A team of nine West Virginia Baptists traveled to Ryazan, Russia in July 2018 to spend time with our friends & partners in ministry. Members from Beulah Baptist Church, Pea Ridge Baptist Church, Hopewell Baptist Church and 1st Baptist Church of Williamson were a part of the 10 day trip.
While we were in Ryazan, we were hosted by friends and they welcomed us with open arms, showing us such hospitality. The team had the opportunity to attend church services, see building projects in the region, and experience a new camping project. Ultimately, we visited seven of the nearly 17 churches in this region that is approximately the size of the state of West Virginia. We spent time in the urban city of Ryazan as well as the Ryazan region countryside. It was a time to deepen and grow our relationships.
Ryazan pastors and church leadership shared with us their joys and their struggles. We met church members and saw ministry taking place. What stood out to many of us was the clear vision that our friends had for their ministries. They know what God has called them to do in their communities and they are passionately pursuing that vision. Two churches have 100 members or more, and the other churches are smaller. Many of the smaller meet in homes or apartment buildings. They have few financial resources, but they accomplish so much! We saw that they have a reverence for scripture and treasure his Word. So much like the early church, they spend time in the Word, they fellowship and break bread together and they serve together.
Ryazan churches are teaching and training a second generation of church leadership. It was humbling and encouraging. Out of our nine WV trip members, four were 21 years old or younger. Our partnership is stronger than ever, and we’re glad to see young adults from WV and Ryazan becoming close friends and ministry partners!
There’s still much to do. We truly need more WV Baptist Churches to join us in partnering with Ryazan Baptist churches. Our sisters and brothers in Russia have so, so much to teach us about ministry. With nearly 400 WV Baptist churches and about 17 Ryazan Baptist churches, the opportunities for partnership are huge! We need WV Baptists who have never been to Ryazan to go- and see for themselves what God is doing. We need partners in prayer- both in WV and in Ryazan as we have a common goal to build his Kingdom.
We’ve attached a gallery of pictures from the July 2018 visit between WV Baptists and our partners in Ryazan, Russia. Please consider contacting a member of the Russia Mission Partnership Team for more information.
