Bryansk Russia. Join him on his blog at Billy’s Blog

Follow Rich Long and the Russia Team #2 as they begin their work in

Bryansk Russia, join him on his blog at  Rich’s Blog

As summer is approaching, so are all the camps and activities in Bryansk, Russia.  At the popular Christian operated

History Makers Camp at the Christian campground "Yolochka"

campground, Yolochka, 25 miles outside the city of Bryansk, God will be shaping many lives. History Makers Church, the church founded to reach the young people of Bryansk, was initially launched by using  a summer church camp in June 2008.  A ministry team from Dallas, Texas, “Glowing Heart,” came to help and host at this camp event… and a church was born. This year will be the fourth year for History Makers to to a Youth Camp, and they will be leading this for the first time on their own.

Leadership / Discipleship History Maker Camp. For two days a leadership core of about 20 young people will be living at Yolochka Campground for a leadership camp event. This will be to plan and prepare for the camp week.

History Makers Church Summer Camp

History Maker Evangelism Camp. For four days the History Maker Church will be inviting as many as 100 of their friends for a total outreach camp experience. All four days will be at Camp Yolochka. They will be doing sports, music, and a total package of events geared for young adults and older teenagers, which is the complete make up of this young church.

Yes, you can help…

Pray

• Pray for development of the leadership of History Makers, and that God would use this event to mold and shape this core group

• Pray for the many “fringe” young people who connect to History Makers Church to come to the camp
  

  Young people of Bryansk Russia

  experience. This is a critical week, and many lives could be changed eternally.

• Pray for these two back to back camp experiences. Pray that God would bless these events.

Help with Sponsorship:

• This young church is able to pay for 40% of the cost of the event, but could use some help financially with the rest.  The cost is $15 per day per person.  Our goal is to help with about $4300 of the $6300 it will cost for these two camps. You could help with this. Contact or write the offices of LifeWay Church for how to participate…

• Also, check out Glowing Heart Ministries at www.glowingheart.org then click on the “Russia Report” to
  

  History Makers Church Summer Camp

  better understand the History Maker Camps this summer and past summers.

Bonfire at Yolochka Summer Camp

God” music that we had sung all week, and these kids with a joyful noise and at the top of their lungs were belting them on their way to join the bonfire. It was here, and only here, that I realized that these children felt truly free to sing songs like this. Most had no school friends that were believers. Many of them did not come from homes of believers. They lived in neighborhoods where there were very few believers. Even those who attended churches, they were small with very few other children attending. Where could they go sing with this freedom? It was here, at Camp Yolochka. I was glad to be part of it and witness such wonderful joy that overflowed from their hearts. There is great life changing power in the summer camp experience.

Boris has been attending the Children’s camp that LifeWay Church has hosted for years now. Currently he is 13 years old. But he also comes from a very troubled home, raised by his grandmother because his dad is nowhere to be seen, and mom has so many substance abuse issues she is unable to raise him. Boris is also a handful physically and emotionally. He is a non-stop basket full of personal insecurities, and it comes out. There have been times when those who have worked with him have in frustration called him “bad Boris.” But Boris is really a good kid that needed a hero… a mentor… someone to look up to. Scott Jackson became that hero for Boris at camp. Last summer at the end of camp session, Boris asked Scott  from the LifeWay team if he could stay after the camp and help clean up for a few days. It was his way to find an excuse to hang out with his hero, Scott.  After these days were finished, we dropped him off at his apartment complex to rejoin his grandmother. The gang of drunks and drug abusers met him in the parking lot to greet his arrival back. They all knew him. He knew all of them. We quickly realized the incredible value that these few days of camp were to Boris. Yolochka camp was like a spiritual oasis in the middle of a year of darkness. A dark home, a dark neighborhood, dark relationships. At summer Camp there was life, light, mentors, and the love of Jesus Christ. That’s what camp is for Boris. This is why summer Camp is so important.

This is the reason that we are in Russia and that we put on our annual auction to raise funds to send kids just like Boris to camp.  For more information on this year’s auction go to http://www.facebook.com/?sk=ff#!/pages/Federal-Way-WA/Russia-Mission-Auction/110516972313436?ref=ts

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Billy Arnold

To register to attend the auction go to www.russiamissionauction2010.com

Central City Bryansk Russia winter 2010

No one complains (well… not most of them). Snow and winter here brings a sense of pride. It also brings out amazing coats, hats and boots as well. This is NOT a country that has a problem with wearing the fur from animals. As you enter the bus or walk through the markets in the winter, its like walking through a fur fashion show.

