25th Anniversary Celebrations of the National Alliance Church in Russia

The National Conference and the 25th Anniversary celebrations of the National Alliance Church in Russia (ECMU) took place May 23-25 in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia.

The EMERALD family was represented at both events through the active participation of Rev. Munther Shahatit (AWF Regional Coordinator for the EMERALD Region), Mr. Eoghan Cosgrave (AWF Secretary for the EMERALD Region), and Rev. Misha Medvedev (EMERALD Regional Coordinating Committee Member). In honor of the occasion, a presentation was made to Rev. Dmitry Konovalenko, ECMU President, by Rev. Munther Shahatit on behalf of the EMERALD Region of the AWF.

The events were also attended by C&MA USA mission partners, who have played a significant role in the growth of the Alliance in Russia.

It was a time of celebration and thanksgiving for what the Lord has done in the Alliance family in Russia during the last 25 years. ECMU started with 20 churches in 1994 and has now grown to 65 churches with a very strong mission focus. One of the key factors in the growth has been education, with the decision to create the Kuban Evangelical Christian University. Over the last 25 years, Kuban has trained many Christian workers to a very high standard for both the ECMU and other national evangelical churches.

The five presidents of the ECMU were honored by the Alliance family at a ceremony where God was thanked for providing workers to lead ECMU through its different periods of growth. The Christian & Missionary Alliance USA mission partners were also honored for their past and continued commitment to the Alliance family in Russia.

A special presentation of church planting among Gypsy communities in Crimea was marked by Gypsy brothers and sisters leading worship.

The National Alliance Church in Russia has a very strong mission and church planting focus. The ECMU has several ongoing missionary projects:

• Orphanages in Nepal since 2009.
• Church planting in Burgas, Bulgaria since 2017.
• Missions outreach in the Holy Land.
• Church planting in other states within the Russian Federation.
• Children’s camps and English outreach camps in Novorossiysk on the Black Sea coast.

The ECMU commitment to mission has not faltered despite the current difficult economic situation where the Russian ruble has lost over a third of its value in the last five years.

The EMERALD Region has now adopted the church planting project in Burgas, Bulgaria, as an EMERALD Missions Project inviting members of the EMERALD family to participate. The EMERALD Region needs to raise additional funding of 400 euros per month to ensure that the project has sufficient resources to continue to grow.

We give thanks for God’s faithfulness to the Alliance ECMU family over the last 25 years and look forward with eagerness to what God has planned for the ECMU in the next 25 years.

Please pray for:

• The Kuban Evangelical Christian University, which is under pressure from state authorities in relation to its certification as an educational institute.
• The church planting project in Burgas, Bulgaria, for the funding required to ensure that the project has sufficient resources to continue to grow.
• The mission orphanages in Nepal.
• Volunteers for the English outreach children’s camps in Novorossiysk.