Ivan Petrovich Fedotov: Times of Freedom

January 25, 2014 · Adam Bondaruk, Baptists, Victor Belykh, AUCECB, Persecution, Interview, KGB, Books, Unregistered Pentecostals, Nikolay Kotyakov, On Emigration, United Church of Evangelical Christians, Vestibule, Petr Saenko, Pentecostals, Religious Mafia, Slavik Radchuk, Contemporary Persecution, Security Services

Sweet Freedom

Soon after that, our old “friend”, the commissioner for religious affairs and Communist political deputy F. P. Ryabov, showed up—the same man who had terrorized us all those years, knowing full well we were innocent. He came to us and said: “I was a child of my time…” This should be understood to mean that, supposedly, he was not to blame, they forced him. He didn’t have the strength to ask for forgiveness, but we forgive him, so that God may also forgive him when he does ask for it. For death holds sway over everyone, and then comes judgment. But the editor of the district newspaper did have the courage to come to us and ask forgiveness for the slander he had printed, and he received from us a testimony that he was forgiven.

My travels among the churches of Russia resolved many issues, and a year after the supervision was lifted, I went abroad for the first time, to Sweden, at the invitation of the church in the city of Borås, since our churches had become linked in a sister‑church relationship. To let a “criminal” travel abroad meant that great changes had taken place in Russia. The barbed wire of the largest camp was beginning to tear. The confrontation between socialist and capitalist countries had ceased.

The well‑known Christian writer Anatoly Alekseyevich Vlasov, also a former prisoner for the Word of God, describes our stay in hospitable Sweden in his book Out of the Abundance of the Heart (published by Titul, 2000): “I cannot recall without emotion,” Vlasov writes, “the ceremony of presenting the cup from the Maloyaroslavets church to the Borås church. Fedotov moved all the Swedes with his speech. Handing over the cup, he said that the members of the Maloyaroslavets church had decided to name it the Smyrna church. He then read several passages from the Scriptures about the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia: ‘And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.’ … ‘And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you’ (Revelation 2:8‑11; 3:7‑9). ‘If both churches are one, the gates of hell will not prevail against them,’ said Brother Fedotov, handing the cup to Pastor Ekbeck. ‘I desire that thousands and tens of thousands of repentant sinners who come to Jesus Christ may drink from it. But we do not wish for you,’ he continued, ‘that you should drink as much sorrow as we have drunk from the cup of suffering.’ I could not listen to this without tears; many Swedes were also weeping. That says something—the Swedes are a brave people, they do not know how to cry.”

Further on in his book, A. A. Vlasov writes: “Brother Shevchuk handed us over to Brother Särelid, and he took us to the evening service in the city of Sölvesborg. We were warned to be careful in our sermons, because someone from the Russian embassy was present at the service. But we speak the truth and are ready to proclaim it not only on Red Square but also in Stockholm. Answering the question why we do not register, Fedotov gave this illustration: ‘I have a loving wife who remained faithful to me at all times, even when I was in chains. If she had been unfaithful to me, then when I returned I would have rejected her. The Church, the bride of Jesus Christ, waits for His coming, and if we replace His commandments with atheistic regulations—that is, if we compromise our faithfulness—then Christ will not recognise us as His bride and will have the right to reject the church that has been unfaithful to Him. Stalinism has been condemned, but the law on religion has remained Stalinist; it paralyses the activity of the church. Constitutions change, but this law stays in force.’ In Stockholm they asked us whether we would register if a new law on freedom of conscience came out. We replied that the content of the new law was unknown to us, and the future would show what we would undertake. After the meeting they asked me questions; in particular, they asked me to tell them how a day goes in the camp—from reveille to lights‑out. ‘You have read Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s novel One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. For that novel he was awarded the Nobel Prize. If I were to describe all the days of my eighteen‑year imprisonment, and if a prize were given for every single day, the Nobel Foundation would have ceased to exist by now,’ I replied. The Swedes agreed. Returning from the radio station, we found two American Koreans from New York—Wonson Choi and Sang Moon wanted to talk with us. They were interested in the life of Christians in the Soviet Union and in some biblical questions. They confessed that if they had had to live in the USSR, they would not have survived under such conditions, and they asked us to speak more quietly. ‘Fedotov’s loud baritone was too powerful for their tender ears,’ A. A. Vlasov recalls in his book. ‘They received answers to all their questions. And to the Swedes Fedotov said: “Your conspiracy and illegal delivery of spiritual literature to Russia has come to an end; the Russians have occupied the mission and established their own order.” The Swedes smiled, calmed down, and listened to his loud voice, amplified even more by the loudspeakers. Fedotov forgot that he was now a captive of the Swedes. He spoke like a conqueror. Our visit was drawing to a close; I was escorted to the ship, and Fedotov flew home the next day.”

When I returned from that trip to Maloyaroslavets, the commissioner for religious cults, F. P. Ryabov, asked me whether we had seen any beggars there. I replied that I had not seen a single beggar or policeman during a whole month. Then he opened up: “I told them that Fedotov would return to Russia and would not ask for political asylum, which they would certainly have given him there, and that he would not stay there. They told me he would not resist temptation and would be seduced by their wealth, but I told them that he is Russian and will not abandon his community and the work entrusted to him by God, and that work is Russia. I was right.” They wanted to get rid of me, but they miscalculated. I sought glory for God, not a well‑fed life for my flesh. For the sake of that well‑fed life many ministers have left for America, abandoning their flock.

Before my release from the last imprisonment I had a prophetic dream from the Lord about what would happen with the Church, and I was greatly surprised. That dream troubled me for a long time, because what I saw did not correspond either to my ideas about the Church or to biblical canon. I dreamt that I entered some kind of palace or a large cultural centre, and there were people with painted faces, in indecent clothing; some girls were wearing trousers (men’s clothing, as it is now customary for the world to walk) or were half‑naked—and all of them, strangely enough, were believers. They were shouting, “Glory to God!” and applauding, dancing, and singing. In the centre stood a bishop whom I respected. I went up to him, but he did not greet me; then I said to him, “Farewell,” turned around and left. He said after me, “Goodbye.” I answered him, “Goodbye,” and walked on down the corridor of that building. When I entered the next hall, I saw that wrestling mats lay on the floor and two people were wrestling. I am a professional wrestler myself and understand perfectly what is happening. The one on top is gaining the victory; he only needs a small technique to secure it. But before my eyes, the bottom wrestler with some superhuman effort flips him over and ends up on top, and the struggle continues. That happens only in a dream, not in real life. I understood what this scene was saying: what is impossible with men is possible with God…

Upon my return from chains I found division and strife in the brotherhood, just as it was shown in the dream, and I became a witness of that strife. The Kiev episcopate and the Moscow church also split. No one has victory in a divided kingdom, and this division sapped our strength. It was impossible to engage in any other work; everyone was occupied with internecine conflict. Both sides came to me with complaints against each other. But I knew that victory would be on the side of those who seek unity, because the Lord needs only peace, unity, love, and harmony in the fight against Satan, the adversary of Jesus Christ. That is why the apostle Paul wrote: “I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

Historians of the Christians of Evangelical Faith still have to draw the correct conclusion about the true causes of the division within that glorious church, which for sixty years walked the path of persecution and repression and came out victorious. But one of the obvious stumbling blocks that led to the division was the so‑called “Tallinn movement”, which we have already mentioned—the wave of spiritual revival that swept through the churches in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Some bishops, seeing it as an act of God, themselves became its conduits, while others became its critics. For one reason or another, Belykh and the Ukrainian bishops Levchuk, Kaminsky, Yuzhakov, as well as the Moscow bishops Kostyuk and Ryakhovsky, ended up on one side. On the other side—the Asian bishop Egorenkov, the Kiev bishop Ivanov, and the Moscow bishop Razumovsky. Even before my third imprisonment I saw the danger of division in their differences of opinion and repeatedly warned the brothers about it. To prevent division on account of “Tallinn grace” in my own church, as I have already said, I proposed that the brothers hold a fast and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit. After a seven‑day fast, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon our church no less than in Tallinn, and many experienced its fresh, healing, and renewing manifestation. We then offered this blessing in Belorussia and other places. At that time no one could say that our brothers had “Tallinn grace”. But by 1982 the division had nevertheless occurred.

