By: Rev. Brandon Dirks
I’m exhausted. And exhilarated. It’s about 10:45 pm here and we’ve been going since 7 am. Had an opening worship (two hrs), two covenant group meetings, one lecture, two lead team meetings, and I spent last two hours preparing for tomorrow. At the last minute they asked me to preach the morning worship service On Wednesday. It only has to be only 10 minutes, so I think I’m going to do the Pearl of Great price monologue that I did a few weeks ago for Christ Church. I think it has an enormous message about the cost of discipleship as well as stewardship. I feel the Lord is nudging me to do it. Pray that I remember the whole thing…even in my tiredness.
Beth Laury, from the American Team, giving the morning sermon (devotional talk) with Sergei translating. She did a great job!
My covenant group has six men in it: Igor (who is also my interpreter and leader partner), Dimitry, Dima, Viktor, Sergey, and Vadim. We spent the first two sessions getting to know each other, and I shared my faith journey with them. Tomorrow, Igor will share his in the format we are teaching them. My men are excited about how this conference is helping them be ‘formed’ as a disciple, while at the same time training them to ‘make’ disicples. They have LOTS of questions, and I honestly can’t answer them all. The Lord is really using this experience to teach me how to rely on HIM much more than on myself.
My covenant group! From left: Dima (short for Simitry), Viktor, Dima #2, Sergey (in blue) and Vadim. A great group of brothers, I call them “moi brat’ya” (that’s the phonetical spelling of the Russian words for “my brothers.”
Over dinner, Igor shared with me the state of the UMC. Most of the attendees of this conference are first generation Christians–they grew up in non-Christian households. So, they have chosen to be a believer against all odds. So, they are very passionate about their faith. Many have come from drug addictions, divorce, and painful histories. He anticipates their faith stories will have a huge blank spot in childhood and young adult…because his will. He’s passionate about his faith, but doesn’t really know how to help others come to faith, and then grow to maturity so that they too can make disciples! This amazes me since he has been a pastor for five years!
Most UMC churches here are thriving if they have 10 members! The result is that most every UMC pastor must also have a full time job to support himself and his family. For them to take a week to come to this conference for the purpose of learning how to disciple others really reveals their commitment and passion!
However, the church is in decline here (like elsewhere), Igor says, for a couple of important reasons. One is that they don’t know how to disciple others to make disciples. Two, pastors are not drawn into ministry because of the extreme hardships–find own job, their families question or make fun of them, they might have to move to Siberia (seriously…Siberia) to serve, and they still need to attend seminary. The church here really is in desperate need!
Below are a few more photos from the area:
Contemplating events that have happened here in Red Square. Behind me is the Historical Museum. To your left is the rebuilt gateway where military parades used to come and ride right over where I am standing (with tanks, troops, missles, etc.). To your right is the Kremlin surrounded by a castle-like wall structure. I will get a chance to visit the Kremlin next weekend.
On a 6 am run through Moscow. Beautiful. Since the downfall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s, the recovery has been steadily growing. In many ways, the architecture, fashion and even some behaviors semm to still have a late 1980’s vibe.
A view of downtown Moscow.
Moscow Stadium. They recently built these gondolas to carry people across the river to the stadium. I ran completely around the stadium and there is NOT ONE parking lot anywhere around. Mass transit only.
Beautiful Nevsky Park. Moscow runs along the river with the view of the World Cup Stadium where the championship game will be held. Over 100,000 will have a seat! Notice the youn people in this photo..it is 6 am! There were dozens of young people all over the park…probably teenagers who did not come home from the Saturday night extravaganza. Asking about this, it seems that the teenager freedoms here are reminiscent of an earlier day in America when parents did not lock their doors and were not afraid to let their teenagers our. Last night was a kind of “prom night” in the area.
More of Moscow whil on a 6-mile run.
Beth Laury, from the American Team, giving the morning sermon (devotional talk) with Sergei translating. She did a great job!
This is most of our community of Russian disciples and future disciple makers. Some are pastors. Some are seminary students. Also included are two District Superintendents, two seminary professors, the seminary president and six American team members.
St. Basil’s Cathedral is really a museum now. Russian Orthodox is a very interesting Christian denomination. A standout feature is its sacred iconography covering nearly every inch of the interior walls.
Holy Discontent 