Tallinn Update - First trip back to Russia and more...

By the end of this week, it would have been quite a ten days for us...

Firstly, looking back;
On Thursday 20th September, I took the coach, making my first trip back to St Petersburg, as planned, for a conference that Hope Church was putting on.  David & Scilla Devenish were coming over for this weekend, and though Dave Henson's back condition did not allow him to be there, Hannah Henson was able to come instead.

Arriving in the city in the afternoon, I was immediately struck as the bus approached the station at the amount of traffic.  The roads were blocked in every direction.  People were walking through the gaps in traffic, going about life. There was no doubt - I was back in the big city!

And I've never 'visited' somewhere before where I am so familiar with the place, and even have the foreign language....I was to get to speak a lot of Russian this weekend, not that we'd got out of practice in Tallinn anyway, with Russian being widely spoken here too.
Descending the metro it was no more unusual than when we lived there.  St Petersburg has the deepest underground (metro) in the world, so you descend and ascend for about 3 minutes each time.  I was not in much of a hurry, and had bags with me anyway.  
What was strange, once at the hostel I was staying at, was being in the city and yet neither (at that point!) being with people, working or at home.  The hostel was very central so while that made getting around easy enough, there was noise from the cars and people moving around in their thousands all day (and all night!)  But it wasn't like I'm not used to it....it's just been 6 months.
On that first evening I made the trip out to where Hansie & Lena live.  It was the end of their home group so I was able to see three of the Russian ladies (plus baby Gleb who was just two months old when we left and I'd just seen once).  I then went out for a chat with Hansie after that to catch up on the news and to see how he was doing really.  
Friday morning again felt strange.  I went down to the church office but at 10am (what was I thinking!) of course it wouldn't be open.....that's still like the early hours in St Petersburg!  (The days do start later and finish later - Tallinn is a little more like Europe regarding office hours).
I then went to a nearby cafe and spent a couple of hours working on next Sunday's notes for our first Vision Sunday (more on that in a bit!).
Though there was a set plan for that evening and then the whole weekend, there was still quite a bit of time on Friday with nothing as yet set.  Realising that I needed (wanted!) to be with some of the folks from Hope Church (the reason I came back after all!) I sent some texts around and soon had back to back meetings that afternoon.  So I met with two home group leaders first and then went onto meet with another two after that.  In the evening was a meal for 10 couples, plus myself and Hannah.  There were two couples from Hope Church, three from All Nations, an Armenian couple from the Newfrontiers church in Tver, plus three other couples representing four local churches, together with David & Scilla.  David would share some things, tell some stories about what has been happening and answer some questions. 
It was a really relational evening and great to chat and meet up with so many wonderful people.  A theme of the weekend, it would again show me just how many people I've had the honour of meeting and getting to know over these last four years.

On Saturday morning there was the start of a two day conference titled "Together on Mission".  The first day was held at the Christian University where I used to study Russian over the last two years.  David did a wonderful job in telling the story of some of Jesus' ministry, before reading back through the scripture to show us that what he said was in the Bible.  I really got a lot out of his teaching and his style was really engaging - I like story-telling too (as an author, that's hardly surprising!) so it was a great experience for me too on that note.  In the lunch break I also got to speak with another two home group leaders.  All in all these conversations had been about encouraging their groups to multiply and releasing new leaders into this.  This is now something I will look to help them do over this next month.
Saturday evening, after the conference, I went back with Hansie & Lena, David & Scilla and Hannah to their flat for a meal.  We were joined by another couple and talked and shared stories.  Later on, I then had some time with David and Scilla to talk about Tallinn and get their advice and input on some things.  It was a very helpful and equipping time - one of the many 'value added' things in being part of a wider family of churches like Newfrontiers.
On Sunday morning it was at the hotel where Hope Church now meet - Hotel October - in the centre of the city. There were two churches together (Hope & All Nations) plus another 8 represented as well.  It was amazing to see the hall packed out, and all available chairs needed.  There was easily over 300 adults.  Worship was passionate and God focused.  It was multicultural, with over a dozen nationalities represented.
I shared an update on Tallinn from the front.  People were so happy to see me again and gave loads of gifts for both Rachel and the girls, who were not able to be with me on this trip.  Faith was stirred and they prayed for us all here.
Not long after that, one of the real highlights of the trip happened.  David welcomed into our Newfrontiers family of churches All Nations church.  These guys have been working really closely with Hope Church for a few years and hearing their African pastor sharing what it meant to him, it was truly humbling to think, that even in a small way, God has involved us in his plans and purposes in St Petersburg.  None of us went to Russia to get other churches to join Newfrontiers, but to plant a church.  This has purely come out of relationship and their desire to be joined with us under the same vision and calling to change the expression of Christianity around the world.
So after four years of first moving to St Petersburg, there are now two vibrant and passionate Newfrontiers churches in that great city.  There is room for dozens more too!
The conference finished at around two and then, once the hall was cleared and chatting with people was finished, I joined the dozens going to a local food court in the neighbouring shopping centre to eat together and continue relationship building.  While here, I saw a young lad with an Estonian scarf on, so I went up to him (I think this seemed odd to him!).  It worked out that he too lives in Tallinn and when he asked what part I lived in, he responded in surprise that he lived 300 metres from there!  Who would have thought, of all the millions in far away St Petersburg, I'd meet someone living so close.
And on Sunday night there was a leaders meeting for those from Hope Church and All Nations.  And this was in the hall where Hope Church first started.  It felt fitting.  It was another encouraging and powerful evening.
On Monday morning I was back on the bus and heading home.  The weekend had shown me what was possible.  To meet with so many and encourage where ever I could.  To bring some fresh faith from outside, with the heart and knowledge of what is going on in Hope Church.  There were invites near and far to come back when I could.  And long term, this is something (in God's wisdom and knowledge) that I feel is part of us being based in Tallinn for.