By the early 1990s the Pentecostal movement in the former Soviet Union had divided into three branches:

churches united in a registered union under the leadership of R. Bilas;
the brotherhood of Christians of Evangelical Faith under the leadership of V. Belykh and I. Levchuk, who wished to legalise the churches’ ministry;
the brotherhood of Christians of Evangelical Faith under the leadership of I. P. Fedotov, P. S. Egorenkov, and M. I. Ivanov, who considered that the Church of Christ cannot be a legal entity like an earthly organisation, i.e., to register. All three branches of one movement stemmed from one root, originating in the Voronezh Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith, but they differed in their attitude toward the legalisation of the church in the state under conditions of democratic freedoms.

It was not easy to unite the divided churches, because the brothers had ceased to understand one another. In 1988, in the town of Khotkovo in the Moscow region, the first congress was convened of the unregistered brotherhood of Christians of Evangelical Faith under my leadership. About 120 ministers from Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Belorussia attended. That same year a second congress took place in Maloyaroslavets. We did not yet have our own prayer house and met in a tent or in private homes. Even more ministers came to the congress; interest in unification was growing, but the brothers had not yet found full mutual understanding. Then I resorted to the tried weapon of spiritual warfare: fasting and prayer, for the work of unification, difficult for me, is not difficult for God. He Himself, by His teaching, unites His children. Brothers in whose hearts God had sent a spirit of reconciliation began to join me in my vigils and fasts, and I was no longer alone. And in response to our prayers, God sent help from where we had not expected it.

By that time the USSR had collapsed; each union republic had become independent; the iron curtain erected by Stalin had fallen. Now brothers from the USA and Western Europe could freely come to us, and at the Moscow conference, which took place at the Izmailovo hotel, under the leadership of the American bishop Lamar West of the “Church of God,” with the support of all of us who were striving, a full reconciliation of the churches took place. Though not immediately, and not without pains, the Lord made peace and united the brothers. There were about 1,000 delegates in the hall, who had come from different countries and became witnesses of this reconciliation. Viktor Ivanovich Belykh, an experienced strategist in matters of the working of the Holy Spirit, quickly grasped the situation and correctly understood the will of the Holy Spirit, who prompted him to invite me and the brother‑bishops to a small room to resolve the issue. After praying to the Lord, he asked my forgiveness, first personally and then on behalf of the brothers on his side. Having been a prisoner himself, he understood as nobody else the price I had paid for refusing registration. I joyfully and in submission to Jesus Christ accepted that repentance, saying:

During a sermon at an evangelisation in Cherepovets “May Jesus forgive you, and I forgive you!”

We went out into the hall where the conference was waiting for us, lifted the cup of reconciliation, and offered a thanksgiving prayer of peace, love, and our full mutual understanding. Here is what is written about this event in a historical document of 16 May 1992: “In Moscow, during the pastors’ seminar held under the leadership of the European coordinator of the ‘Church of God,’ C. Richardson, a closed meeting took place between the episcopate under the leadership of V. I. Belykh and the episcopate under the leadership of I. P. Fedotov. During the meeting V. I. Belykh repented before I. P. Fedotov for the injustice done to him, because his leadership on the territory of Russia had been rejected—owing to his disagreement to accept the division of the Kiev episcopate and to come under the leadership of V. I. Belykh and I. A. Levchuk. V. I. Belykh proposed that I. P. Fedotov should head, together with him, the work of leading the unregistered brotherhood on the territory of the former USSR.” God heard our prayers and answered them.

Meanwhile, a wave of Christian services swept across the whole of Russia. Congregations held services in cultural centres, clubs, schools, institutes, and other educational establishments, as well as in squares, parks, public gardens, and even on dance floors. Foreign churches also joined these services—former Russian citizens who had moved to Germany and the USA and now wished to preach the Good News in their former homeland.

In this book I will give attention to my dear Maloyaroslavets church, for the founding of which I had to suffer much. I will write about it because it is my flesh and blood and the dearest thing to me. The ministry that I began here practically from scratch—more precisely, from three Christian families living in the town—grew. And now we not only held services in our town, but also went out to other towns. Despite my busy schedule, I found time and took an active part in this work. By that time we already had a numerous and spiritually strong church; we had a choir directed by Natalya Karepanova, and a Sunday school, for which we also had to suffer. Christian literature, which once had been a great scarcity and had to be copied by hand, we now had in sufficient quantity, and we distributed it to all who wanted it. In the photograph you can see the children who were brought to the Lord and whom the Sunday school teachers brought up. Now the choir directors are teaching them the art of singing. My book covers only three services: in the cultural centre, in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kaluga region, and in the Saratov prison. In reality there were many more such services, including evangelisations in military units and hospitals. They still go on today. When I conducted the service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kaluga region, I simply told the employees about God, about the Good News. “Today we stand not before criminals, but before those people who bear dignity and an anointing in their inner being and in their conscience. These people, the guardians of our state, protect us from the criminal world that exists in every country. Not only the Soviet Union, but also other countries that I have visited—the USA, Sweden, the Netherlands—are also filled with a measure of iniquity: crime, drug addiction, alcoholism. I did not see the destitute, the hungry, or the naked there, for it is a civilised world, yet they too struggle with crime.” I told the servants of justice about my life simply and without reproach, and they listened to me attentively. Moreover, my last two convictions had come from there, but I held no grudge against these people, and they felt it. To be a true guardian of the law is one thing; to trade one’s conscience is another. One investigator does not compromise with his conscience, and his case is taken away from him—such a one finds favour with God. Another investigator prepares false testimonies, not worrying at all about anything except his own career. And such a one will end up in hell unless he repents. In my life there have been both.

Soon afterwards I made a trip to the Saratov prison. Yes, precisely so, for the doors of prisons and camps were opened to the message of Jesus Christ. A strange thing happens: in these prisons I had sat because I dared to teach the people and the children the truths of the teaching of Jesus Christ, and now I preach here! And hundreds of criminals repent of their sins—and then where? So we created a rehabilitation centre in Maloyaroslavets, but that will be a special story a little further on.

