Join this Facebook group to follow the construction of a church building for the Grace of Christ Congregation in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia! (in Russian)

The congregation was established in 2006 when its current minister Vladimir Nikiforov was ordained as a deacon. Before, a small Lutheran religious group had been meeting there since 2001.

The congregation wants to proclaim salvation by God’s grace, without man’s merits, through faith alone. When the question was raised about the future name of the congregation, the members’ meeting considered several possibilities and decided on Grace Congregation. The Synodal Council of The Church of Ingria suggested adding “of Christ” to the name because the word “grace” is also used by other religions that are present in the Republic of Buryatia, in particular, Buddhism. The only verse in the Bible that uses the phrase “the grace of Christ” is Gal. 1:6: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” (ESV). Those words of the apostle Paul are an important warning not only for the first generation of Christians, but for anyone who has received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.