And Finally, looking forward;
So getting back to Tallinn, faith has been stirred.  This weekend we have our first Vision Sunday for the church plant. Having been gathering socially to invite friends and neighbours, and build community, once a month we are meeting to be reminded of vision, to be encouraged from the word and to worship together, launching us into the next month with faith, passion and vision for all the further gathering we will be doing.
Please pray for us this Sunday.  I will be starting a series talking through the story of Acts, taking a chapter or two each month to draw on encouragement and examples from the life of the early church, into the life of this early church in Tallinn.  The two weekly toddler groups also continue to go well.

The next two months will continue to build forward.  We'll be hosting a special weekend in Tallinn (news on that next time) that will see several other city church planters together here, as well as a couple of trips for me - one being to Riga, where I will be speaking four times over a weekend telling the story of the book of Ruth.  And the other is for a special cities gathering in London that I have been invited too.  Both these trips will happen in November, so more on these nearer the time.  We also continue to have many visitors.  On all these above points, life in Tallinn continues to be very different to what life had been like for us personally in St Petersburg.

Thanks for reading - I hope you have been encouraged as much as we have!

Coming up next;
The Church planting series continues with news from Latvia, Helsinki and even the USA......you don't want to miss it!

Another person rescued - Treasure in St Petersburg!

It has been a couple of weeks since we last went out Treasure Hunting - Saturday 26th March being that date. I didn't write up about it because honestly I didn't think much had really happened. I personally had very few conversations and certainly didn't find the people I believe I'd been looking for.

And yet yesterday, at Hope Church, Alexander, a Russian man in his late 50's comes along with Lena. Lena had been with us on the 26th, her first time doing a hunt. She herself is new to the church, not even yet a member. We'd had her around for dinner the weekend before and I'd talked all about why we go out onto the streets and was therefore encouraged to see her turn up that following week.

But there were not many of us then. In fact, the truth be told, the best conversation had by anyone was Lena's with a man by his front door. They talked for about 20 minutes. And it was this man, Alexander, that came with Lena to church yesterday - and after the meeting, prayed the prayer of repentance! Praise God.

The gospel of the salvation and grace of Jesus Christ is still at work, so powerfully, today!

We will now pray for this man that we can help grow him in his faith - we are starting an Alpha course in a couple of weeks so will encourage him to go on that too. Because salvation is not the end of things, it's the beginning. Saved & Added is how the New Testament church counted things and that is how we need to view things as well.

And yet I am still amazed that we have seen this much fruit already. Alexander is the fourth person to have responded to the gospel in the last six months through the street work alone. I know many far more faith-filled groups going out regularly, seeing healing's and having amazing words of knowledge, longing for salvation.

But it's the 'added' bit that I'm praying about - our first three treasures quickly disappeared (one guy, who prayed on the streets for salvation, didn't actually come to church!). Now we need to start praying for Alexander, the latest man to find his way to Jesus, that the word takes root in his life, that there is good soil, and that we see a rich harvest of grace and love in his heart.

I'm such a novice - if the truth be told, I felt after the last time like it would be my last time. I've still yet to have any real encounters in English, so am always struggling through language, as well as needing to sometimes keep my distance from things (due to visa regulations).

And yet I see where we are going. I see in my mind the church on the streets of the cities, healing the sick, casting out demons, bringing freedom where there are captives, life where there is only death. This is the power of the gospel - power to take us, once dead, but now made alive in and only through the life & victory of Jesus Christ - the one true Lord and Saviour of all - God himself.

So we will press through - we will face hardships and disappointments. We will face mockers and those that run from us. Because only through the church pressing forward can we take ground from the enemy. Only through the church can we see people set free from fears as we declare the gospel, the life of Jesus. Only through Him can the dead be brought back to life.

So we will not stop. We will go - and whatever it takes, whatever the cost, we will go!

Treasure Hunting Update - 5th Feb 2011

So, I've just got back from Hope Churches latest hunting session.

It was a much smaller group this time - just the three of us - but God's works well in three, doesn't He!

