Church Name: No name, Russian Evangelical Baptist Church
service that meets in the Vietnamese New Hope Christian Church building
Church Address: 0 N 167 Page St, Winfield, IL, 60190
Date Attended: 3/30/14 “2:00-4:00PM” and beyond
Church Category: Ethnic
Church Address: 0 N 167 Page St, Winfield, IL, 60190
Date Attended: 3/30/14 “2:00-4:00PM” and beyond
Church Category: Ethnic
Note: I attended this church with my Grandmother (who lives
in town and loves to experience things like this) and Uncle (who has a Masters
in Russian history and works with a Latvian missionary program.) I heard about this church through my adviser
and mentor, Dr. James Clark, in the geology department who attends this service
every week he is in town. He is not
Russian, nor does he speak it, but has done missionary work there. I believe he enjoys this service the most
because of its unique style and the attitude of the congregation.
·
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your
regular context?
o
The
service hosted by these Russians was different from any I have experienced before
in nearly every way. Of course, the
service was spoken in Russian but they provided a translator and earbuds so
that we could understand a majority of the service, and a friendly American
also was there to act as our guide and who also translated the prayers for
us. But that’s not even the most interesting
difference.
The service consists of three sermons over a period of 2 hours (that’s what they say, but really it goes much longer than that!) Right before every service, the men of the church have a brief “Brothers Meeting” to decide who will give the sermons for the day. That’s right, while there is an ordained pastor at the church, rarely does he give sermons. Instead, three laymen always give the sermons of the day. For instance, the sermons I heard were given by a truck mechanic, another laymen (I forget his occupation), and a visitor from Minnesota. These sermons were interspersed with music and Russian hymns and poems provided, in part, by the visiting family. This is all part of a tradition that is associated with the Russian Evangelical Baptist denomination, which originated during the time of the Czars in Russia. Apparently, certain aristocrats in pre-Soviet Russian society were converted to Christianity and held services in their own homes. These sermons were often given by laymen. Now, to fast forward in time to the Soviet era, there was naturally no non-government sanctioned ordination of pastors and the Evangelical Baptist movement was forced to go underground.
The sermons were all tied together with a common theme which I would generally title “Strength from Obeying God and through Faith” which, as I will talk about below, is tied to the overall theme of persecution which pervades the thoughts of the Church. The service itself went from 2 to about 4:45PM, which is much longer than I have ever experienced before. However, afterwards there was a grand potluck dinner of an assortment of homemade Russian foods such as Goulash and cabbage rolls. This reminded me a lot of other small friendly churches I have attended except I couldn’t understand most people! Overall the service was great, but I don’t know if I could commit to spending almost all of Sunday at church every week!
The service consists of three sermons over a period of 2 hours (that’s what they say, but really it goes much longer than that!) Right before every service, the men of the church have a brief “Brothers Meeting” to decide who will give the sermons for the day. That’s right, while there is an ordained pastor at the church, rarely does he give sermons. Instead, three laymen always give the sermons of the day. For instance, the sermons I heard were given by a truck mechanic, another laymen (I forget his occupation), and a visitor from Minnesota. These sermons were interspersed with music and Russian hymns and poems provided, in part, by the visiting family. This is all part of a tradition that is associated with the Russian Evangelical Baptist denomination, which originated during the time of the Czars in Russia. Apparently, certain aristocrats in pre-Soviet Russian society were converted to Christianity and held services in their own homes. These sermons were often given by laymen. Now, to fast forward in time to the Soviet era, there was naturally no non-government sanctioned ordination of pastors and the Evangelical Baptist movement was forced to go underground.
The sermons were all tied together with a common theme which I would generally title “Strength from Obeying God and through Faith” which, as I will talk about below, is tied to the overall theme of persecution which pervades the thoughts of the Church. The service itself went from 2 to about 4:45PM, which is much longer than I have ever experienced before. However, afterwards there was a grand potluck dinner of an assortment of homemade Russian foods such as Goulash and cabbage rolls. This reminded me a lot of other small friendly churches I have attended except I couldn’t understand most people! Overall the service was great, but I don’t know if I could commit to spending almost all of Sunday at church every week!
·
What did you find most interesting or appealing
about the worship service?
o
I’ve
already talked about a lot of things which set this church apart from all the
rest but there were certain cultural differences as well which were
interesting. For instance, to Russians,
it is the custom to kneel or stand during prayers, never to remain seated
because it as seen as a slight against God.
I understand the purpose of this tradition and appreciate it, it shows proper
respect and devotion to God.
Children were also a major part of the service, from singing (in Russian) to reciting poems, to playing instruments (VERY well), and also reciting ENTIRE chapters of the Bible, which is a remarkable thing to do every weekend. Apparently youth programs were outlawed in Soviet Russia and so the American tradition for such things has never really caught on amongst Evangelical Russian Baptists. This integration of young and old members is a fresh and, in my opinion, effective practice.
Speaking of integration, it was also interesting to see the range of backgrounds present at the church. For instance, I met a woman who works at the College as a night-shift janitor but my guide, Viktor, is an MD and teaches at Illinois State University doing research on Sickle Cell Disease. Not to mention, Dr. Clark from Geology also attends. Just as with children, it was good to see this spectrum of worshipers all gathered together in one place.