Either way… the winter here is beautiful. Most locals say there has not been this much snow in 50 years. For many westerners who come to work in the camps or work on projects, they come in summer when it is warm or even hot. But Bryansk can be a cold place as well. Russians are typically proud of their winters. It becomes part of their national pride and culturally part of the way life is conducted.

Pray for Russia… and pray for Bryansk as you enjoy these beautiful photos.

Families enjoying the winter festival 2010 in Bryansk

Welcome to Russia from History Makers Church Bryansk

Lenin, founder of the Soviet Union, established a century ago what is a "secular" thinking culture in Russia today. History Makers Church and others reaches out to the secular minded of Bryansk

Jonah 4:11 the citizens of Nineveh are described in this way… those who don’t know their right hand from their left. This is what I am finding in the city of Bryansk… but interestingly enough, this is what I find in the city of Seattle. The challenge of our ministries both in Bryansk, Seattle, and many other parts of the world is that we are having to start and build churches and ministries that reach out to “secular” people.   The History Makers Church in Bryansk is striving to reach out to these secular people. At our camp this week, it appears that many will be here with this kind of secular background.  The leadership of History Makers is trying hard to design a program that helps these people who don’t know their “left hand from their right hand” as it says of the Ninevites.  Please pray for History Makers camp this week and the young people they try to reach.  Pray that even your church might take a hard look at itself to see if there is room to reach out to the “secular” that live in your city.

Billy & Patty Arnold, Scott & Diane Jackson, leaders of Bryansk, Russia Ministry

from its role in WWII.  Today, God is working in Bryansk in fantastic new ways.  Explore this website and discover for yourself how God is changing the hearts and lives of the people of Bryansk. Explore this website to see how God may use you to get involved in Bryansk, Russia.

Learn about the 3 major areas of God’s work in Bryansk…

• …the “Church Health Plan“
• …”Church Planting“ for a New Generation
• …the Christian Campground and summer camp ministries  that are touching thousands of lives.

Thank you for visiting…

Enjoy and Explore!

Russia has a changing spiritual climate in the 21st century

Bryansk, the city of "Partisan Glory"

History Makers Camp

History Maker Camp 2008

This is the camp for the new generation church that began in 2007 (see the page on this web site about “Church Planting”).  This is History Maker’s fourth year of doing evangelism outreach camps at Yolochka. This year, the leadership at History Makers Church is leading camp all by themselves and they have planned some fantastic activities and games for their camp, including English discussion sessions, music and guitar lessons, bible studies, and talks about what God thinks about love and marriage.

The young people in the History Maker Church will be financing most of this camp experience themselves… but if you would like to help them financially in this effort, please let us know at LifeWay Church / Russia ministry, and we will pass this on to them.  Pray for this summer camp!

Bezchitsa Church Camp

LifeWay Federal Way’s “blood brother” church partner, Bezhitsa Church is leading a children’s camp this summer too! LifeWay church is not leading this camp like they have in the past, but they are supporting Bezhitsa Church by sending workers to lead afternoon crafts, music hour sessions, art lessons, dramas, and other fun activities for the children.

Sergei Kyzhekin, Bezchitsa children's pastor, and some of his team and family

Bezchitsa Church has a great children’s pastor, Sergei Kyzhekin, and he will be leading the camp and his team along with his associate children’s coordinator, Oksana. Our prayer is that we will see over 100 children participate in this summer camp experience.

Seltso Children’s Camp

Last Year was Seltso’s first year of leading a camp, and they are off to a great start. This year, we will continue to support their children’s ministry team by leading classroom bible lessons and activities, and leading afternoon activities during their week of kids camp.

Follow Up in the Villages

While the majority of kids that come to kids camp come from the larger churches like Seltso and Bezhitsa Church, many of the village churches send kids to the Seltso and Bezhitsa Kid’s camps. This summer, our Lifeway team will be sending  members from our church into the villages to minister to the kids on their own turf! LifeWay team members will be leading games and VBS style events in villages like Rognyedina, Dyatkovo, and Kamarichi. We are excited to see what God will do with our time in these places that need to hear the good news of Christ.

Pastor Travis McIntosh from Beverly Park Baptist Church Seattle, preaching at New Life Church Bryansk, their partner chur