Partnering Together

Just in case you are a regular at this site, I wanted to inform you that we will not have another post until July 6 or shortly thereafter. Thanks to all of you who continue to pray for God's work in Russia, and specifically, in Moscow!

If you are from the USA, happy July 4th, a little early!

Blessings,

Brad

A huge event will take place Thursday, June 22. A choir and orchestra of 300 Americans will be performing a convert entitled "The History of American Spiritual Music." Seating capacity will be over 1000, but we are not sure what to expect. The idea is for believers to come with an unbelieving friend or relative, and hopefully this will lead to discussions about faith. A music missions organization called "Global Missions Project" has organized this event, coordinating the participation of various Christian churches and groups. It is a privilege for me to say that my step mother, Judy Stamey, is here with "Virginia Voices" and will be part of this ministry concert. Pray for God to use the whole event for His glory!

Blessings,

Brad

Yesterday, I had the privilege of prayer walking with a lady named “Treasure.” We walked together, along with a group of 7 others, in a region in which we are trying to start a new church. And we prayed for thousands of people, as we passed rows and rows of high-rise apartments, to know about and then receive the True Treasure of Jesus Christ.

(Treasure is part of a music team from Calvary Baptist Church in Winston Salem, N.C., and it has been a blessing for our team to be able to work with a few of them during the last several days.)

Blessings,

Brad

“… when these parenting years have passed, something precious will have flickered and gone out of my life. Thus, I am resolved to enjoy everyday that remains in this fathering era.” - James Dobson

Happy Father's Day

Blessings, Brad.

Last month, during a worship service of one of our church plants, a lady stood up and said, “When I come here, I receive therapy.”

On Sunday, June 18, that church plant will meet again for corporate worship. Please pray for God to bless those that come by granting joy, peace, encouragement, and therapy for the soul.

Blessings,

Brad.

Derek, the student who is living with Mark Sprinkle (on our team) for a month, has developed a close friendship with a Muslim student, whom we will call "Art." Derek has tried to speak of spiritual things with Art, but finds it difficult, especially since they are usually in a group where the topic gets changed quickly. He’s been praying about how to get Art in a one-on-one conversation. Yesterday Derek came home excited to report how he got to share the whole gospel with his friend! He and Art had gotten separated from the others after a visit to the zoo, and while hanging out they read some passages from Scripture and thoughtfully discussed them. Derek and the guys in the FSR team are getting to plant lots of seeds of truth in the minds of Art and their other Russian friends. It is encouraging to see Derek’s boldness and faith grow as he prays and looks for opportunities to share. He prays every night for his friends’ salvation.

Blessings, Brad.

I had the joy yesterday evening of walking a 79 year old woman to the bus stop. Her name is Anastasia, and she regularly attends one of our home groups. A few months ago, Anastasia repented, came to faith in Christ, and now is awaiting baptism in our church plant. As we walked, she told me that she had recently written her sister who lives in another part of Russia, a long way from Moscow. And she shared her testimony of coming to Jesus and meeting regularly now with God’s people in Bible study. She urged her sister to try to find a group of believers which study the Bible.

Her sister replied, saying that she has heard of those kind of people in her city – people that gather for Bible study – but she doesn’t know exactly where to find them. She wrote that she would be looking for these Godly people, so that she too, could learn God’s Word.

Amazing! – how God uses a changed life in Moscow, to have impact through a written letter, on another individual, practically in another country! Pray for Anastasia’s sister to become our “sister in the Lord” by finding a group of believers in her city.

I got on the bus and waved good-bye to a smiling, Spirit-filled, 79 year old, holding a cane – one of God’s cherished children.

I found one of my sons this morning in the bathroom, lying on the floor. Sick? No, just going through his 959 Plan. Now, before I go any further, you have to understand that our bathroom is what you would call “divided.” We have one small room, in which is nothing but the toilet. Beside the toilet room is a separate room, in which there is a tub and a sink. It was in the tub and sink room that I found my son. The “959 Plan” is a devotional guidebook for new believers, with the idea of spending 9 minutes and 59 seconds with God each day in quiet time. There is a simple prayer method, and there is scripture to read and think about each day. And there are lines for you to share your thoughts and how to apply that day’s scripture. So there he was, finding a quiet place, in order to have his quiet time with the Father; an example for us all. Would you please pray for my son? Which one? The one with the reddish shade of hair. (that didn’t help much, did it?) Why not pray for them all – you'll find their names in the column to the left.

Thanks and blessings, Brad.

Many of you were in places where you worshipped God today. I hope your worship was in spirit and in truth, and that the family of believers with whom you worship help to edify you. I was blessed to be in one of our church plants today, in the Golovinski Region, where Genady Krechin is the Russian leader. Seventeen people came together and we observed the Lord’s Supper for the second time. (Russian Baptists regularly have communion the first Sunday of every month) Of the 17, seven individuals have either not committed themselves publicly to the Lord, or they have recently done so and are awaiting baptism. Would you lift them up, please, during your prayer times this week? -- Marina, Vitaly, Svetlana, Anastasia, Galina, Christina, and a young Muslim man who will remain un-named.

Thanks for caring and reading.

Blessings, Brad.

Thank you for reading this and for lifting up our requests. During this last week, the new summer students on our team were introduced to 75 Russian students, over a period of 3 days. This is just the beginning, as they seek to develop relationships that will have lasting spiritual impact. So keep praying!

Blessings, Brad.