi atrocities towards homosexuals. Estimates put the number of homosexuals arrested by Nazis at about 54,000 with 7,000 being killed in concentration camps.

"It is not easy for a gay man to live in this country and this society. It's important to remember that this society punished homosexuality for 20 years after National Socialism ended," said Günter Dworek of the Federation of Gays and Lesbians in Germany (LSVD), a driving force behind the project.

Gays making strides

Homosexuality remained illegal in Germany until 1969 and was only formally decriminalized in 1994. It wasn't until 2000 that Germany's parliament first passed a resolution acknowledging discrimination had occurred, Dworek said. The decision to fund the memorial, which cost 450,000 euros ($710,000), happened three years later.

The city's current mayor, Social Democrat Klaus Wowereit, announced shortly before taking office seven years ago that he is gay. Wowereit's legendary outing has given many others courage, Dworek said.

"That opened a lot of people's eyes. You cannot simply assume that politicians who already have a career behind them, like Klaus Wowereit, are by nature heterosexual," Dworek said.

Germany also has a law which allows same-sex couples to register their partnerships. Yet many activists would like to see more, including anti-discrimination laws. Neo-Nazi violence is still a very real threat, said Albert Eckert, head of the gay holocaust memorial committee.

"But at last we have a monument to those who suffered and died under the Nazis," Eckert said.

A tribute to Hirschfeld

Eckert said he was also happy that the dedication was close to the birthday and death day of Magnus Hirschfeld, who died in exile in southern France on May 14, 1935.

A Jewish homosexual, Hirschfeld was a medical doctor who dedicated his life to the scientific study of homosexuality and lobbied the German government to repeal laws which outlawed gay sex. The word "transsexual" was coined by Hirschfeld to describe the phenomenon that he argued was a natural extension of human sexuality.

For his work, the Nazis targeted Hirschfeld as an example of decadent Bolshevistic/Jewish influence infecting the purity of the German people, luring the Aryan race into impure and destructive perversity. His institute was ransacked and his books were burned in rallies on May 10, 1933.

It wasn't long before gay men were being rounded up and sent to mental hospitals or concentration camps.

"We have no idea how many thousands died in concentration camps because many were also Jewish or were Communists. We know that many were left in prison after the war when post-war courts upheld the Nazi jail sentences against them," Eckert says. "Anyone who was gay was automatically a criminal. This monument is for all of them."

Making an international statement

The parliament decided on December 12, 2003 to fund the homosexual memorial. It was a nice birthday present for the Green Politician and well-known Gay activist Volker Beck who turned 43 that day.

Beck felt the memorial was especially important because the laws used to prosecute homosexuals continued long after the Nazis had been defeated. And persecution still exists in many countries today, making the memorial as important as ever, Beck said. He cites 80 countries which criminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults and 12 where the death penalty can be handed down.

Beck believes Germany's memorial "sends an important signal that in this country, where in the past (homosexuals) were also systematically persecuted, we now have constructed a symbol against this human rights violation."

But homosexuals are still not fully accepted in society, Beck said. He worries about the refusal of some conservative Christians and Muslims to accept homosexuality. Beck said he doesn't have any problem with the memorial's design, which has come under criticism, particularly from women. The first scene will portray men kissing, but later it will show women.

Dworek said he is "downright happy" with the memorial's design and likes the idea that the kissing scene will switch every two years.

"This will keep the memorial fresh. There is always be something new," Dworek said. "It will be a dynamic memorial."

Licensing Update - Call for Prayer

Thank you for your prayers on behalf of ETSM. We have been working through the bureaucratic challenges appending our legal status as a "religious organization" to that also of an "educational institution."

In March, we submitted all of the paperwork (along with accompanying documents and contracts with various offices/agencies). On March 27, we were notified that our documents have been found in order and received the "Executive Resolution of Federal Service of Supervision in Education and Science" to have one final visit from an expert committee.

The tentative date for the meeting of the expert committee is April 2 - provided we can coordinate everyone's calendar. The expert committee will consist of a representative from (1) the Federal Licensing Bureau - Mr Alexander Gruzkov will chair the meeting, (2) the Department of Education for the City of Moscow - Erina Timchak, (3) a University representative specializing in State-Confessions Relations - Dr. Mikhail Shakhov, (4) a NGO serving society - Elena Polyanskaya, and (5) our religious union (the umbrella organization under which our denomination has its legal home) - Sergei Riakhovsky.

As you can tell from the above paragraph, this will be a very important meeting. We simply ask you to pray for the meeting that takes place on April 2, so that God will grant us favor in the eyes of the committee. Two of the five members are "our people," but the remaining three (the first three mentioned) are not saved and do not favor evangelicals.

"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." Proverbs 21:1

A Pentecostal Church for the Deaf

Last night I ate an evening dessert with Valeriy Gaidachuck and his wife Maria. "Valera" was recently elected to become the next overseer of our church movement in the St. Petersberg region. During our conversation, he mentioned that one of our churches is for the deaf and dumb -- or more precisely stated for the hearing impaired.

On one hand, I find it great that there is a church dedicated to reaching this segment of society. But I couldn't help but to ask how they hold their services. Belonging to a Pentecostal tradition that holds that tongues speech (as described in Acts 2) is the initial evidence of spirit baptism, I couldn't help but wonder how these folks "experience Pentecost."

• Do they speak in unknown tongues? If so, how would they know it?
• What would a good old-fashioned pentecostal prayer sound, uh, look like?
  
• How do they worship corporately?
  
• What role does music play?
  

To make a long story short, the members there are able to use the voices, although it may be quite awkward to our ears. And they depend on an inner confirmation when they have had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. Well... come to think of it....

