Received April 24, 2002...

Dear praying friends!

Thank you all so much for your effort and your prayer for us these weeks. The
festival is over, though some locations still show the film till April 28th. In
total over 33000 people saw JESUS film during the two weeks of the festival.
Those of you that have been watching God work in Bragino area of Yaroslavl
would probably like to hear that POBEDA (VICTORY) movie theater was attended by 4400, about 1050 said  yes, they prayed the prayer at the end . All in all 311 returned for questions and answers. This past Sunday 93 people (not counting the church members) came for the meeting, 31 kid and 62 adults. The service has been changed for the sake of those seekers, there was singing and we stood to pray the Lord s prayer. Many sang and prayed along. God is so good! Men were invited for a special meeting Monday night, 9 young fathers came. Do pray as God is working in the hearts of those men.

Thank you all again for lifting our needs to God, and keep praying as we are
facing difficulties with renting the big auditorium of this theater for this
coming Sunday as some popular movie just started and administration would
rather show that than let us use the place.

God bless,

Pastor Slava Pleskach
Victory of Christ church
Yaroslavl

Received April 19, 2002...

Dear saints,

Lord has been so good to us these days and we watched Him do His will. Jesus film festival is coming to its end, and may the Lord our God bless the last days of showings. At most of the theaters Sunday will be the last day to show the movie, but at few locations it will go on until the 28th. Starting day one about 27000 people saw the Jesus film.

At  "our" POBEDA (VICTORY) movie theater God sent us 3770 so far, 930 raised their hands that they prayed at the end of the film, 282 returned for questions and answers meetings. Last Sunday 66 adults and children came for their second meeting. We ask you to pray that all those that seek God would come this Sunday too. Pray that we all as the church here would have wisdom which is of the Lord to meet the needs of those seekers. Let His name be glorified and His will done. And one more special prayer request. The only microphone at this place died last week without the possibility of repairs. We desperately need a new sound system. Help if you have a way.

Thank you all again for you prayer support, and the Lord bless you abundantly.

In Christ,

pastor and missionary Slava Pleskach

Received April 13, 2002...

Dear brothers and sisters,

We appreciate your prayers as we really feel that support and see God working in this city these days. Monday through Friday about 15000 people already came to see the Jesus film at all the 20 locations around Yaroslavl. There are difficulties at some of the theaters you especially want to pray about - administrations of some movie theaters took back their permission to hold questions and answers meetings, the film still goes on but people have no opportunity to come back for more information.

"Victory of Christ" church in Bragino area is also getting really blessed. This theater served by our church had 1890 people who saw the film Mo-Fr, about 200 raised their hands when asked if they prayed the prayer given at the end of the film. Altogether 150 returned for questions and answers nights. We provide this statistics so that you get just as encouraged as we are here. God is at work. We ask you to pray that people would return for further meetings that are scheduled for April 14, 21, 28 and would really seek God.

In Christ,

Pastor and missionary Slava Pleskach

Victory of Christ Church
Yaroslavl

Received April 7, 2002...

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Chapel in North Canton:

Greetings in the Lord! We asked brothers Michael and Jo to bring to you our love and greetings. Thank you for sharing them with us, and all the great help your Chapel is providing for The Bible School in Yaroslavl. You are a blessing to us in the Lord.

We have a few special requests these days for you to pray about. Jesus Film Festival is moving on along and starts Monday (April 8). For two weeks Jesus film will be shown at 20 theatres across our city of 800 thousand people.

Do pray that all the last details work out:

• Invitations (290 thousand of them) are being distributed door to door this week.

• There is resistance from the Orthodox church that made announcement on radio about the festival being Satanic and encouraging people to stay away.

• Pray that evangelical churches are able and ready to accept all those people that come to see the film and are seeking God.

• Pray also that new churches are organized after the festival at the places of showing.
  

In Christ,
Pastors Dmitry and Slava

Click here for Yaroslavl Church

Strategic Bible Institute trip journal

March 21 - April 6, 2002

God's Choice Servants - Pressing on to spread the Gospel

In the Yaroslavl region during 1999 - 2000, SGA-sponsored missionaries Dimitri Levdansky, Vyacheslav Pleskach and Alexander Karlov pursued many ministry opportunities including a major outreach to 10 different cities. With the consent of local authorities evangelism tents were erected for week-long crusades in each city, with four tents in Yaroslavl alone. During these meetings, 64,000 New Testaments were handed out with invitations to come to the evangelistic meetings. These in turn led to weekly Bible studies and children's classes in the same location. The Yaroslavl church has also organized an AWANA club and a Christian soccer team which plays twice a week. The missionaries hold regular weekly meetings for the team and local youth, where they watch Christian films, study the Bible, and have fellowship.

The Yaroslavl region (located near Moscow) is a densely populated zone and the potential for expanded ministry is enormous. The ministry of the church was greatly enhanced last year as their new church building was completed, principally by the substantial help and encouragement of The Chapel in North Canton, Ohio. The congregation rejoiced to be able to hold Easter services in their new church. Final construction touches were completed this past fall and the zealous congregation is now praying for funds to complete the landscaping and parking lot as soon as weather conditions permit. From this mother church, members are praying that the Lord will raise up and send out missionaries to evangelize and establish churches throughout the unreached Yaroslavl and Kostroma regions.

It is difficult in very limited space to adequately convey all that God is doing through the tireless labors of our church planters. Yet even as we praise Him for the wonderful progress, we recognize that there is much more to do. There is still 90 percent of Russia remaining to be reached, and many towns still with absolutely no Gospel witness. Scores of faithful future church planters are waiting and praying for the sponsors they need to help them go. Their churches have set them apart, but utterly lack the resources needed to send them out. Please prayerfully consider how you can help them win their nation for Christ.

Editor's Note: We are thankful to the Lord for Forest Hill Community Church in Collierville, Tennessee, and their sponsorship of Anatoly Bogatov; The Chapel in North Canton, Ohio , for their sponsorship of Dimitri Levdansky and Vyacheslav Pleskach; and Maywood Evangelical Free in Rockford, Illinois, for their sponsorship of Alex Karlov.

	Pastor Vyacheslav ("Slava") Pleskach of Yaroslavl; Alex Yusov, translator with Slavic Gospel Association; and Marybeth Hinds of The Chapel's  Mission Commission are pictured between Sunday services during Pastor Slava's visit to The Chapel in North Canton.
(Click on photo for a larger image)