In 1994 our church no longer fit for worship in private homes. We saw two ways to resolve this issue: as before, dividing the church into groups, which complicated its leadership, or building a prayer house in Maloyaroslavets. Under the Communist dictatorship this had been impossible, but the democratic system opened up wonderful prospects before us. When building any kind of enterprise or industrial complex, the government usually allocates a financial budget. But what could we use as the foundation for our prayer‑house construction, without having our own foundation capital? After all, our church was not registered. And so we placed our faith, our trust in God, as the foundation of our financial budget. We said to Him: “Lord, we have no money to build this house, but You have it, in Your heavenly bank. We wish to gather all together, for Your Church is indivisible. We ask You, give us from Your heavenly storehouses the means to erect this building for Your glory!” After that prayer, earth works began at the address 3/6 Zelyonaya Street. We worked with our own hands. All the neighbours knew what kind of construction was going on at that spot. And then one day an unknown little boy came up to us, apparently the son of some of our neighbours. He stretched out his little hand and gave us four roubles. “Take it,” he said, “this will be my little brick in this house of prayer!” Yes, back then one brick cost exactly four roubles! This was the answer to our prayer; the windows of the heavenly bank were opened! In addition to donations from the members of our church, funds also began to come in from other churches. The construction was supervised by Bishop Alexander Ivanovich Kalugin and presbyter Vasily Ivanovich Shchogolev. And it was all the believers who built this building—everyone helped as they could: brothers, sisters, and even children. The bricklaying was done by professional masons—Yuri Fesenko and Sergei Sutyagin. And those who had no building skills became assistants. We needed to finish the building, but the money ran out. Yet God has no unfinished projects. An American, John Kim, found out about our problem and contributed the money needed to complete the construction. God does not divide His children by nationality, citizenship, or race. God divides all people only into two categories: sinners and forgiven sinners, whom He has sanctified and called His children. In one year we built the church, and John Kim was a guest of honour at its opening.

I especially want to mention Gennady Ivanovich Dolbin, the first chairman of the mission in Maloyaroslavets, who supervised the church construction and also watched over me personally. “Your eyes, Ivan Petrovich, were always red and weary,” he said one day. “I guessed that you prayed much about this. In my heart a desire was born—to do something similar for the Lord! And together with my wife Marina and Anatoly, who went through the Maloyaroslavets rehabilitation centre, we began to feed the destitute at the railway stations in Moscow and to gather abandoned children.” He took this ministry close to his heart, and it became the inspiration for his further labour when he decided to build an orphanage. A little later, he obtained land in the Yaroslavl region and opened a rehabilitation centre for children and drug‑dependent parents. This centre is organised after the pattern of the Maloyaroslavets rehabilitation centre; it has a farm where they raise cows, pigs, and sheep. Vegetables are cultivated in the field: potatoes, beets, cabbage, etc. All of this is intended for the needs of the rehabilitation centre, whose members become accustomed to industriousness and acquire necessary skills in animal husbandry and field work. Most importantly, they are delivered from drug addiction and thank God, who, without the intervention of doctors, makes them healthy. G. I. Dolbin also supports the Maloyaroslavets rehabilitation centre. At present he serves as a presbyter in the church. In the Moscow region, Gennady built a home for children who are often orphans even with living parents, as well as for full orphans, who live and study there. When the Queen of Sweden learned about this, she wished to see the orphanage with her own eyes. And she came to its opening! Care for children touched her heart. She knew that many homeless children had appeared on the streets of Moscow. Let historians reason about the causes of this phenomenon, but we all will have to rid ourselves of the legacy left by the Communist Party—drug addiction, alcoholism, and vagrancy.

In the Maloyaroslavets church we have spacious rooms for classes with children, in particular for Sunday school, for the creation of which Vladimir Murashkin and I served five years each in camps. Currently the Sunday school is directed by Larisa Pisarevskaya and her deputy Nadezhda Selyakova. Both hold diplomas entitling them to teach Christian subjects. But they cannot do without helpers, and young sisters actively participate in this work. Moreover, a private evangelical general education school has been established—so far, probably, the only one in Russia. On 21 August 2002 it was legally registered with the local justice department. Graduate Christian teachers who have come from various towns teach the children exact sciences and humanities. Previously, children were taken away from us; now there are many who wish to send their children to our school. Unfortunately, the capacity of this school, like any other, is limited. “The hardest part is already behind us; it is even hard to believe, but we have overcome it,” says the school’s principal, Yanina Zaitseva. Volunteer teachers work at the school. This means that for them salary is not in the first place, as is often the case in other schools and gymnasiums in Russia. In our school the main thing is enthusiasm and inspiration from God. I will name just a few of the teachers: Lyubov Ilyinichna Nelkan came from Evensk in the Magadan Territory; Lyudmila Evgenyevna Khokhulina from Sarov; Inna Vladimirovna Spirina from Novosibirsk; Svetlana Galgatovna Sarimova from Bugulma (Tatarstan); Olga Alexandrovna Spiridonova from Barnaul; Svetlana Evgenyevna Volnakh from Rubtsovsk; Tatyana Alexeyevna Vasina from Kremenki; and Elena Yuryevna Smirnova, Vera Vasilyevna Kharchenko, Anastasia Vitalyevna Mishakina, and Yulia Vladimirovna Kalashnikova—local ones, from Maloyaroslavets.

Our curriculum is the same as in an ordinary school, but in our instruction there is more order and discipline, higher demands on the pupils, and therefore the quality of education is significantly better, as the commission from the public education department acknowledged. Responsibility for meals in the canteen is borne by the deaconess Lyubov Zhuravleva and a group of sisters who have voluntarily taken on this labour. And it is a very great labour. On average about ten weddings take place during a year, and at every wedding the whole church is present together with the children. In addition, the patients of the rehabilitation centre and three classes of the general education school eat daily in the canteen. Sometimes outsiders come into the canteen—the poor, the homeless—and we feed such people too. And if they seek God, they find Him here, and then their lives change dramatically. They become cultured people, washed from dirt outwardly and from sin inwardly. But if some of them want to use our charity for their own selfish ends, then such are forced to leave us. Then they are fed by the one they serve; they go and search for scraps at rubbish dumps, but, probably, that suits them; that is how they want to live.

During the collapse of the Communist empire, in a period of chaos and confusion, we bought a ruined and looted enterprise—the Russian Gift factory, with its numerous debts. Previously, wooden pictures made of various species of wood were produced here, but the factory went bankrupt. On 10 November 1999 we completed all the necessary documentation. But we kept the name of the old company. Our aim was to create a rehabilitation centre here. We replaced the roof and began to restore the heating system. I will not describe how many working hours and financial resources the church poured into it—a very great many! The roof no longer leaks; the main repair work has been carried out; we also paid off the debts left to us as a legacy by the former owners. Now the Kaluga regional charitable public organisation “Resurrection” is located here. In fact, the rehabilitation centre began to exist in 1989, when two ex‑convicts who had been released and did not know how and where to start a new life settled in my little shed. After we built the prayer house, eight former convicts were already living there. At present more than 25 people live and work at the Russian Gift factory.

This was in 2003. A teacher of the children’s Sunday school was taking the children for a walk. Little Andryusha saw his big friend Ivan Petrovich in a circle of people he did not know. This was the same Uncle Vanya who had once, completely without hurting him, taken him by the ear when the boy, acting up, had run full tilt into him, and who later had given him a tasty sweet as a reward for obedience. Let all the children see what kind of friend he has! Andryusha broke away from the group of Sunday school children, ran up to me, the bishop over all the CIS, Russia, and the Baltic states, stretched out his little hand, and said: “I greet you, Ivan Petrovich!”—though only the word “Ivan” came out clearly; he will work on the rest later. I interrupted my conversation, bent down to the boy, shook his little hand, and said: “I greet you, Andryusha! How are your affairs?” The interpreter simultaneously translated our conversation into Swedish for the journalists and photojournalists who had specially come thousands of kilometres from another country to Maloyaroslavets to see with their own eyes the work of the rehabilitation centre, to interview here, shoot a film, and write about this centre in a Swedish newspaper. “Fine!” answered the little lad, still unable to pronounce the letter “r,” and ran off to catch up with his teacher.

