American, Russian UMs bond in home visits
From left, Dr. Ann Johnston, Cathy Williams Hargrave, Dr. Bruce Hargrave and Rev.Zhenya Gurina on the train from St. Petersburg to Voronezh, where First UMC,Rockwall's partner church, New Commandment UMC, is located.
From left, Ed Schwaneke, Michael Kim; Charlene Schwaneke, Marina Kim, and Rev. Slava Kim gather at the Kim family home in Voronezh.
BY JEANNETTE KETON
First UMC, Rockwall
Mission teams from First UMC, Rockwall, visiting their sister church in Voronezh, Russia,usually go there with specific goals in mind: doing repairs, mentoring the pastor and layleaders, holding seminars on worship activities and youth programs, and counselingthose suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.
An eight-member team took a different tack during their trip last July to New Commandment UMC, Voronezh, a city of about one million people some 300 milessouthwest of Moscow. Team members counseled and gave seminars, but their primary focus was developing personal relationships withmembers of the church.
They stayed in congregants’ homes, ate dinner each night in the homes of other churchmembers and went on a day-long church-sponsored outing to nearby Camp Krystal, aMethodist-owned camp.
“Four years ago, we stayed in hotels and ate at local restaurants,” said Dr. Ann Johnston,a marriage and substance abuse counselor who traveled with a Rockwall mission team toVoronezh in 2004. “Our experience this year was so much more enriching. Ourrelationships are now more personal and loving.”
“It’s difficult to comprehend all of the restrictions on religion there,” said CharleneSchwaneke, who also made her second trip to Voronezh in July. “I hope that our sharedcamaraderie in Jesus Christ gives our Russian sisters and brothers some comfort….comfort that they most likely don’t find withtheir neighbors.”
Some 70 percent of the Russian people consider themselves Russian Orthodox andmany view Protestantism as a cult. Russian Methodists often feel isolated because oftheir small numbers and federal laws that restrict their activities in Russia. Many lose friends when they join the church because it is not a part of traditional Russian culture.
Members of New Commandment UMC were initially hesitant to open their homes to theRockwall team, said the Rev. Vyacheslav Kim, who served as pastor until August whenhe assumed responsibilities as district superintendent for the Kazakhstan district.
“They know Americans have big, nice houses and they were afraid [the team] would notbe comfortable in their homes,” he explained. Their attitudes changed after First UMC,Rockwall, missions pastor Rev. Bruce Hargrave made a point of visiting many churchmembers in their homes during a trip he made to Voronezh in 2007. By the time planningbegan for the larger team’s trip last July, congregants were eager for them to stay with them.
First UMC, Rockwall, team members were humbled by church members’ hospitality.
Most of the host families gave up their beds to their American visitors, sleeping on thefloor or on couches instead. Other church members hosted dinners for team members.And more than half of New commandment’s 40 members participated in the daylong tripto Camp Krystal.
“For many families, this was the event of the year,” said Zhenya Gurina, a NewCommandment UMC member who is a student at Brite Divinity School at Texas ChristianUniversity, Fort Worth. First UMC, Rockwall, pays a part of her tuition. She served asinterpreter for the team during their trip to Russia.
“Some church members redecorated their apartments and houses to welcome thebrothers and sisters from the USA,” Gurina said. “They not only opened the doors of theirhomes, but also their hearts to the American team.”
“Everybody was doing their very best to make sure that the guests were comfortable andhappy, Gurina continued. “Many families spent twice or even three times more rubles thatmonth than usual, because they sincerely wanted to show their American sisters andbrothers how much they appreciated their friendship and readiness to have personalrelationships with them, find out about their families, listen to their stories, eat theirmeals. We all were able to move beyond language, culture, social and financial barriersinto a great Christian friendship,” Gurina said.
Incoming Pastor Vladimir Pakomov was even more emphatic. ”You help bring us out of the darkness,” he said during the mission team’s last dinner in Voronezh. “You exemplifytrue Christian love. Nikita Khrushchev once said he would show the world the last faithfulperson in Russia….He is now gone and we are here today. We have torn down the ironcurtain and are united in faith.”
For more information, please call 972-771-5500 or visit www.fumcrockwall.com.
