On July 6, 2025, and for several consecutive Sundays thereafter, the Sayansky congregation (Irkutsk region) held meetings of the “Vacation with God” program. The initiator and leader was a young minister (17 years old) Yury Tishkin. Together with teacher Tatyana Vozhzova, they conducted classes in two blocks. The first was a Christian block: children were introduced to the themes of worship through interactive lessons, engaging stories, and watching cartoons. The second was a secular block, where the teacher developed the children’s creative abilities through theatrical performances. We are sincerely glad that new children’s ministers are emerging in Sayansk!
On July 10-12, a Christian meeting for children took place in Novosibirsk, organized by Sunday school teacher Olga Khvorostenko. The children read the parable of the sower, the story of the ark, discussed music in the Bible, drew their favorite Scripture quotes on T-shirts, played outdoors, and on the final day attended an organ concert at the church.
On August 1-3, a youth and family retreat was held by the Grace of Christ congregation from Ulan-Ude at Lake Baikal. The hot weather, warm lake water, and beautiful natural scenery provided an opportunity for everyone to relax, swim, sunbathe, play beach and board games, all of which fostered fellowship with one another and, most importantly, fellowship around God’s Word. Each evening, all participants gathered for a Bible study, where they sang hymns to guitar music, discussed interesting passages from Scripture, shared their thoughts and spiritual experiences, and asked questions that concerned everyone. On the final day, an off-site Sunday worship service was led by senior pastor Alexander Dyshenov.
On August 5-9, a Christian meeting “The Best Version of You” for children and youth took place in Omsk. Participants included young people from Novosibirsk, Omsk, the villages of Orlovka and Kovalevo (Omsk region), as well as pastor Timur Pamyatnykh (Novosibirsk) and coordinator of children and youth work for the Siberian Deanery Tatyana Liukonen (St. Petersburg). Children with special needs also attended the gathering. We thank the Lord for the fervent hearts of the ministers, for all the participants, and we pray that these efforts will bear much fruit in due time!
On August 22-23, a youth meeting “Dark Nights” was held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg. What filled this time? The participants studied what the Bible says about the fruits of the Holy Spirit and how to be open to God’s action in our lives. A special event of the evening was an intellectual quiz, which allowed everyone to test their knowledge. The young people sang hymns, enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by a sister-host, fellowship, and then went on an exclusive night tour at Annenkirche.
On August 22-24, a youth meeting “Inconvenient Saints” was held in Nizhny Novgorod. The participants discussed many important topics, such as “Law and Gospel,” interacting with unbelieving peers and friends, questions of gender relations in the family, church, and world, and teenage romance. In addition to lectures, prayers, reading God’s Word, and worship, the meeting’s program included games, dancing, a physical workout for young men, shaping classes for young women, a talent show, a city tour, and daily evening gatherings around the grill. Participants came from Rzhev, Tver, Moscow, Toksovo, Pushkin, Koltushi, Saransk, and Nizhny Novgorod.