Now I would like to dwell in more detail on the work of the rehabilitation centre. It is impossible to tell about its patients more truthfully and better than they will do it themselves. Therefore, I give here a translation of a feature that was published in a Swedish newspaper.

If the sun fell to the earth, that would not be a miracle. The miracle is that Jesus snatched us from the devil!

From Moscow to Maloyaroslavets (Kaluga Region, Russia) is just a stone’s throw. Did the authorities, when they exiled Ivan Fedotov from Moscow as a “malicious lawbreaker” (for preaching the Gospel), think that by this exile God was blessing the little town? More than ten years have passed. In that time a strong church of Evangelical Christian Faith has grown here, and the Maloyaroslavets center “Voskresenie” (Resurrection) will soon mark its tenth anniversary. The name is fitting, for people are rising from the dead at the center. And
The Rehabilitation Center for alcoholics and drug addicts that operates at the HVE church in Maloyaroslavets. A place of rebirth to new life for people with broken destinies—and this is no exaggeration, but facts. Over a hundred people have already been raised to life here!
The emergence of the addiction treatment center at the church was as natural as healings through prayer (where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom). The Lord sets free from drug and alcohol addiction those who repent, prompting the church to pray and care for perishing people rejected by society. The backbone of the new community was made up of those healed from drug addiction. Their testimonies about God’s miracle were like living water. The center grew and strengthened, and obtained legal status. The authorities also came to recognize its effectiveness. There was a case, and not just one, when police officers brought a half-dead drug addict to the center: “Pray over him, save him… It’s heartbreaking, he’ll die, he’s so young…” They brought him because experience had taught them that he would be saved here.
So, from Moscow to Maloyaroslavets is just a stone’s throw, to this town so dear to my heart, where they prayed fervently for me and for my healing. We arrived just as a prayer meeting was beginning. We are Valentin and Larisa Kazerskie, cameraman Jani Ilola (that is, the HSR‑TV television crew), and singer Viktor Klimenko. We were warmly welcomed. I remember Maloyaroslavets as a divine feast!
And so that you, dear reader, will believe me, I will share just a small part of what I heard, and you will understand why my heart rejoiced so much for the saved—because this is God’s miracle! Believe the facts.

Just the Facts

Misha, 33 years old. Addiction history — over seven years, treated seven times in drug treatment hospitals, obtained freedom only here. Stanislav from the Far East, from a well-off officer’s family. Addiction history — 15 years. Many times he tried treatment, but… His parents, utterly worn out, gave up on him. He lived like a vagabond on the street and sank to a severe case of hepatitis. Doctors said: “Your days are numbered.” A random person told him about Maloyaroslavets. He came. Saved. Vyacheslav from Kaluga, lately also living on the street. An orphan, his mother died from vodka. He heard about this center — thank God, alive and well. Vitaly from Voronezh. Treated many times in hospitals, stole to buy drugs. A friend brought him to the center because he himself had found freedom here.

Alexey from Borisoglebsk, 22 years old. A kind person brought him to the center. His parents, seeing God’s miracle of saving their son, also came to believe in Jesus Christ. Now Alexey is healthy, has a wife and a child. Oleg, also from Borisoglebsk, 19 years old. He got into drugs at 15. “Ivan Petrovich is like a real father to me, he accepted me here, I thank him and also — God!” he says.

Andrey from Bryansk region: “My brother and I made drugs ourselves, and we also poisoned ourselves with gasoline. I don’t know how I survived. I tried treatment, paid big money, but I got free of addiction only here. Glory to God!” Sergey from Kazakhstan, got into drugs from school. He stole, robbed, hijacked cars, etc. “What I experienced I wouldn’t wish on an enemy,” he says. “I hit rock bottom: no home, no family, no health. I accidentally heard that there is Jesus and He can help me. God brought me to this center. Here I truly rose from the dead.”

Evgeny from Bryansk, wandered, lived anyhow, but thought he was living normally. He had money, a car, but shot it all up. Epilepsy began, he went as far as clinical death. But though dying, he did not die. His mother brought him to the center, and Jesus cleansed him. “Now I live and rejoice, I found a fiancée. God gave me a good girl, I proposed three times, and only on the third time she agreed,” he admits. “So the wedding is ahead! People say: where is God? where is the miracle? But isn’t the fact that we are alive a miracle?! If the sun fell to the earth — that’s not a miracle. But that Jesus snatched us from the devil — that’s a miracle! My acquaintance paid 5,000 dollars to be freed from drugs, but they only made him a cripple, and the craving for drugs remained. But I, by God’s mercy, received here more than I ever had — I received happiness, I have God in my heart.”

Alexander from Kyrgyzstan, a former Komsomol worker, communist. Once he fought against religion, broke up prayer meetings. His mother was a believer, and he argued with his mother all his life. But once, already during perestroika, he gave in and went to a prayer meeting — to see, to listen. He believed through prayer. When 400 people prayed for him, he began to shake and tears flowed, and all his sins came to mind. God showed His power! Alexander quit drinking, smoking. The Lord cleansed him from everything. Now he helps others.

The testimonies of former drug addicts would not be complete without the truly precious testimonies of the girls. It is known that drugs, like alcohol, are most dangerous for women. Before my very eyes, a beautiful young woman came seeking admission to the center, but she was all black from beatings. Bishop Ivan Petrovich Fedotov of the Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith spoke with her.

“Ivan Petrovich, take me into the center, I will die…” “What happened to you, Natasha? Did I not tell you that this man would deceive you?” “You were right. But he swore his love to me… He cried so much that I left with him. At first everything was rosy, but then again: drugs, scandals, he kicked me…” Natasha comes from a good, intelligent family. But friends drew her into drugs. She was treated. The Lord set her free. Then her beloved persuaded her to leave, promised a paradise life without God. “We will certainly accept you, Natasha. I hope you now know the price of fine words.” “Thank you, Ivan Petrovich.”

Kristina tried to commit suicide: drugs and nothing more. First she hanged herself, but the rope broke. The second attempt was truly lethal — she cut her veins in a deserted place. But, bleeding out, she was accidentally discovered at five in the morning by a passing young woman who called an ambulance. “I was almost a bloodless corpse. God only knows why I survived,” she sighs. However, rescued by doctors, as soon as she came to, Kristina fled from the hospital: she could not live without drugs. And soon she had an accident — a spinal injury.

Kristina’s mother brought her to the center. And the Lord restored her daughter alive and healthy. “I grew up as an only child, but here the Lord gave me so many sisters and brothers. This is amazing happiness!” she says. Svetlana sat and held Kristina’s hand, and tears streamed down her cheeks. The girls became close friends here — kindred souls. Svetlana’s mother also brought her to the center. From drug use, all her internal organs were poisoned: liver and kidneys diseased, eyesight deteriorated, but Jesus completely healed Svetlana, even her vision returned and glasses were no longer needed.

The Lord gifted her with love, sent a fiancé, a good believing young man. He came to the center as a minister, to gain experience so that in his own small town, in his church, he could establish a similar center, and here he saw and fell in love with Svetlana. “Come to my wedding,” Svetlana invites. “I am so grateful to God! Here in Maloyaroslavets is an island of love and salvation. Here we change, become whole people, begin to respect those around us, value people and ourselves as well, as God’s children, here we learn even something as simple as ordinary work, for drug addicts are incapable of working. But here diligence comes, chastity is restored.”

Indeed, drug addicts, like little children, must be taught everything, their ability to work must be restored: they work in the fields growing vegetables, they make children’s furniture and panels for building construction.

