LATE WINTER 2004

Hello to our dear family and friends from Tambov, Russia Calvary Chapel. We are going at a steady hum. The most significant development in the past several months I think has been a greater emphasis on praying together as a church as often as we can...and what a difference it has been! Where there were occasional disagreements among believers, now there is virtually none. We prayed for church unity and got it. A passion for the unsaved has seized our church and the people constantly pray for the unbelievers that have now begun to attend our church.

I think it all started when we watched two films as a church called: Transformations parts 1 & 2. These movies were real live documentaries of cities in the world that were full of crime and drugs but because of the continual prayers of the believers that lived in the cities, the cities were completely transformed. Most of the residents became Christians and the crime and drugs stopped and were replaced by joyous people marching down the streets praising God and engaging in productive work activities. Our people were so inspired that they insisted on a prayer meeting every week which makes a fifth day of weekly church activities. Although, we cannot always attend, there are always a few people that open up the room and pray with all their might. We also have a prayer schedule on the wall so we can spread out our prayer time for the city and the church to throughout the day.

Probably one of the key prayer warriors is a bouncy teenage girl called Olga. Olga was looking for a ministry at church. She couldn’t be in the worship band like her sister and was two shy to teach a Bible study so she started praying for lists of people. She also writes an encouraging note to almost every person at church and puts it in then the church mailbox every week. She started greeting newcomers and started using her outgoing nature to talk with them and just love them. Now Olga says she feels she has the most important ministry of all and she does!


Olya Kuleshova

After our focus on prayer, we noticed that many new people started coming to church. In fact, there was a new-comer at every church gathering for two months. One attendee asked what we were doing to get all these new people. Just the prayer meeting, I replied. What all the concerts and street evangelism couldn’t do, prayer did. Our people joyfully bonded with the newcomers, seeing their prayers were being answered. You see when you pray, God prepares your heart to respond properly to the answer. These people are perfectly delighted and full of love every time some one new comes to church. Now about one fourth of our church are unbelievers that quietly listen to the sermons and happily socialize with people afterward. No one pushes them to make a decision for Christ. It is a gradual thing. They must first learn all about who God really is and they do every time they hear a sermon. We know God’s word does not return void. It is so exciting to know that there are many little seeds of faith in our church growing in people’s hearts and all sprouting at different times and growing.

Our children play a big part in the prayer at our church. At home, we pray as a family. They know each member by name and all the unbelievers that regularly come. They pray and plead for all of them then excitedly tell me when they see them come through the doors of our church or when they notice a newcomer worshipping or reading their Bible.They never give up praying for someone and seem to have more perseverance than myself at times. They know they are in the Lord’s army and are playing a vital role in our church.

   click to enlarge pictures
The Currans: Ray, Elizabeth, little Ray, Rebecca, Dara, and baby Robert

We have a girl called Anastasia in the church who has trememdously matured in the Lord. After taking over the Sunday school, Anastasia started teaching children at a children’s handicapped center where handicapped children gather each week. She had previously led games with the children once a year. Now she goes once a week to teach the children a Bible story. Other church members accompany her, glad to be part of an untapped ministry.

Recently Anastasia caught pneumonia and could not go to the Moscow Calvary Chapel women’s conference with the rest of us. She would have to spend two weeks in the hospital. Anastasia was heart-broken until she realized what a wonderful opportunity she had to share her faith in her own hospital room. With no television and with 6 residents to a room, people just talk to one another all day. Anastasia, naturally shared her faith with everyone. One elderly Russian Orthodox believer said, “Where did you learn such a beautiful prayer?” “I just talk to God from my heart,” replied Anastasia. We went to visit Anastasia at the hospital and she radiated joy. She was already planning a Bible study to teach us on Friday about what she learned!


Anastasia Raspopova

Dennis has found a ministry at church. At Christmas, he asked for a tape-recorder so he could copy tapes. He has started a Christian music library at our church. He has copied 50 tapes of Christian music and has fifty more to go. Now people can listen to all the Christian music they want.


Dennis Gazizov

Some of our people had gone to the center for homeless men to sing and preach. A few men had come to our church and one invited his friend, Sasha. Sasha came to believe in Jesus and here is his testimony:

“I came to church, and started listening to Ray’s sermons. I learned what it was like to understand God’s word. Little by little, I started to
believe in God. I started to have love for other people. Now I regretted how I used to tell Christians that they believed a lot of nonsense. Now I witness to everyone at work. I turn on my tape recorder and play Christian songs. People listen to one or two songs then tell me to turn it off. I tell them, “To know God is to know life.” The only people that listen to me are one other worker and the boss. I am not afraid to tell others about God. I am not afraid of losing my job. You see, everything is in God’s hands. I pray for those people that they would also believe in Jesus as I do.”

Sasha Logunov

Here is another testimony by Andrei, our Sunday morning worship leader:

“I remember praying to God that I would get accepted by the college of my choice. God answered my prayer and I was accepted. My friend Vlad kept inviting me to church so I went. I first went to hear the worship music. It touched my heart and I began to be drawn to God through music. I went back again to hear more music. Then I started paying attention to the sermon on Genesis. I carefully observed Ray, trying to catch him in a sin or to see some hypocrisy but I saw none. Three months later, I made the hard decision to be baptized and to follow Christ. I was still very immature in my faith and the very next day, I sinned with my girlfriend. As I was coming home, a truck drove by and splashed muddy water all over me from a puddle. I felt God saying to me, “This is what you have done to yourself with sin.” I tried to follow God but I still had one foot in the world. I was afraid to give up the world and follow Christ fully. Then Vlad invited me to a birthday of one of the people at the church. We laughed and played games and music all night and there was no drinking, smoking, or drugs. Then I realized that Christians really enjoy life more than anyone. After this, I left all my old worldly friends behind and started following Christ fully.

I had come to God through music and now I started wanting to play music for God. My stack of worldly tapes began to get smaller and my stack of Christian music tapes got taller. Vlad taught me how to play many Christian songs on the guitar. Later, I became a worship leader.”


Andrei Chaus

Brothers and Sisters, this Vlad who helped lead Andrei to the Lord very much needs your prayers. This is the same Vlad that for two years corrected Ray's Russian sermons for mistakes before church so Ray could speak them better. He played in our worship band and was forever telling his friends about Christ. Well, it seems he has chosen now to believe in a different Jesus and adopt a whole new doctrine of God. He doesn’t go to the church anymore. This has been a shattering event for many in the church. We keep praying he will come back to true faith. Will you join us? He is like a son to us.

Other than that, our church is doing wonderfully. We have everything we want, except, of course, for the whole city of Tambov to be saved. We are forever grateful for the beautiful large hall God gave us that we rent 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. It is used pretty much every day of the week. Now we don’t have to lug all our instruments and speakers to church every Bible study and clear out the room at an appointed time. People may stay and chat, play music and pray for as late as they like and they do. We bought all new sound equipment recently to improve the sound of the worship. People have decorated the walls and curtained the windows and made the room as pretty as a palace. It’s not cheap to rent but God always has supplied all our needs here. We thank you all very much for being a part of this fellowship in your prayers and generous financial support.

We love you all and encourage you to live a life of prayer. Don’t give up praying for your needs. God will either give you what you need or something even better and change your heart for the better even as you pray.

Rebecca Curran
03/09/04

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Russian home address:

392000, Russia
Tambov
Proletarskaya St.,189
apt. 29
Raymond Curran

phone/fax: 0117-0752-71-90-83

e-mail: rcurran@mail.ru or rcurran@pub.tmb.ru