Time was a little limited as well for one team member, so we hit the streets quickly. I had written down 'Brokenness', and also that 'we'd need compassion'. So I was looking for lots of broken people, be they emotional hurts or physical.

Janna & Johan then got speaking to a homeless man. I hung back, watching for others and praying. Speaking three onto one would be too overwhelming. This was all around the 'Metro', another of our clues.

I tried to speak to two people in the mean time - one guy reading a book in the midst of a wet snow storm. I said to him the book must be really good to be standing outside reading it. He seemed less amused. End of conversation. Another guy with a strong limp walked past, maybe it was a broken leg. He didn't want to talk either when I caught up with him.

A lady selling phone SIM's, with a stick, did allow us to pray, though not over her, just as we were walking around.

Back to the homeless man. They spoke with him for about 10 minutes, maybe more. I learnt after the hunt that he clearly was emotionally - broken. He cried as Janna shared God's love with him. Janna even then prayed a prayer of repentance with him, which he prayed also. So praise God! Johan said though that he seemed less impressed to find out we were from a pentecostal style church....but that's over to God now.

Another guy would have nothing to do with us....smoking and drinking as he was....stating he was Christian because he was Russian and Orthordox...

While hanging around that area some more, clearly one old Russian lady had been watching me.....not really talking to me, she was walking off saying I was an American agent - eg a spy. I've been asked if we were terrorists before as well.

In response this time, though she wasn't going to listen to an American spy, whatever he had to say, I just said I'm not American.....funny how my first reaction was to state I wasn't American as to state I wasn't either a spy!

Janna recognised a lady in a food stand that she'd spoken to on a previous hunt - she now had a copy of a tract in Kazac, so was able to give it to her.

So God alone knows who we were and weren't to speak too. We didn't find our Slava's, or Paul's, or Lena or Fred or Clark. Maybe they walked past us. Maybe we were just in the wrong place.

I long for the day's when we have dozens of people going out on these times, not because they have to but because they get the chance to! I long for the days of seeing proper miracles happening through these teams, and people giving their lives totally to Jesus on the streets. I long to see future church planters found, worship leaders and pastors, found on the streets in our hunts and having their lives radically transformed through the power and life that is ONLY found in Jesus.

So 3 or 33 people, this is why we go out. We need to start somewhere. Better to start today while we are still learning, than in a tomorrow that will never come.

We go out next in 4 weeks - 5th March. Lord, I pray for a great crowd to join us then and that you would prepare now those people that we'll meet and speak to, those miracles that we will pray for and those souls that you will save.

Amen!

Treasure Hunting Update

We kicked of this year of growth by taking teams out last Saturday Treasure Hunting once again. There had been a bit of a gap since last going out onto the streets, so on one level it did feel like some momentum was lost. Could we have the fun of the first or third time's we went out...

What was really exciting for me was to see a good crowd turn up - 11 in all, and six of these were here for the first time.

We went out in three teams - mixed languages and level's of 'experience' at this, though as I've learned, it's usually those doing it for the first time that have the best encounters!!

So there was an element for me personally, taking three first-timers with me, of training and explaining 'how it works' - a concept I'm still getting my head around myself! And once again, I've still never done a Treasure Hunt in English, nor properly met some Treasure who speaks English. But my Russian is improving as a result, I guess!

Walking to the session, I felt God give me the verses about the kings banquet, but the invited guests not turning up. I had Highway's & Byways in mind, so searched my Bible for those words...finding in fact that my NIV version uses Street Corners in stead. I shared how sometimes people find there own way to church, and some times, like this passage, we need to go out and find them. I said it might be that Corners are important today. I wrote it down on my list anyway, to be sure!

Just up from our office is a junction known as 5 Corners. So I think it figured in all the teams journeys.

Another interesting thing was that in all three teams, we learnt AFTER the event, we had the same clue - Orange Jacket.

Our Orange Jacket lady I first saw some way off and there wasn't the chance to talk. Getting back to 5 Corners I saw her a second time on the opposite corner walking away from us. I pointed this out to a couple with me, and said if (when!) we see her a third time, to go after her. I soon saw her coming our way again so sent this couple off. They spoke with her. She has 5 children. They invited her to church.

All in all I would say there were 15-20 conversations and invitations were given out in our 60 minute session. One team, as a clue, got the 'name' of one lady - this is something we were seeing happening increasing more last year - and we pray will happen again! It helps, so much!

I started chatting with a Russian man who was standing in an alley having a cigarette. I told him my name - Tim - and then he said his initials were the same - T.I.M - as my name. He knew a lot of history about England. I explained what we were doing and why I was in Russia and invited him along to church.

He didn't necessarily 'fit' any of our clues but God can work in any situation. We just need to give him space.

So it was a start - we didn't see anyone come to church last Sunday - lets pray that they come this week.

We next go out on the 5th February. Please pray with us for a growing momentum in words of knowledge and that God would use them to greatly open up situations for ministry into the Treasure's that surround us in St Petersburg.