(HQ) Thanksgiving Note and Prayer Topics (for CIS) from the UBF General Director
- by Ron Ward
- Feb 08, 2025
- 1046 reads
Article Writer: Pastor Ron Ward (UBF General Director)
Event Category: Directors Conference
Chapter: UBF Chapters in The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Date: January 3-5 in Yerevan, Armenia
Event Category: Directors Conference
Chapter: UBF Chapters in The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
Date: January 3-5 in Yerevan, Armenia
"The word of God assured us that we are God’s chosen people with a living hope in the kingdom of heaven. Christ has given us everlasting life in his glorious eternal kingdom and has promised us resurrection bodies that are imperishable and powerful. We could renew our calling and experience heavenly joy in our hearts."
Now, as February has come, and I look back over January’s activity, I cannot but give thanks to God for his grace and to all of God’s servants for your prayers. These are what have sustained me. I realized this deeply in mid-January. After a long journey to Armenia and S. nation, I had a few days in Chicago before the next journey began. I had many things to do. But suddenly, I became very ill and could do nothing but stay in bed trying to recover. Whenever I heard a plane fly over my house, I felt nauseated and thought, “Do I really have to continue this kind of travel?” Frankly, it seemed impossible. But just 48 hours before I was scheduled to leave, the Holy Spirit visited me and gave me a strong anointing and healing. By God’s power, I could get up and travel to Egypt and Portugal and deliver the new year’s message with God’s strength. I remembered Apostle Paul’s words, “yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1Co 15:10b). Though the sufferings are real, God’s grace puts them into perspective and fills me with new strength and joy and vision. Now, I want to share with you some of the great things God has done during New Year’s conferences around the world. I will continue to do so over the next few weeks.
The Director’s conference for the Commonwealth of Independent States was held from January 3-5 in Yerevan, Armenia. It was a very special conference because almost all of the CIS leaders, as well as visitors from Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, Germany, Latvia and the USA could attend. This had not been possible since the pandemic. I wanted to visit Russia several times, but because of the war I was advised not to. Security concerns were so serious that we could not even exchange emails. So for quite some time, Headquarters did not receive reports of God’s work in the Commonwealth of Independent States. We really wondered how our brothers and sisters in the CIS were getting along.
On the first night of the conference, each chapter leader shared a mission report. These reports were full of news of the great work of God. They were just stunning to hear and revealed that in hard situations, God worked for the good of his people. For example, M. Peter K. (Mgimo) shared that a shepherd, who had served side by side with him for 25 years and established a house church, left the ministry in 2024. M. Peter felt a deep sense of loss and even questioned the value of his missionary life. In that heartbreaking situation, he heard God’s call to repent. He realized that his righteousness did not depend on his achievements or ministry success, but only on the finished work of Christ. He accepted Christ more deeply as his only Savior and Lord. After this, new students from the campus began to come to Bible study – something that had not happened for a long time. Listening to his testimony, I realized how intimately and powerfully God was with his people in the CIS. And there were many other powerful testimonies and mission reports.
The conference messages were very heartmoving and effective. M. Andrew H. of Irkutsk shared on 1 John 4, “God is Love.” He realized that he has been so loved by Christ but that his love for his children and coworkers had not been deep enough. His humble and repentant struggle with God’s word moved many to repent. I shared on 1 Peter 1, “A Living Hope.” The word of God assured us that we are God’s chosen people with a living hope in the kingdom of heaven. Christ has given us everlasting life in his glorious eternal kingdom and has promised us resurrection bodies that are imperishable and powerful. We could renew our calling and experience heavenly joy in our hearts. Sh. Abraham Y. shared the final message based on Isaiah 49:1, “A Light to the Gentiles.” His spirited message opened our eyes to God’s great vision and renewed our sense of mission. There were also powerful lectures by P. Deuk Hyun K. on “Law and Grace,” and M. David K. on “The Spirituality of the Cross.” In brief, it was a spiritual feast.
It was not easy to hold a conference in Armenia. There is currently no UBF chapter in Armenia. In that situation, M. David L. (CIS Continental Coordinator) and Sh. Artyom D. (Moscow) and M. Nehemiah L. (St. Petersburg Art Center) worked hard and faithfully to make all of the preparations. M. David Lee also gave encouraging prayer topics and announcements throughout the conference. His shepherd heart for CIS leaders and overflowing, contagious joy in Christ lifted the spirits of all attendants. I thanked God for raising him as a leader in the CIS at this time.
