July 2007 - Southern Adventist University

Southern Union FeatureInto RussiaBy Sheila ElwinDespite the fall of communism,evangelism in Russia is still largelyuncharted territory. The power ofthe Orthodox Church, along withpressure against the Seventh-dayAdventist Church because of itsAmerican ties, has added to theproblem. And, a law passed againstthe presence of any foreigners atAdventist meetings has effectivelyprevented the large-scale sharing oftruth in this country–until now.Peter Kulakov yearned to bringthe story of Salvation to the landof his birth. Currently pastor of theLakeview church in Georgia, anddirector/speaker of Light of HopeTV broadcast (www.lohtv.com), heteamed with Church leadership toreach out to Russia. Together theywould conceptualize a massive outreach,one that would pour acrossthe entire Euro-Asia Division andinvolve nearly every church in itsterritory.Supported financially andprayerfully by the Southern Union,Georgia-Cumberland Conference,Light of Hope TV and its viewers,and Kulakov’s own Lakeviewchurch; the project took shape inthe form of satellite meetings. Russianchurch members would presentevangelistic meetings in the Russianlanguage to their own people.Hope Channel - Europe agreed tocarry the programs, which would bebroadcast from the Adventist churchin Kiev, and the pastors of Kiev Missionlent their total support.Months of preparation began.Fifty days of prayer and fasting, 24hours a day, nonstop, began acrossthe Euro-Asia Division in the Adventistchurches and administrativeoffices. As one group ended their24-hour fast, another group wouldbegin, and prayers were offered“without ceasing” for the success ofthe venture to be held in March.Even before the meetingsbegan, the Lord blessed. Morethan 4,000 locations across 15 timezones signed up for satellite broadcasts.They would broadcast fromchurches, rented movie theaters, andpublic halls. Advertisements weredisplayed in downtown areas acrossthe Division.As the meetings kicked off withtwo broadcasts a day from Kiev, amajor Christian–but not Adventist–broadcast company also agreed tocarry the meetings. “What a greatblessing this was,” notes Kulakov,“which brought a huge responsefrom the watching public.”Health and medical presentations,active youth participation, andchoirs and musicians featuring talentfrom many countries supplementedthe sermons.“The spirit of prayer was amazing,”says Kulakov. “Every day wewere hearing great reports about answeredprayers.” And, those reportswere coming in at a furious rate. Sixphone lines in Kiev rang non-stop,24 hours a day. More than 1,000email requests were received eachday. The website to which all audioand video was uploaded daily registered4.5 million visits, and listenersasked for Bibles and lessons, anddownloaded the presentations.The last day of the meetingswitnessed 3,084 baptisms, with morethan 300 others waiting to be baptized.Recognizes Kulakov, “It wasall possible because of prayer.”Sheila Elwin is proofreader forthe Southern Tidings, and a freelancewriter/editor in Atlanta.28 T IDINGS • J u l y 2 0 0 7