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One can hardly imagine more difficult life circumstances … and a more miraculous rescue.

In his late 20s Sergei was an alcoholic, a drug addict, with AIDS, and in prison. Today, three years later, Sergei is a devoted Christian, married to a Christian woman, Irina, who herself had once followed Sergei’s same destructive habits, enslaved to Sin.

But while in prison Sergei got in touch with teachers from our Russian Bible School here in St. Petersburg, Russia, and through correspondence Bible courses learned the truth about God’s love.

After being baptized and out of prison, he taught his girlfriend, Irina, and she too was baptized in the death of Jesus.

Sounds like a miracle. God works powerfully to change lives.

Sasha was a very capable programmer from Tomsk, Russia. But in his heart he knew he could do more in following Jesus. Sasha entered our school, the Institute of Theology and Christian Ministry (ITCM) in St. Petersburg, and after graduating returned to Tomsk and began a home church. He remains a very capable, professional programmer, but at the same time he is a devoted servant of God in encouraging God’s people.

Sergei, Irina, Sasha and many others yearned for a deeper understanding of the Bible. To you, it may seem like an easy request. But in my native Russia, where I was baptized into Christ two decades ago through the teachings of American missionaries, the number of congregations is still small today. And the opportunity to receive a Christian education here is even more remote.

But with your help, we can continue to change this reality. We can continue to serve the Father above who changes lives through the teaching of the Gospel…in Russia.

Like Sasha, it was my dream to become immersed in the teachings of Christ and to pass them on to my fellow Russians. Both Sasha and I have fulfilled this dream thanks to the Institute for Theology and Christian Ministry.

The school was established in 2005 as a place where Russian speaking Christians could be better equipped to minister to Russians in Russia in Russian (our 3 R’s!). In fact, our ministry extends beyond even Russia (the largest country in the world) to reach all Russian-speaking people… whether in Ukraine or Belarus… Athens or Kazakhstan.

As a graduate of ITCM, and now its president, I am pleased to report we are making great strides, as more of our graduates go on to plant congregations and build up existing churches in their hometowns.

But … we need monthly help if we are to continue making progress.

As we come to the end of 2011, I invite you to become a partner with us in teaching our students and planting churches in Russia. Please know that we depend on God’s direction and provisions through His people.
Through your generous gifts you will share in the lives of Russian-speaking Christians who wish to live a life of service in His name. You will enable us to spread the word of our work to churches through our newspaper, In Christ, and provide on-line courses for Russian church leaders, as well as seminars and conferences ... and for thousands of Russian seekers who are part of our Russian Bible School (RBS).

If you visit St Petersburg, please meet with us at the Neva congregation on the Lord’s Day and visit our training center for ITCM and RBS in the same building. We welcome you.

Please remember us in your morning prayers… and consider a gift to support our work of teaching and training God’s people in Russia in 2012.

Grace and peace,

Igor Egirev
President, ITCM

To read an article about our work published
in the Christian Chronicle, click here

We are grateful for your partnership in the gospel

Please continue to send your tax deductible gifts to the
Foundation for Biblical Study
PO BOX 1208
Austin, Texas 78767
tel: 1-866-278-5898

December, 2011

We are grateful for your partnership in the gospel

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