Dear reader, I have told you only a part of what I heard, only brief facts, the testimonies of the drug addicts themselves. But if I were to give all the accounts, and add to this the stories of the ministers who care for the seriously ill (and drug addiction is a most severe disease), of those who must have much meekness, willpower, and patience — I speak of Alexander Fastovshchuk, Vyacheslav Lavrov, Sergey Melnikov — then all the pages of a newspaper would likely not suffice. I remember how at the Sunday service Viktor Klimenko sang, I rejoiced and wept, hearts melted.

And a blue-eyed, short young man, a former drug addict, came forward in repentance. He said he wanted to become a member of the Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, thanked the Lord. And I thank the Lord for these saved people at the “Resurrection” center! I also want to thank all who help the center, especially the Swedish mission “Light in the East” and brother Raul Lehtinen. May the Lord bless all who are not indifferent, all who labor for the salvation of the perishing!

Editor HSR-TV Larisa KAZERSKAYA

«…And their iniquities I will remember no more…»

And now I want to tell you about two companions — Palmir Peshkov and Yevgeny Nikulichev, who founded the joint venture “Service M.”

Palmir Peshkov was born in 1968. He lived as he pleased, and he pleased many things, especially drugs. He started using them at 17. He served three prison terms — in Absheronsk, Krasnodar region — wiping a total of six years out of his life.

“I repented in the camp in 1996, in a prayer room,” Palmir Peshkov recounts. “One person gave me a Bible and said I needed it. He told me about the rehabilitation center in Maloyaroslavets. But then I was sent onward to Komi, and only after my release was I able to get to Maloyaroslavets.”

His life took a completely different course. After spending some time in Maloyaroslavets, he was accepted as a church member. God also looked out for a bride for him — Iva Sergeyeva, a meek, sensible girl who became his wife and co-worker.

“I am very grateful to Ivan Petrovich for everything he did for me; I cannot find words to express my gratitude to the Lord, who opened His truths to me and granted salvation. And the church taught us to live according to Christ, to do the works of God.”

Palmir Peshkov opened a small enterprise in Maloyaroslavets — “Service M,” which provides auto repair and metal fabrication. The church saw his zeal in virtue and his generosity toward those in need. The “Service M” enterprise donates one-third of its profit through the church. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master’” (Matthew 25:21). And so it happened.

Alexander Fastovshchuk, who had been overseeing the establishment of the “Russian Gift” factory after it came into Christian hands, fell ill. For this reason, Palmir Peshkov was seen as the new director. The firm expanded its activities; new workers were needed. Anatoly and Yulia Ryabikovy, who had come through the rehabilitation center, were hired. Sergey and Nadezhda Kovalchuk also work here.

You have already met Yevgeny from Bryansk in the article from the Swedish newspaper quoted above. You know how he lived and how he came to the center. He is the one who proposed to his bride three times, and now they have three children. Now they are building a big house because they want to have many children. A big house and a good car — that is the face of a true businessman. Christians do not wear gold chains around their necks. And their children are a reward from the Lord. Zhenya now sincerely witnesses to everyone about himself, about how he was perishing and how the Lord saved him.

The same Swedish newspaper wrote about Kristina. Years passed, and as it is written, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds, and I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more” (Hebrews 10:16-17). So we also do not remember the former Kristina. God forgave her and blotted out all her sins from her life. The former Kristina is no more, and therefore there is no talk of her. But there is a new Kristina, married to Yuri Stanaev. Now she is a wife and mother of two children, Sasha and Inna.

“We already have our own home,” says Kristina. “And although our rooms are very small, we hope that as our family grows, our apartment will expand too. God completely changed my life, and it began in the rehabilitation center that Ivan Petrovich created. May the Lord God reward him!”

The Swedish newspaper also wrote about Svetlana Zakhurko. She is the one who held Kristina by the hands. The girl took heavy drugs for seven years. As if there are light drugs! She has the very best memories of the rehabilitation center:

“This was the turning point in my life. I remember everything, even though many years have passed. Glory to the Lord for this wonderful center! Now I have a completely different life.”

After leaving the rehabilitation center, on June 17, 2001, Svetlana married a beloved, believing man — Andrey Leonov. Today Svetlana is happy; they already have three sons. “What we have now, and what was then, is light and darkness, and God’s light has prevailed! Glory to the Lord!”

I also want to write in this book about Vladimir Egorov, who is now 52 years old. He came to our rehabilitation center from St. Petersburg in 1999.

“I was tired of living that way,” he admitted to me, “tired of being a drug addict, tired of vagrancy — there is a limit to everything. After all, I was already almost forty-five. I wanted to go anywhere, just to change my life, even to a monastery! But you can’t run away from yourself. One day I heard there was a rehabilitation center in Maloyaroslavets, so I came here.”

He was received well. This no-longer-young man truly wanted to change his life, but how? Who would help him? And God helped him. We only pointed him in the right direction, and they met — God and Volodya.

“God, take me,” Volodya begged, “take my life, I am tired of living this way and I cannot go on! Forgive me…”

And God not only forgave him, but also took care of him further, granting him a faithful life companion — his wife Lena. And on February 19, 2006, I ordained him as a deacon, and he was confirmed by God. Now Brother Vladimir works as a superintendent at the factory attached to the rehabilitation center. I have never heard him raise his voice or make a scene with a person who has done wrong. After all, not everyone has the strength to give up drugs in a single day. He himself went through this school and understands the sinners who repent for their broken lives. Shouting won’t help here, only sympathy and compassion. Being a living example here is the best sermon for those who have taken the path of correction.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, we received 35 families from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, helping them with housing, registration, and employment. Much has already been written about this in various magazines. In my book, I want to highlight just one family — the Melnikovs.

Sergey Nikolayevich Melnikov, born in 1964, served as a church presbyter in Uzbekistan, in Fergana. Soon, an intolerant atmosphere developed there for the Russian-speaking population. Believers could be attacked and killed. But it is written in the Gospel: “…And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. For truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 10:22-23).

“What do you have, Seryozha,” I asked him over the phone, “what means for the move and for living?”

“I have nothing,” he answered, “only faith.”

“Well, if you have faith in your blessing, then come,” I replied.

And so, with his children in a car, over mountain roads, despite the danger of attack, he left Uzbekistan and arrived in Maloyaroslavets. It was in the year 2000. As soon as he arrived, he immediately became involved in the work of our church. He and deacon Vyacheslav Petrovich Lavrov from Kazakhstan became mentors at the rehabilitation center. At present, V.P. Lavrov serves as a church presbyter.

And Sergey Melnikov, his wife Natasha, and ten children settled into a small, old house. After a while, new walls began to be erected around this house, a roof was put on, and then, through the windows and doors, the old house was thrown out, having served its last service.

As is known, the labor of a church member who has relocated in agreement with the brotherhood is not lifted. And Sergey Melnikov became the presbyter of the local church. Currently, he is also the responsible mentor for the rehabilitation center members. Now Sergey and Natalia Melnikov already have fourteen children.

In our country, there are quite a few government rehabilitation centers, but from the standpoint of official medicine, a cure for drug addiction is practically impossible. The method of treating patients at the “Resurrection” rehabilitation center, established by the church in Maloyaroslavets, is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, which is living and active. Of the 60-70 people who pass through the rehabilitation center each year, virtually all are set free from drugs and alcohol. Many of them turn to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and, as they depart from us, seek out a local church. And those who remain here — and there are quite a few — receive water baptism and become members of our church.

