Russia (MNN) — While it's been more than a week since the Resurrection was celebrated, people in Russia just finished their celebration this past weekend. According to Paul Tokarchouk with Russian Ministries, it was more than just a celebration: it turned into an outreach event.
According to Tokarchouk, local churches united in Moscow for an open air outreach event. "One of the new initiatives was the reading from the New Testament on the old Arbat Street in downtown Moscow."
As one individual read from the Bible over a loud speaker, Tokarchouk says others were mingling. "People were standing, stopping, and the youth from the church would start to talk to them to share the Gospel and give them New Testaments which Russian Ministries published recently called, 'Discovery.'"
Tokarchouk says the ministry involved people from about five local churches. Hundreds of New Testaments were handed out during the week-long event, April 9-13. He was excited about the ministry opportunities. "Personally, conversations would happen when the youth would share their story, share the goodness of Christ to the unbelievers."
Authorities typically don't allow open air events unless permission is granted. Tokarchouk says, "We informed authorities that this would happen, so we were not bothered by police or anyone else. [There were] no threats. There were some minor threats by some personalities, but not from authorities."
That wasn't the end of their Easter week outreach. Tokarchouk says a flash mob in a downtown mall was another tool. "In an open area for shopping and dining, they started to sing Christian Easter Songs. A kind of flash mob took place in that area, and that was followed by the distribution of New Testaments."
More than 400 people received Christian literature at that event. Tokarchouk says many of the visionaries of this outreach were previous School Without Walls students–a staple ministry of Russian Ministries.
Tokarchouk asks for prayer that "God would open the hearts of those who received the Gospel. Pray for those who rejected [the Gospel]. We met some people and some youth who said, 'We don't need it,' although they heard the Gospel."
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