St. Petersburg, Russia

This week, Ilya and I are attending a five-day conference in St. Petersburg where there are representatives from twelve evangelical Bible schools from the entire former Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine, Moldavia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Lithuania). ETSM is the only Russian Pentecostal school represented at the conference; it happens to be the only school from Moscow, too. The conference is sponsored by Overseas Council International – an interdenominational fellowship that focuses on training leaders around the world.

St. Petersburg is Russia's second largest city, and the fourth largest city in Europe (behind Moscow, London, and Paris). The school that is hosting the conference is located near the Narva Triumphal Gate that celebrated this city's victory over Napolean. I've only been here for about 30 hours, but I already fascinated by the city's history and impressive architecture (which is both Western and Eastern).

As the week progresses, I hope to post more about my stay in the city formerly known as Leningrad.

The Boombox Will Cost 33,000 Rubles

At ETSM, we have entered the spring semester and are looking forward to our graduation ceremonies in May. In the meantime, we must work through the mundane, business-as-usual items that come our way. But life in Moscow is different than in the States. Something happened this week which typifies some of the differences.

Russian law requires all citizens and visitors to register their presence with the local authorities. For example, when traveling to Russia, I must submit my passport (with migration card) within three business days with the local migration card to the "migration office" (which is a division of the police department or department of homeland security).

All of our students who live at the seminary must also register with the local authorities. In the past, ETSM would simply send one representative on Wednesdays (the day reserved for all organizations) to the migration office with all of the paperwork for the students and guests.

However, there was a recent change in the legal procedures that caused us many headaches. We were informed that ETSM would have to stand in the line for "individuals", and not for organizations. The recent changes in leadership of the migration office resulted in difficulties for the Seminary; he simply decided that the Seminary must stand in line like any other person (despite the fact that ETSM is a recognized organization). Standing in line means that at 3:00 AM someone has to go and get into line to apply in the morning hours.

Once our representative tried to come for registration of our students at 7:30 a.m. and he was 58th in line. Before lunch 28 people were able to go through the migration office, Valera had to miss the day. Next day the line repeats all over again.

So... We did some investigative work as to why there was such a drastic measure taken against the seminary. The government office staff explained to us that they can proceed documents of the Seminary for registration with no problems in the future if ETSM would give them a gift. But not just any gift. They specifically would like to have a boombox. Yep, that's right - a ghetto blaster.

We checked into the price of such a gift. The cost of the boom-box is 3,300-3,100 rubles (ca. $120-140 USD), depending on the make and model.

Lest anyone think where giving into bribery - have no fear! There is a Russian law which explains how large a gift can be before it is determined to be a bribe. So we're in safe legal waters. It appears to be an easy way out and an item of "keeping relationship" with the local police (migration service) who do registration for ETSM. And perhaps the Christian CD we include will also have a positive influence.

Meet the Gorbachevs

One of the privileges of working in a Christian ministry is the challenge of fund raising. Not only do Claudia and I live in faith through the support of our donors in the States (please see the side column and complete profile), I often must raise funds for our school in Moscow. So what you see below is from my heart.

Alexei and Tatiana Gorbachev are charter members of the Russian Church of God since 1993. Our denominational leaders quickly recognized their potential and found a way for them to study at our seminary in Cleveland from 1996-1998. Upon their return to Russia, they joined the faculty of the seminary in Moscow (ETSM). Both of them have served not only as exemplary instructors, but also in various functions at the seminary.

Tatiana is a part-time teacher and full-time mother of three. She also supervises our students' ministries. Alexei oversees our computer network and is also our Academic Dean. Additionally, Alexei is leading a church plant that meets in the seminary. While secular opportunities are possible, they have dedicated themselves to work with the Church of God in training pastors and leaders.

The excellence of any seminary is its faculty and its desire for personal and spiritual growth. The Gorbachevs are no exception. Both Tatiana and Alexei began their doctoral studies (the Russian candidat naug) in 2002 at the prestigious Linguistic University of Nizhniy Novgorod on a part-time basis while continuing their duties at ETSM.

Both Alexei and Tatiana are researching in the field spiritual and moral development: Alexei is looking the psychological aspects of spiritual and moral development; Tatiana is looking at the teacher's role in the process. By design, Tatiana will defend this spring (March/April) and Alexei in the summer.

In the last three years, tuition fees at state universities have increased by more than 300%. This comes at a time when Moscow's rate of inflation was 12% at the end of 2007 and the dollar exchange rate against the ruble is at its weakest since 1999 - and our school's budget and salaries are based in dollars. Additionally, Russia's financial and banking infrastructure is still very rudimentary - there is no such thing as student loans.

The Gobachevs must have $4500 before they can defend. This is impossible for them. There is no credit, no system to pay later! Covenant Church of God of Charlottesville, VA (Dr. Harold Bare) and Christwalk Church of Fernandina, FL (Dr. Jim Chamberlain) are both helping with $1,000. We have also collected gifts from several individuals, but we still have a need of about $1500.

We are looking for sponsors who can give $50-$250. If the Lord places the Gorbachevs on your heart, we need your gift by March 1, 2008.

In a very true sense, helping the Gorbachevs means helping the seminary and the Church in Russia.

Can you imagine the power of having two Ph.D.'s added to our seminary staff in Moscow? Believe me when I share with you that this will give our seminary much integrity with government officials and other educational institutions.

Hopefully you can give usa positive answer. Your gifts and donations may go through Church of God World Missions (project name: ETS-Students / Teachers - Gorbachev, project number 710-0072), Keith at 25th Street, NW, Cleveland, Tennessee 37311.