Children were also a major part of the service, from singing (in Russian) to reciting poems, to playing instruments (VERY well), and also reciting ENTIRE chapters of the Bible, which is a remarkable thing to do every weekend. Apparently youth programs were outlawed in Soviet Russia and so the American tradition for such things has never really caught on amongst Evangelical Russian Baptists. This integration of young and old members is a fresh and, in my opinion, effective practice.
Speaking of integration, it was also interesting to see the range of backgrounds present at the church. For instance, I met a woman who works at the College as a night-shift janitor but my guide, Viktor, is an MD and teaches at Illinois State University doing research on Sickle Cell Disease. Not to mention, Dr. Clark from Geology also attends. Just as with children, it was good to see this spectrum of worshipers all gathered together in one place.
·
What did you find most disorienting or
challenging about the worship service?
o
Truth
be told, the translation was really only a minor challenge for understanding
and appreciating the service. However,
it was difficult to know who spoke English and who didn't except through the
old “Smile and Nod” response. This
language barrier prevented me from interacting with many of the elders of the
church, but many of the children and some of the adults spoke at least some
English. Fortunately, the accommodations
that my Guide and his family made for me really helped me to get the most out
of my experience.
·
What aspects of Scripture or theology did the
worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in
your regular context?
o
Rarely
will you be able to find a congregation with such a deeply important and
sorrowful connection and relation to persecution. Many of the Russians there have actually
lived through government persecution during the reign of Stalin and later
Soviets. Naturally, their thoughts
cannot easily depart from that time of difficulty but you can clearly see that
their faith has been strengthened and emboldened by the love of Christ and
their life in connection with their brothers and sisters. It’s only natural that the sermons that were
preached were connected to this theme of strength through faith.
For instance, one of the “preachers” told the story of a poor man who lived in Russia during the Soviet era. He had a child on the way but knew that, under Soviet persecution, he wasn't going to be living long into the child’s life. He couldn't leave the child anything of monetary value as an inheritance because the Stalinist government had taken everything from him. “But”, he said, “I am leaving my child something more valuable than anything on this earth, a faith in Jesus Christ.” This story was the poignant end to the second preacher’s sermon on Psalm 38 and 40 which talk about the wrath and forgiveness of God and the Pit of Sin that He has pulled us from, respectively.
But this wasn't all in regards to persecution, also acknowledged in the service was a brother who “was turning 100 years old” and who served 3 prison sentences and died during the third term. Then they also mentioned a story about a Serbian apartment complex that was being built a while back which was not constructed at the site because of the uncovering of human remains. It was later discovered that this was a mass burial site for a community of believers who were slain during the 1938 Stalinist purge.
But that’s not all. At the end of the service another speaker came up to present a petition to the congregation which we all signed (myself included). This petition, he explained, was to be sent to the embassies in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan addressing present-day persecution in these countries. It was hard to gather details due to the translation, but apparently very recently church services over there have been interrupted by government officials for having their service on Sunday (which, as a side-note, translates literally to “resurrection day” from Russian.) They also arrested and found “guilty” brothers of the church during this time. They had their valuables confiscated and fined for their “crimes.” I have yet to hear about any of this covered in any state-side media, but, I digress.
These reminders of persecution quite obviously permeated every aspect of the service and the sermons themselves reflected the need to stand strong in faith. This gave me a much stronger respect and understanding of what true persecution looks like. What has happened in the past, and is still happening around the globe, is so much worse than anything we claim to experience here. And for that, we must thank God and not grow lax because of the ease we are given. We need to hear these stories in order to know how to perceive persecution when we meet it. It’s never a question of if we will, but when we will encounter suffering. This is something we must never forget.
For instance, one of the “preachers” told the story of a poor man who lived in Russia during the Soviet era. He had a child on the way but knew that, under Soviet persecution, he wasn't going to be living long into the child’s life. He couldn't leave the child anything of monetary value as an inheritance because the Stalinist government had taken everything from him. “But”, he said, “I am leaving my child something more valuable than anything on this earth, a faith in Jesus Christ.” This story was the poignant end to the second preacher’s sermon on Psalm 38 and 40 which talk about the wrath and forgiveness of God and the Pit of Sin that He has pulled us from, respectively.
But this wasn't all in regards to persecution, also acknowledged in the service was a brother who “was turning 100 years old” and who served 3 prison sentences and died during the third term. Then they also mentioned a story about a Serbian apartment complex that was being built a while back which was not constructed at the site because of the uncovering of human remains. It was later discovered that this was a mass burial site for a community of believers who were slain during the 1938 Stalinist purge.
But that’s not all. At the end of the service another speaker came up to present a petition to the congregation which we all signed (myself included). This petition, he explained, was to be sent to the embassies in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan addressing present-day persecution in these countries. It was hard to gather details due to the translation, but apparently very recently church services over there have been interrupted by government officials for having their service on Sunday (which, as a side-note, translates literally to “resurrection day” from Russian.) They also arrested and found “guilty” brothers of the church during this time. They had their valuables confiscated and fined for their “crimes.” I have yet to hear about any of this covered in any state-side media, but, I digress.
These reminders of persecution quite obviously permeated every aspect of the service and the sermons themselves reflected the need to stand strong in faith. This gave me a much stronger respect and understanding of what true persecution looks like. What has happened in the past, and is still happening around the globe, is so much worse than anything we claim to experience here. And for that, we must thank God and not grow lax because of the ease we are given. We need to hear these stories in order to know how to perceive persecution when we meet it. It’s never a question of if we will, but when we will encounter suffering. This is something we must never forget.
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