Such a one came to us on March 2, 2004 — Sergey Kovalchuk (see photo), and him, too, the Lord Jesus Christ transformed. He not only freed him from addiction but changed his entire life. And established him here as a groom, husband, and father. The Lord helped Sergey and Nadezhda build their own house and gave them work at the factory. Sergey works as a manager, and his wife as an accountant. And in another photo, you see a new person, clothed and in his right mind in Christ! This is the wedding of Seryozha and Nadya.

Yury Labutkin came to us on March 9, 2004, from Bugulma (Republic of Tatarstan). He had served twelve years for his crimes and was a drug addict the whole time, which made him a doomed man. A former friend, Volodya, with whom he had once worked, told him about our rehabilitation center.

In eleven months, Yury completed rehabilitation, believed in Jesus Christ, and became a church member. He dreamed of having a family and prayed to God about it, asking Him to send him a life companion. And the Lord answered his prayers: Svetlana Tonkikh became Yury’s wife — a woman whose husband had left her because of her faithfulness to the Lord. Her former husband cast off all responsibilities and difficulties in raising the children; he abandoned Svetlana. But the Lord is faithful and does not forsake the faithful. Yura extended his hand to her and offered a shared path, help in raising her four children. They were united in the church, and later bound by the birth of a child together. They are happy!

Alexey Milyokhin came to us from Voronezh on January 10, 2004. He came to the center from a higher educational institution that he could not complete because of drug addiction. Being in a depressed state, he planned to commit suicide. But, hearing among addicts about the rehabilitation center, he left them and came to us. As he went through rehabilitation, he placed himself in the hands of Christ, was baptized by faith in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, having upon himself the seal of the Holy Spirit. It should be noted that all who come to the rehabilitation center and believe, the Lord baptizes with the Holy Spirit with the sign of other tongues. Later, Alexey chose a girl from a believing family, and they entered into marriage.

“The Gideons” and the Shafurin Family

Members of our church actively participate in the work of the international mission “The Gideons.” This is a Christian fellowship of businesspeople, scientists, and professionals from more than 170 countries of the world who have dedicated themselves to serving God and developing connections between Christians of different nationalities. The main task of the mission is the widespread distribution of the Good News, so that every person may have the opportunity to know and confess the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. The Gideons and their helpers — believers from various evangelical churches — have already distributed more than a billion copies of the Bible and the New Testament throughout the world.
Previously, the presidents of the Kaluga region of The Gideons mission were Evangelical Christian-Baptists. We took over the baton from them, and the first president in our city, in the denomination of Evangelical Faith Christians, was Aleksey Dmitrievich Kashcheev, helped by his wife Natalia. The president is elected for a term of two years, and if his work is good, his term is extended for another two years. Aleksey worked from 1996 to 1999. The New Testament was distributed in schools, hospitals, military units, prisons, and hotels; anyone who wished could receive it free of charge. In Kaluga Oblast alone, 45.5 thousand books were given out in this way from 1996 to 1999.
In 1999, Vadim Dzhamalovich Shamilov was elected as the new president of The Gideons mission in Kaluga Oblast, and his wife, Anzhela, also helped him. They are members of our church, and they carried out their work from 1999 to 2003. Over four years, more than 31 thousand copies of the Gospels were distributed.
And the third president was also a member of our church — Aleksandr Petrovich Khokhulin with his wife Lyudmila. Now, under his leadership, almost 19.6 thousand books have been distributed. I am glad that for many years in a row the presidents of The Gideons have been chosen from members of our church. This testifies to the good spiritual level of our church.
Gennady and Daria Shafurin consider family happiness an integral part of their life. The mother raises the children, while Gennady is a traveling presbyter of the church in Kaluga Oblast. However, despite being very busy, he always finds time for his children as well.
The Shafurin family is of Russian German descent. Gennady’s parents, Nikolai and Maria Shafurin, left for Germany, their historical homeland. But Gennady, like Moses, considered it better to suffer with the people of God in Russia, particularly in Kaluga Oblast and Maloyaroslavets. Daria Shafurina, a mother of many children and a wise wife, manages her household well. Her children are well-groomed, clean, and neat. At the same time, she manages to exercise her poetic gift, writes poems for the church, and recites them.

Prison Brotherhood

Thanks to these fraternal ministries, we always know where something in our community might become sick and we prevent any sickness. These meetings provide edification from God’s Word and strengthening in the Holy Spirit.
This year the regional ministry was opened by the oldest member of our church, Nikolai Mikhailovich Kostyanoy, who currently serves as a regional presbyter and also as pastor of the Obninsk church. They are now building a house of prayer.
N.M. Kostyanoy came to faith in Kokchetav, then moved with his elderly parents to the Kursk region, and later to Maloyaroslavets. Nikolai’s father was an unbeliever, but in Maloyaroslavets he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, was set free from sin, baptized according to faith, and received salvation. It was there that Nikolai chose his life companion, Antonina Pyzhova. Today they have five children and already grandchildren.
In the next photograph are ministers of local churches. They preserve the purity and holiness of true Christian ministry. I do not attend charismatic services, but I know that there a sister dressed in red trousers, a low-cut blouse, adorned with a harlot’s paint, may begin the service. “And Jehu came to Jezreel. Jezebel, hearing of it, painted her face and adorned her head, and looked out the window. When Jehu entered the gate, she said, ‘Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?’ And he lifted up his face to the window and said, ‘Who is on my side? Who?’ And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. He said, ‘Throw her down.’ So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled her underfoot” (2 Kings 9:30-33).
And now the question: Does God hear them? The answer you will find in the Gospel: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matt. 7:23).
In the north of Russia, in St. Petersburg, a council of bishops of Russia was held, to which Bishop Georgy Arsenyevich Babiy from Ukraine and his deputy Pyotr Nikolayevich Novorok were also invited. The council took place in a friendly atmosphere of brotherly love.
Stepan Semyonovich Kazitsky, deputy to the presiding bishop for Russia, built a house of prayer seating 800, with a hotel and a large dining hall. In that dining hall the brothers attending the council were served delicious meals, for which we in our prayers blessed the hard-working sisters and glorified the Lord.
At the invitation of Bishop Mikhail Chizh, who oversees education, workers in the field of evangelical education met in the city of Rybnitsa, Transnistria. In that city, the late presiding bishop for the CIS, Viktor Ivanovich Belykh, established an evangelical college and built a building for it.
The Full Gospel Church teaches believers to keep God’s commandments. Moreover, our sisters who have entered into marriage cover their heads. This is a sign that they are married. Jesus Christ commanded the sisters to wear head coverings and to dress as is fitting for saints, and they do this. “For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels” (1 Cor. 11:10).
Another example: Christ washed the feet of His disciples. The faithful practice this, imitating Jesus Christ, washing one another’s feet.
Our brothers and sisters who have entered into marriage, faithful and obedient to God’s commandments, remember His words: “…Be fruitful and multiply, and spread out over the earth and multiply on it” (Gen. 9:7). The church in Maloyaroslavets lives and fulfills the commandments of Christ. More than a hundred marriages have already taken place in the community. Each year ten to fifteen children are brought for dedication to the Lord. In the photograph you see on this page, five families at once brought their children to God. Such a living evangelical church will never disappear!
As I was finishing this book, I turned to Vladimir Grigorievich Murashkin and asked him to write his personal impressions of our many years of friendship. He fulfilled the request, and his text is printed below in the original.

