Russian-speaking Messianic Conference in Berlin
By Jim Melnick, Falmouth, Virginia, President of Friends of Russian Jewry, Inc.
FIRST WORLDWIDE CONFERENCE OF RUSSIAN-SPEAKING MESSIANIC MINISTRY LEADERS: THE BERLIN CONFERENCE
Opening Day, September 5, 2006
This past September, the “First International Conference of Russian-speaking Messianic Ministry Leaders” was held in the city of Berlin. Some four years in the making, with many prayers, numerous planning meetings held in various countries, and many international phone conference calls to plan for it, it was with a little trepidation but also great anticipation that we approached the opening day.
All concerns were soon laid to rest. Though the conference delegates didn’t know it as they started milling into the main conference hall right after breakfast, all the final details that needed to be taken care of before we started were resolved just minutes before the scheduled launch, and the opening came off with the equivalent of – if you will excuse the comparison – German efficiency and precision.
Aside from the technical details of planning and preparation for what we, the conference organizers, hoped would occur, what soon pervaded that room was the sweet aroma of fellowship and blessing. God was pouring out His Spirit upon us, and in the final analysis, despite all our planning and preparation, that was all that mattered. The conference was dedicated to His Glory, as we asked each participant to seek God’s will for them in this conference, both individually and as a group. May Yeshua, our Lord and Messiah, be praised!
As Mitch Glaser, president of Chosen People Ministries, said earlier in the day on our way over to the conference hall, this would be an historic meeting, and such it was. Vladimir Pikman, chairman of the conference host committee and head of Beit Sar Shalom in Berlin, perhaps put it best when, in his welcoming remarks, he noted that, we were proclaiming the worldwide Russian Jewish Messianic movement almost within sight of the Reichstag itself and that Hitler would be turning over in his grave!
My introductory speech to the delegates and observers also drew upon the amazing symbology of this event – that here in Berlin, the very center of power of the Nazi Third Reich, where Hitler once dreamed of a world devoid of Jews, we were proclaiming God’s greater power – not only did He preserve His people Israel, but He has chosen a remnant of Jewish believers who have been saved by grace and are now part of the Body of Messiah, His Church. This is one of the most amazing developments in Jewish evangelism since the first century – God’s move among the Russian Jewish people. It was also in the city of Berlin where one of the founders of the worldwide Messianic movement, Joseph Rabinowitz, of Russian Jewish background, was baptized. At the conference we honored his legacy, spiritual labor and vision. At one level the Messianic movement he helped launch had come full circle.
Major Goals of the Conference
Delegates came from many countries and regions, including: Russia (including Birobidzhan, the special Jewish region in the Russian Far East where Stalin wanted to exile all the Jews), Ukraine, Israel, the United States, Germany, Australia, Kazakstan (Karaganda and Astana), Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and elsewhere. There was some concern over whether a bloc of delegates from the former Soviet Union would get their visas to Germany. However, due to prayer and much behind-the-scenes work of especially our Moscow conference regional coordinator and the Berlin host committee staff, nearly everyone whom we had invited was able to come. This was an invitation-only conference with an extensive selection process. The primary goal was to identify current congregational and ministry leaders and future ones with a goal of future church/ congregational planting. Another goal was to gather solid data on Russian Messianic congregational leadership and groups worldwide, and we now have a good collection of accurate information to build upon, as well as an informal structure to help keep information current.
Major goals of the conference included:
- serving as a catalyst for the next stage of growth of the Russian Messianic Jewish community
- encouraging current leaders in their ministries and service; to provide networking opportunities worldwide - laying the foundation for identifying future leaders and needs for new congregations to reach the 3.5 million Russian-speaking Jews worldwide with the Gospel
The Observers and Russian Leadership
Another goal of the conference was to link the Russian-speaking delegates with various leaders of the worldwide Messianic movement and related groups. These were the observers, and they were mostly Americans. Their role, as the name implies, was simply to “observe” - to serve as encouragers and as resources to the delegates without trying to “take over” anything or move the conference in a particular direction. For those new to LCJE and Jewish evangelism, the point of this statement is not to say that we had anything against American leaders (after all, the author of this article is an American and was one of the observers, too!), but we were very sensitive to the fact that the North American Messianic organizations could easily dominate how the conference proceeded and that is exactly what we did not want to see happen. We wanted the Russians to lead it. It is true that the two primary sponsoring organizations, Chosen People Ministries and Friends of Russian Jewry, are America-based. But the goal was, as much as possible, to have decisions made by committee chairmen and regional coordinators – those who were responsible for overseeing the selection process in their part of the world and getting their people to Berlin. Another way to ensure that this was truly a Russian conference was to make sure that all the sessions were in Russian! The observers quickly realized and noted good-naturedly that now the shoe was on the other foot – i.e,. now they were the ones whose language was the secondary one and they were on the outside, looking in.
