wfn.org | "Make Yourselves More Prominent in Society"

[APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com]

April 20, 2001
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

"Make Yourselves More Prominent in Society," 
Russian Leader Tells Adventists

Moscow, Russia.        Protestant churches, including 
the Seventh-day Adventist, Baptist, and Lutheran 
denominations, are traditional religions in Russia 
and should be treated equally with other faiths, says 
regional government official V. Lukovnikov.

As director of religious affairs for Russia's Irkutsk 
region in Siberia, Lukovnikov recently invited clergy 
members from five faiths to explain their beliefs 
during a seminar for government administrators
and city mayors in Irkutsk. Included in the meetings 
were Russian Orthodox, Catholic, Baptist, Adventist, 
and Muslim representatives.

Lukovnikov's goal for the seminar was to acquaint 
area officials with the major religions in their 
territory.

Representing the Adventist Church was Ivan 
Khiminets, a pastor and president of the church in 
eastern Russia. He described Adventist beliefs about 
the Sabbath, tithing, Biblical prophecy, and other
subjects. He also mentioned the church's emphasis on 
healthy living and good family relationships.

"[Your church] is doing a meaningful work," 
Lukovnikov said after the seminar. He also praised 
the strong spiritual atmosphere he had found during a 
visit to an Adventist institution in Tula, Russia. 

In an interview with Irina Supryaga, regional 
director of communication for the Adventist Church, 
Lukovnikov urged small church denominations
to make themselves more prominent in society to 
avoid being labeled as sects. Lukovnikov also 
discussed a biased newspaper article against
Adventists that recently appeared in the Siberian 
city of Bratsk. The problem, he said, is that newspaper 
editors and the public are poorly informed about the 
Adventist Church.

"What charitable activities are [you] doing for our 
region?" he asked. "We need to be aware of these 
activities and cooperate more closely with you. 
Proclaim yourselves more often and more boldly."

Adventist leaders expressed enthusiasm after 
participating in this dialogue between religious and 
government leaders. "We want to believe that this 
remarkable event will help many citizens of our 
region to view God and the Adventist Church in a 
new light and destroy barriers to preaching the 
gospel in Siberia," says Supryaga.

Adventist believers have been present in Russia for 
more than a century, and the majority of current 
church leaders in the country are citizens of Russia 
or nearby former Soviet nations. However, Adventists
and other Protestant groups often face government 
restrictions on their activities on the grounds that 
they are not native Russian churches.[Editors: Irina 
Supryaga/Rebecca Scoggins for ANN/APD]