On My Friendship with I.P. Fedotov

deputy to the presiding bishop of the UCFEC of Russia, president of the Russian Association of Missions CFA, editor-in-chief of the “EVANGELIST” magazine V.G. Murashkin

By the time my studies at the Stroganov Art Institute were drawing to a close, I had already been a member of the Moscow Pentecostal church for two years and attended the group of Pastor Vladimir Govorushko. I had come to faith among the Baptists and received baptism from them in the city of Gorky, where our fellow student Veniamin Puzankov had invited Pavel Svelyev and me to celebrate Easter at the home of the region’s senior presbyter. It was there that we made our final decision to dedicate ourselves to the Lord, and we were then invited to come for the Harvest festival to receive water baptism together with other candidates.

But by summer, Presbyter Pyotr Staskevich arrived in Moscow from Belorussia to visit his son Ilya, a fifth-year student and member of the Central Baptist Church on Malovuzovsky Lane. Ilya himself, however, came from a family of Pentecostals, and it was he who introduced us—our student group—to his father, gathering everyone at my service apartment, which I had because I worked as a yard-keeper on the side. That was my first meeting with a person baptized in the Holy Spirit—more than that, a person who possessed spiritual gifts—and we had the chance to experience in our midst the manifestation of revelation and the prophetic gift. The activity of the Holy Spirit made an indelible impression on us. Before our eyes, a shy, humble elderly man was transformed into a wise elder who knew the SECRETS OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT.

In winter we would usually gather in apartments, at the suburban station Malakhovka or in Tomilino, and in summer we would head out along the Kursk railway line, further into the forest. Our group was small—up to fifty members—but rich in gifts and spiritual activities, thanks to the giftedness of the pastor himself, who knew how to direct the manifestations, activities, and spiritual services.

I especially remember my first members’ meeting, in 1971, which took place at one of the stations on the Kursk line, in the apartment of believers who belonged to the “core” of the group, both by the length of their faith and by making the sacrificial offering of their apartment, which was far from safe at that time. At that meeting I heard for the first time about Brother Fedotov, who had just then been released from prison.

I traveled to my first members’ meeting with trembling, and being by nature an idealist and an artist, as usual I imagined the event beforehand, and in the most ideal images. I had already been disappointed and dashed against the cruel reality of life more than once, yet I was in no hurry to part with my belated “childhood” and long continued, even after coming to faith, to lead a dreamy way of life. So it was this time as well. I paid dearly for my dreaminess, for this time I had to part with the picture of idealistic spiritual brotherhood that I had already managed to paint in my imagination. With all my heart I had anticipated something far greater and more astonishing, which could never have occurred to me; yet everything turned out unexpectedly prosaic and earthbound.

The meeting began with Pastor Govorushko’s sincere repentance before all the members—for his imperfection. He told us sincerely and with tears how he had prepared to conduct a talk at this meeting about the love of Christ. He had prayed about it, chosen Scripture passages, and when he got on the suburban train he so wanted not to spill, but to bring these thoughts to us and preserve them until the meeting began, that he prayed to the Lord, saying:

“Lord, only don’t let me run into Zinovy in the vestibule! He’s so overbearing that the enemy will surely rob me through him…”

And when the train arrived and he boarded it, right through that same door, Brother Zinovy came running along the platform saying:

“Brother Volodya, how good that I saw you! I just wanted to talk with you before the members’ meeting.”

Vladimir Antonovich confessed with great bitterness in his heart that at that very moment, what he had so not wanted and had feared happened instantly and inevitably: not a trace of grace remained, love vanished somewhere, and his stormy indignation at Zinovy—and his lament that Zinovy, as always, had appeared at the wrong time—could no longer be concealed and burst out upon him with everything that had been building up. Zinovy, in truth, had done wrong, and quite seriously so. Yet Vladimir Antonovich immediately understood that a talk on the love of Christ would no longer be possible, and Zinovy could not restrain his agitated words either. The entire members’ meeting was forced to listen to the substance of the conflict that had arisen between the pastor and Zinovy.

It turned out that at the previous members’ meeting, the decision of the senior brothers had been very clearly and understandably communicated: under no circumstances were they to meet or greet Ivan Fedotov, who had just been released from prison. As had become known just before, Zinovy, violating this decision, had met with the released prisoner and greeted him with a holy kiss. Moreover, he did not consider this a sin. Zinovy was difficult to stop; he kept proving he was right and was indignant at how such a decision could be made against a brother under whose ministry he had come to faith, whose zeal, courage, and anointing he had seen, who had been sentenced by the KGB in Drezna together with other believers, had endured ten years in prison, and finally, alive and unharmed, had returned to Moscow.

Pastor Govorushko, however, held a different opinion of Fedotov, and he was not alone in that judgment, believing that one had to be cautious with Fedotov. I must admit, I knew nothing about the trial of 1960 nor about the man who was being discussed. At that moment all I wanted was simply to survive such a members’ meeting, not to be completely shattered in my faith, for my idealism was bursting at the seams; I could not understand how, with such blessings at the Sunday services, a rebellious spirit of disobedience could coexist among church members. Where did so much hostility between brothers come from? How far the sermons about God’s love were from the actual reality… And who was this Fedotov, whose very appearance could make brothers irreconcilable foes?

All of this was difficult for me not only to understand but also to take in. And that first members’ meeting of mine became my first fiery trial, sent to test me. I could not have supposed then that with this very man, over whom peace was lost in dispute at the members’ meeting, the Lord would bind my destiny for more than thirty years. He would become my second pastor, after Vladimir Govorushko—more than that, a teacher of courage, self-denial, and a model of devoted service to the Lord. Under this pastor, Ivan Fedotov, I would pass through many classes in the school of Christ—His Church—always sensing a firm helping hand, encouraging me for service. And if I am to speak of my ministry, of achievements if they occur in the future, of the trials endured or the sufferings for the faith that took place in the past, then these recollections will always be inseparable from the real influence on me, the presence, and the personal example of I.P. Fedotov. At the trial in 1981, in his indictment, the prosecutor called us followers of Voronaev, equally dangerous to Soviet society—only Murashkin, in his estimation, differed from Fedotov in that his “trumpet sounds lower and his smoke is thinner.” In this, of course, he was right both then and, as it turned out, ten and even twenty years later. And as for my idealism, in time I had to part with it—in favor of Jesus Christ alone—but that is a separate topic.

At seventy-seven, I.P. Fedotov is still strong. Good athletic training shows. He can often be seen in the church at 3(6) Zelyonaya Street, or at the “Russian Gift” factory at 7 Podolskikh Kursantov Street, in the rehabilitation center. I.P. Fedotov has traveled extensively both within Russia and to other countries. In Sweden, Germany, and the USA they have heard his magnificent sermons about our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

THANK YOU
_____________________________________________________________________

Our dear Ivan Petrovich. How I long to thank you,
With joy and trembling of heart,
To pour out all my gratitude before you!
But I bring it all to Jesus —
He is able to reward you generously,
To give health, strength, blessings, power
In abundant measure, pressed down!
Yes, He will repay, I have no doubt,
The Lord will bless your earthly labor,
And He will send everything needed in abundance —
Joy to the heart and holy peace to the soul!
Amen.