Armenia, along with Georgia and Azerbaijan, form a region called “South Caucasus.” These three rather small nations are bordered by Turkey and Iran in the south and Russia in the north. Armenia’s history is very long, going back 6,000 years. They identify as “the people of Ar,” with “Ar” referring to the Creator God. According to their oral tradition, their people can be traced back to the time of Noah. Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark landed, has historically been part of Armenia – though it is currently claimed by Turkey. They believe that Noah himself planted vineyards in Armenia after he came out of the ark. And to this day the wine business is one of the most important in their economy.
The Christian history of Armenia has some distinctive elements. Jesus’ disciples Bartholomew and Thaddeus preached the gospel in Armenia in the first century. Tradition says that they both became martyrs. Another key Christian leader was St. Gregory the Illuminator (257-328 A.D.) He was raised as a Christian in Cappadocia. As an adult, he entered the service of King Tiridates III in Armenia. When Gregory refused to make a sacrifice to a pagan goddess, he was thrown into prison and tortured in many ways. When this did not dissuade him from confessing Christ as Lord, he was put into a pit and left there for 14 years. He was miraculously saved from death and released by the help of the king’s sister. Afterward, Gregory converted King Tiridates III to Christianity. He preached the gospel to and baptized countless Armenians. Armenia declared itself to be a Christian country in 301 A.D., twelve years before the Roman Empire became Christian. Armenia is the first nation in history to declare themselves a Christian country.
The Armenian people have kept their identity for many centuries, even though their land has been invaded by foreign powers again and again. I asked our Armenian tour guide how they could keep their identity so well. Her answer mostly credited the social power of the Armenian Apostolic Church – not the spiritual power, but the social power. Time and again, Islamic invaders tried to acculturate the Armenians and erase their Christian identity. Their greatest tactic was to take young Armenian women and give them in marriage to Muslim men. Whenever this happened, the Armenian relatives broke their relationship with their sister/daughter. They were willing to do this to keep their identity. However, their worship is highly liturgical, similar to that of the Catholic Church. Most ordinary people do not study the Bible deeply or try to practice it personally. They need Bible teachers. In that respect, Armenia is a golden mission field. There is a foundation of Christian faith and freedom to preach the gospel. By the way, the dollar is very strong in Armenia. Anyone with a pension in the USA can live very comfortably in Armenia. M. David L. prays that missionaries may go to Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. I wholeheartedly join him in this prayer topic.
Let’s thank God for blessing the CIS leaders and empowering them with the living hope in Christ to participate in the sufferings of Christ. Let’s thank God, who is with them and helps them overcome all trials by trusting in him. Let’s pray for the spread of the gospel in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the raising of Jesus’ disciples, and for the pioneering of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Next year’s conference will most likely be in Azerbaijan.
The Director’s conference for the Commonwealth of Independent States was held from January 3-5 in Yerevan, Armenia. It was a very special conference because almost all of the CIS leaders, as well as visitors from Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, Germany, Latvia and the USA could attend. This had not been possible since the pandemic. I wanted to visit Russia several times, but because of the war I was advised not to. Security concerns were so serious that we could not even exchange emails. So for quite some time, Headquarters did not receive reports of God’s work in the Commonwealth of Independent States. We really wondered how our brothers and sisters in the CIS were getting along.
On the first night of the conference, each chapter leader shared a mission report. These reports were full of news of the great work of God. They were just stunning to hear and revealed that in hard situations, God worked for the good of his people. For example, M. Peter K. (Mgimo) shared that a shepherd, who had served side by side with him for 25 years and established a house church, left the ministry in 2024. M. Peter felt a deep sense of loss and even questioned the value of his missionary life. In that heartbreaking situation, he heard God’s call to repent. He realized that his righteousness did not depend on his achievements or ministry success, but only on the finished work of Christ. He accepted Christ more deeply as his only Savior and Lord. After this, new students from the campus began to come to Bible study – something that had not happened for a long time. Listening to his testimony, I realized how intimately and powerfully God was with his people in the CIS. And there were many other powerful testimonies and mission reports.
