April 2006

With the help of the Lord and of your care and prayers, I have completed the last course I was lacking of at my TCM Institute program successfully. Now I will be able to talk with the Darwinists on the same page having MA in ministry, the same degree Darwin had (not counting my degrees in natural sciences he did not have) 🙂 Now we are going there together with Olga for the graduation in May.

Another great news of the month is the Lectorium on Science and the Bible at Kiev ‘Planetarium’, the most well-known facility of ‘Znaneye’ (‘the knowledge’) State Enlightenment Society (former greatest agent for communist/evolutionist ideological brainwashing) got started!

Before the first seminar of the Lectorium a press-conference was made, where leading scientists of Science and Apologetics Society declared their position on the need of deliberation of school curriculums from the naturalism/evolutionism ideology and equal access of the student to various approach of the scientific facts cosmological interpretation, including Scientific Creationism and Intelligent Design. Practically all national newspapers gave information about it.

However some newspapers recited ideas from Soviet Encyclopedia on anti-scientific nature of creationism, the names and scientific credentials of the Lectorium / press-conference speakers made this statements fall flat. Among them – academicians, professors and doctors; experts in Microbiology, Paleontology, Ecology; Cybernetics, Nuclear Physics, Medicine; heads of research institutes, laboratories and groups. I would consider having a vision-driven cohort like this as one of the greatest achievement of our Center 15 years ministry!

Both press-conference and the Lectorium is a precedent of great importance that encourages Christians in other regions of former Soviet Union to boldly confront monopoly of naturalism/evolutionism ideology in education, social and political life. We have arranged a video recording of the Lectorium workshops and will send the records to the regions for the better impact of it for the Kingdom spread. Please pray for the wisdom and guidance from the Lord in this great opportunity He has provided us.

We highly appreciate the prayers about our video production team. The studio relocation went fine and the team is back to the projects with a great joy now. Our ambitious plans are following (may God help us!):May 10 – Walking thru the Past video on Paleontology complete
May 15 – Family and the Bible conference seminars DVD version complete
May 20 – The Lesson video shooting complete
May 26 – Science and the Bible distant learning MM course complete
August 1 – The Lesson sound recording and cut complete

As for now, the multimedia version of the distance learning course ‘Systematical Apologetics’ is completed already. The course version is a multi (4) windows flash presentation. The student can see the instructor speaking in one window, the correspondent PowerPoint presentation in another one, the lesson outline in the third one, and the references in the last one. It came out really great!

Additionally to the distant learning courses (Systematic Apologetics; Science and the Bible) that are going to be distributed on DVD-ROMs alongside with Christian Apologetics Electronic Library, we have completed the on-line test taking program. After a student has studied lectures and completed the assignments, he/she gets the on-line address and disposable password, gets to the web page and has 45 min there to take a final test. Both we and the student are getting automatic e-mail report on the results.

One more book translation project is done and about to go to the press – ‘Transforming Leadership’ by Leighton Ford. The book has nothing to do with the Apologetics directly, but it is greatly needed for the Body of believers’ development in our part of the world impacted by totalitarism. The book teaches to follow Christ as a greatest model for a leader. Unlike many books on the issue, Transforming Leadership do not provide ‘what to do’ recommendations (relevant in particular culture only), but makes an analysis of Jesus’ leadership principles, introducing the readers with the idea of a perfect leader model, according to which personal qualities of a Christian leader should be developed and examined. The book analyzes various aspects of the leadership ministry of Jesus as the One, Who has fulfilled the supreme will (The Son), as the strategist, the seeker, the seer, the strong one, the servant, the Shepherd-maker, the spokesperson, the struggler, and the sustainer. The greatest lesson we can learn in the book from the work of Jesus as a leader is that the leader deals not with such abstract notions as roles and functions, but with specific people, the love to whom should be leader’s main passion and motivation. It is a great reminder that only the one, who is the true Christ’s follower, is the true Christian leader. This is extremely important for the post-communist society impacted by totalitarian leadership models mostly.

Another translation project close to its ending is ‘Seven C’s of History. Helping children defend their faith’ curriculum. It gives the general overview of the history of the world according to the Bible with its main points (“C’s”) – creation, corruption, catastrophe, confusion, Christ, cross, consummation. The curriculum is going to be tested at children’s camp we plan in June, and offered to other churches and ministries after the approbation.

There are good news and bad news from Andrey, our coordinator at Uzbekistan. The bad one is that the legal responsibility for the unauthorized meetings (classes, evangelism, worship, etc.) is increased considerably. It endangers the fee $400-800 (an average person annual income) at first encounter and an imprisonment with the criminal charge at the next one. However, on the other hand, Andrey has got the license as a teacher for doing the lessons at any public schools, and leads our Science and the Bible seminars right during the classes! (see the pictures attached) Please pray for him, his family and his team safety, guidance and wisdom.

Please pray for all the projects mentioned above.