Russian EP

Nearly 90 Russian-speaking delegates, mainly pastors and preachers, gathered along with Evangelical Press representatives and two key-note speakers — Robert Oliver (London Theological Seminary) and David Magowan (Carey Baptist Church, Reading, UK) — for the 2009 Russian EP conference.

The venue was a conference centre near Moscow during the two physically chilly but spiritually heart-warming days of conference ministry, this early November.

This year the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth set the scene. Dr Oliver spoke on Calvin the person; what we learn from Calvin; and the dangers of distorting Calvin’s teaching (hypercalvinism).

David Magowan expounded the Book of Romans’ teaching on the gospel of God, using the Heidelberg Catechism’s three great themes — grace, guilt and gratitude. All six sessions were followed by searching and perceptive questions from the delegates, which certainly kept our speakers on their toes!

Earlier, Georgi Viazovski (Christ’s Covenant Church, Minsk) had preached the opening conference sermon on John 8:56, ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad’. It was an elevating, Christ-centred message.

The translation and practical arrangements went well and there was an excellent spirit throughout the conference. Russian literature from EP and other Reformed material sold well also.

We heard reports from individual Russian workers, with one particularly moving report from a man who visits Russian prisons to preach the gospel and has witnessed God’s hand on his labours in remarkable ways.

The attendees came from Belarus, Lithuania, Siberia, St Petersburg, Samara, the Russian community in London, and many other places in Russia itself. We returned home rejoicing in what the Lord has been doing among our Russian brethren.
Roger Fay