23.11.2005 Daria Shafurina. 280

Ivan Petrovich, our pastor, co‑pastor with Jesus!
We are so grateful to you for your labor,
For your sensitive heart, love and compassion,
For the warmth and generosity of your kind hands.
How many living witnesses are here,
Who keep in their hearts
Testimonies of those holy deeds
That God accomplished through you.
You helped someone build a house,
You helped someone get their life on track,
You helped someone break free from drug addiction,
You saved someone’s life through your prayer.
And how many weddings, how many children born!
People gather here from all directions,
And each one feels attention and care,
But all this has come not by chance.
Once you came here
By the will of God — you can’t put it any other way —
You were sent here by the persecutors of Christ,
Furious at you for your Faith!
You traveled through many cities,
Nowhere were you allowed to stop,
But in Maloyaroslavets the Lord Himself
Helped you to settle on Green Street.
Yet even then the persecutors did not leave you
Without the watchful eye and attention of the KGB,
And they plotted evil in their hearts
That you would again find yourself in prison.
They succeeded, for you loved children,
You established a school for them in the Church.
On Sundays the children rejoiced,
But you had to give answer for that.
Again they put you behind bars,
And again you languished there for Christ.
They, perhaps, thought they had broken you,
But glory to God — the hope of the ungodly never came to pass.
How hard it was, even grievous,
At times the flesh recoiled.
But the Heavenly Father strengthened your spirit,
Gave victory to overcome temptation.
For they tempted you unceasingly —
They wanted you to renounce God,
But you prayed constantly
And your spirit soared upward like a bird.
The bars on the window did not hinder you,
Could not separate you from God,
Perhaps they even drew you nearer,
For you languished in chains for Christ.
In your sorrows you experienced much —
Both human baseness and kindness.
You did not seek glory in the world,
But thirsted for the simplicity of Christ.
Yes, you stood firm,
In God’s Spirit you had support and peace.
You prayed for enemies, forgave all offenses,
And proclaimed to everyone: The Lord is alive!
Therefore Christ gave you His wisdom
So that you could surpass your persecutors,
And after all the persecutions for Jesus
Bring forth abundant fruit in the building of the Church.
We thank Christ that He helped you
To stand firm in all sorrows and trials,
That He gave you strength and patience
Not to yield your ground in God’s work.
Now, on Green Street,
Opposite your house, stands
A large, beautiful House of Prayer,
In it morning and evening praise to Christ resounds.
In it the Church of the Lord Jesus
Lives, grows, carries on its work,
In it every day — worship, prayers, choir rehearsals,
And people come here with joy.
And again there is a school, many children in the Church,
Teachers carry out their work with prayer.
Here there is a place for all who love God,
For all who have given their hearts to the Lord Christ.
Here there is a place for those who in this life
Have swallowed much trouble and bitterness,
Here there is a place for those who in sin, in vice
Almost drowned forever.
But glory to God, that the Lord’s hand
Is not shortened to save sinners,
And through God’s faithful workers
Pours out streams of grace upon the thirsty.
Here the Holy Spirit pours out abundantly
Blessings into pure hearts,
And the Church of the Lord Jesus awaits
The final Coming of Christ.
We wish you, dear, beloved pastor,
Health, strength, blessings, power,
To carry your labor like a bright torch,
That no one may ever extinguish it.
May the members of the Church be worthy,
May each one understand God’s Word and carry his work,
So that as one family we labor for the glory of God
And wait until He comes!
Yes, He is coming, and the time is near!
Make ready, Church of the Lord Christ,
To stand before Him in pure garments,
As a bride worthy of the Crown!
Amen.

Daria Shafurina. 22.01.06

Afterword

My life was inseparably connected with the brotherhood of Evangelical Christian Believers. Together we shared struggles, warfare, victories and joys. Together we will stand on the glassy sea and sing the song of the Lamb.

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CONFERENCES OF THE UNION OF EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS AND THE UNION OF EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS OF RUSSIA

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June 20, 1992
Conference of the former fellowship of I.P. Fedotov with the participation of ministers of the former fellowship of V.I. Belykh, under the leadership of I.P. Fedotov.
130 delegates present (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Kazakhstan).
Decision: to unite the work of “Kovcheg” (service to churches) and AHM (service to missions and the world) with the merging of boards and departments: statistics and information, foreign, accounting.

August 1-2, 1992
First Council of Bishops of the OCXVE, the united fellowship of V.I. Belykh and I.P. Fedotov (in Moscow).
Bishops V.I. Belykh and I.P. Fedotov ordain V.G. Murashkin and A.T. Zatsepa as bishops.
The board of the OCXVE is formed, consisting of: Presiding Bishop – V.I. Belykh, Deputy Presiding Bishop – I.P. Fedotov, board members – Bishops S.G. Kostyuk, I.G. Yantsen, V.G. Murashkin, G.A. Babii, A.I. Kalugin.

September 24, 1993
Conference of OCXVE churches of Russia (in Moscow, at the school of J. Kim).
Ordination by V.I. Belykh and I.P. Fedotov of V.G. Miroshin, S.V. Ryakhovsky, R.R. Zimmermann (with their inclusion in the board of the Council of Bishops of OCXVE churches of Russia, formed by the conference), B.A. Shutov (Estonia), E.V. Tishchenko (Krasnodar Krai).
Departments designated: biblical education (R. Zimmermann), publishing (A.N. Treshchev), pastoral care (S.G. Kostyuk, B. Sinibabnov), evangelism (A.I. Kalugin).

July 7-8, 1995
IV Conference of OCXVE churches of Russia (in Maloyaroslavets, Kaluga Oblast, Russia).
Election of I.P. Fedotov, Deputy Presiding Bishop of the OCXVE, as Presiding Bishop of the churches of Russia, with his deputies – bishop board members S.G. Kostyuk and V.G. Murashkin.
S. Ryakhovsky suspended from ministry and removed from the membership of PSER.

August 9-11, 1996
V Conference of churches of Russia (in Maloyaroslavets).

August 8-10, 1997
II Congress of the OCXVE (in Maloyaroslavets). The congress adopted the Regulation on the management structure of the OCXVE and confirmed the ministry of V.I. Belykh as Presiding Bishop of the fellowship and his deputy – I.P. Fedotov.
To better organize the fellowship’s administration, it was decided to form the board of the Council of Bishops of the OCXVE using the principle of republican representation, i.e., including in its membership the presiding bishops and their deputies from the republican associations of the OCXVE.
To assist the Presiding Bishop and his deputy, it was decided to set up a working group – the executive council of the Board of the Council of Bishops of the OCXVE. G.A. Babii and S.G. Kostyuk were included in it.
The issue of attitude toward church registration in the changed circumstances was very acute at the congress. It was decided to include in the OCXVE management regulation a formulation on the attitude to registration: render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s. This was a kind of compromise between polar viewpoints on this matter.

September 25-27, 1998
VI Conference of OCXVE churches of Russia (in Maloyaroslavets). A decision was made to expand the membership of the PSER board by including regional bishops.

November 19-20, 1999
III Congress of the OCXVE (in Rybnitsa). The congress confirmed the ministry of Presiding Bishop V.I. Belykh and his deputy I.P. Fedotov. G.A. Babii, S.G. Kostyuk, and V.I. Bashura joined the executive council.

September 28 – October 1, 2000
VII Conference of OCXVE churches of Russia (in Maloyaroslavets). 281 ministers participated in the conference.

September 20-21, 2002
VIII Conference of OCXVE churches of Russia (in Voronezh). 27 bishops of the OCXVE of Russia attended, comprising 82% of the list. All 14 regional administrations of the OCXVE of Russia, led by regional bishops, were represented. In total, about 285 ministers of the OCXVE of Russia participated in the conference.

August 1-3, 2002
IV Congress of the OCXVE (in Vinnitsa, Ukraine).

September 24-26, 2004
IX Conference of OCXVE churches of Russia (in Moscow).

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