Church planter (Slavic people) Nihznivartovsk, Siberia, Russia

He has planted a small church in the city of Nihznivartovsk, a small city near the Artic circle in Siberia, Russia. It is a very difficult place to work, both physically and spiritually. Along with enduring long brutal winters, they face much opposition from the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian government.

Background Information

The city of Nizhnivartovsk (300,000) was founded only thirty years ago to service the huge oil field that was discovered here in 1960. Vladimir (31) and his wife Oksana (29) were invited here from their home in southern Ukraine by Joseph Bondarenko in 1993. Joseph had led the original river-boat missions to western Siberia in 1991, 1992 and 1993 ( see map). He was now inviting young missionary couples to settle in the region in the eighteen towns where people had been converted to establish them in the faith and to found churches.

When Vladimir came here there were about half a dozen who had responded to the Gospel. He was supported by a German Mission but this only lasted six years. Initially he held evangelistic meetings in the Public Library and the number of converts began to grow. They met in a variety of different locations, renting school halls and classrooms but this came to an end in 1999 when 'sectarians' were barred from meeting in state-owned property. Since then about forty believers have had to meet in each others' apartments in very cramped and uncomfortable conditions. Through the media, Russians have been warned not to attend religious meetings in private apartments because of alleged occult and satanic practices that take place there. This has made it almost impossible to invite outsiders to the meetings. In the last two months they have been able to rent a school hall on a temporary basis. Plots of land for building purposes are extremely expensive.

During this year Vladimir has embraced the Reformed Faith through books and literature that we have sent him. He also visits a small group of believers in the neighbouring town of Izluchinsk twelve miles east of Nizhnivartovsk. When his support failed three years ago he took a job on a construction site but injured his back earlier this year and had to leave it. Since then he has only found temporary work and has survived on this with intermittent gifts from ourselves. He has two daughters aged seven and two months. Since his support ceased three years ago he has received no outside help or encouragement from anyone other than from ourselves during the past year. Having stayed in his home for three days and corresponded with him during the last eighteen months I can recommend him as a sincere and zealous christian worker.

Roger Weil
Hon. Secretary - Slav Lands Christian Fellowship