The conference messages were very heartmoving and effective. M. Andrew H. of Irkutsk shared on 1 John 4, “God is Love.” He realized that he has been so loved by Christ but that his love for his children and coworkers had not been deep enough. His humble and repentant struggle with God’s word moved many to repent. I shared on 1 Peter 1, “A Living Hope.” The word of God assured us that we are God’s chosen people with a living hope in the kingdom of heaven. Christ has given us everlasting life in his glorious eternal kingdom and has promised us resurrection bodies that are imperishable and powerful. We could renew our calling and experience heavenly joy in our hearts. Sh. Abraham Y. shared the final message based on Isaiah 49:1, “A Light to the Gentiles.” His spirited message opened our eyes to God’s great vision and renewed our sense of mission. There were also powerful lectures by P. Deuk Hyun K. on “Law and Grace,” and M. David K. on “The Spirituality of the Cross.” In brief, it was a spiritual feast.
It was not easy to hold a conference in Armenia. There is currently no UBF chapter in Armenia. In that situation, M. David L. (CIS Continental Coordinator) and Sh. Artyom D. (Moscow) and M. Nehemiah L. (St. Petersburg Art Center) worked hard and faithfully to make all of the preparations. M. David Lee also gave encouraging prayer topics and announcements throughout the conference. His shepherd heart for CIS leaders and overflowing, contagious joy in Christ lifted the spirits of all attendants. I thanked God for raising him as a leader in the CIS at this time.
Armenia, along with Georgia and Azerbaijan, form a region called “South Caucasus.” These three rather small nations are bordered by Turkey and Iran in the south and Russia in the north. Armenia’s history is very long, going back 6,000 years. They identify as “the people of Ar,” with “Ar” referring to the Creator God. According to their oral tradition, their people can be traced back to the time of Noah. Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark landed, has historically been part of Armenia – though it is currently claimed by Turkey. They believe that Noah himself planted vineyards in Armenia after he came out of the ark. And to this day the wine business is one of the most important in their economy.
The Christian history of Armenia has some distinctive elements. Jesus’ disciples Bartholomew and Thaddeus preached the gospel in Armenia in the first century. Tradition says that they both became martyrs. Another key Christian leader was St. Gregory the Illuminator (257-328 A.D.) He was raised as a Christian in Cappadocia. As an adult, he entered the service of King Tiridates III in Armenia. When Gregory refused to make a sacrifice to a pagan goddess, he was thrown into prison and tortured in many ways. When this did not dissuade him from confessing Christ as Lord, he was put into a pit and left there for 14 years. He was miraculously saved from death and released by the help of the king’s sister. Afterward, Gregory converted King Tiridates III to Christianity. He preached the gospel to and baptized countless Armenians. Armenia declared itself to be a Christian country in 301 A.D., twelve years before the Roman Empire became Christian. Armenia is the first nation in history to declare themselves a Christian country.
The Armenian people have kept their identity for many centuries, even though their land has been invaded by foreign powers again and again. I asked our Armenian tour guide how they could keep their identity so well. Her answer mostly credited the social power of the Armenian Apostolic Church – not the spiritual power, but the social power. Time and again, Islamic invaders tried to acculturate the Armenians and erase their Christian identity. Their greatest tactic was to take young Armenian women and give them in marriage to Muslim men. Whenever this happened, the Armenian relatives broke their relationship with their sister/daughter. They were willing to do this to keep their identity. However, their worship is highly liturgical, similar to that of the Catholic Church. Most ordinary people do not study the Bible deeply or try to practice it personally. They need Bible teachers. In that respect, Armenia is a golden mission field. There is a foundation of Christian faith and freedom to preach the gospel. By the way, the dollar is very strong in Armenia. Anyone with a pension in the USA can live very comfortably in Armenia. M. David L. prays that missionaries may go to Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. I wholeheartedly join him in this prayer topic.
Let’s thank God for blessing the CIS leaders and empowering them with the living hope in Christ to participate in the sufferings of Christ. Let’s thank God, who is with them and helps them overcome all trials by trusting in him. Let’s pray for the spread of the gospel in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the raising of Jesus’ disciples, and for the pioneering of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Next year’s conference will most likely be in Azerbaijan.
