Covering an area of 17,075,400 square kilometers and stretching across 12 times zones, Russia is the largest country on the planet. Historically, the Russian monarchs knew that the only way they could rule over such an enormous land was by connecting its most remote parts – hence the construction of the famous and picturesque Transiberian Railway, which connects Moscow to Russia’s eastern provinces and Pacific shores.
Connecting churches is also a must on the Russia North District. Not by train, however, but through the Internet.
The Belgorod preaching point has been in existence since 2007 thanks to the work of Peter and Svetlana Androsov, who had just recently graduated from Moscow Evangelical Seminary and felt called by God to move from Moscow to this city on the border with Ukraine.
This small church consists now of three families who meet regularly in one of the homes and actively shine God’s light in their neighborhood.
But Belgorod is a difficult place to minister – a bastion of Russian Orthodoxy, city and church authorities make it difficult for Protestants to evangelize and label them as "dangerous sects."
To keep the group encouraged, Moscow First Church has recently started using technology to connect with their brothers and sisters in Belgorod.
During prayer meetings, a laptop and webcam are used to cancel the 648 km that divide the two cities and bring the participants on each side of the screen together. As requests are shared and prayers are lifted, the virtual closeness results in a real unity that encourages and strengthens.
Marina Moor, a lead member of the group, has stated that participating in the video-conference prayer meetings is one of the highlights of the week, together with watching the sermons that are uploaded weekly on Moscow First’s Facebook page, another venue used to strengthen believers in Russia and beyond.
The Russian monarchs knew it well – it’s all about connection. But the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews knew it better, "Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (Heb 10:23-25, NLT)