However, it all turned out beautifully. There was great interaction between the groups, both for those Russian delegates who wanted to meet individually with various observers, as well as wonderful fellowship among the observers themselves. We rejoiced to be witnesses of what God is doing among the Russian Jewish people around the world and to see how he has raised up so many choice men and women as leaders. But there is also so much more to be done!
Plenary Sessions and Special Panel Discussions
General plenary sessions were held on “Vision, Heritage, the Kingdom, and Unity.” Specialized conference sessions were conducted on: “Leadership, Jewishness, Theology and Practical Training.” Vladimir Pikman gave the plenary address on Unity, delivered with grace on the theme, “Working Towards a Greater Unity Inside the Messianic Movement and in the Church.” Michael Zinn, who heads Beit Sar Shalom in Israel and is editor of the Russian language journal, My Jerusalem, gave the plenary address on Jewishness, entitled, “Returning Our Faith to its Jewish Roots.” Specialized elective sessions on Jewishness covered the following areas:
- Development of the Concept of Messiah in Judaism
- Employing Jewish Non-Canonical Writings
- Using the Synagogue Liturgy and Holiday Traditions in the Congregation
- Understanding the Misunderstood and Unclear Doctrines of Mainline Judaisms
Ilya Lizorkin-Berdichevskiy, who leads Rock of Israel Messianic Congregation in Philadelphia, served as the program committee chairman for the conference and oversaw the session titled, “Panel Discussion on the Law of Moses.” Panelists included Greg Zhelezny (US), Michael Zinn (Israel), Alex Faibi (Israel), Henry Neuhaus (Israel), and Avi Yampolskiy (Russia). Though there was some concern over how these discussions might proceed with the audience (since there were strong views all around), Ilya took charge early on by having everyone present repeat the following Scripture several times: “he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law…” (Romans 13:8). It all worked out very well. Additionally, Ilya’s new book in Russian, The Jewish Sabbath: A Review of Literature from the Second Temple Period also made its début at the conference.
Seminar Session on “Blessing the Jews through the Creation of New Congregations”
One of the highlights of the conference for me personally – besides the incredible fellowship and the sheer joy of seeing this all come together – was to attend the seminar titled, “How to Bless the Jews through the Creation of New Congregations.” This was taught by Lev from Uzbekistan and Alex Faibi from Israel. As organizing chairman, I had to spend much of my time officiating or trying to anticipate problems before they might arise, even though, administratively, everything went very smoothly due to the hard work and servant attitude of the very capable Berlin host committee team under Vladimir Pikman’s guidance, which included Andrei, Karina and her father, Yuri. Nevertheless, I did not have time to attend many individual sessions, but I am very glad that I was able to go to this one.
The interaction among the seminar participants was rich: it included Pastor Alexey Mishchenko from Vladivostok, Russia, who serves as a bishop over many churches in the Russian Far East and who has a real heart for reaching Jewish people with the Gospel, delegates from Kazakstan, the United States, Birobidzhan (Russia) and St. Petersburg, Uzbekistan and elsewhere. There was a tremendous amount of experience in the room, and it was brought to bear in an extremely positive way as participants shared the insights God has shown them in their own ministries and outreaches. In one of the countries of the former Soviet Union, different approaches have been tried in ministry in different cities – with great success. There is also a special audio and video course for new believers, which has also been found to be useful for evangelism for those who are not believers. This course can be made available to others. To emphasize the impact of this ministry, three former Orthodox rabbis have come to faith and joined these fellowships.
Unfortunately, there is more that cannot be shared publicly due to sensitivity. But it can be said that in one of the countries of Central Asia there has been a tremendous response to the Gospel by the local Jewish communities via door-to-door outreach. Some 150 Jewish families responded to the Gospel early on, and this number has continued to grow, much of it through word of mouth requests.
Alex Faibi of Grace and Truth Church in Israel spoke on the unity of the Church as the Body of Messiah and also the paradox of what many Jewish believers have to deal with, both in terms of anti-Semitism and anti-Christian attitudes. He shared how, after growing up in Kishinev, Moldova, he was always being subjected to being called “Zhid, zhid, zhid” (a derogatory term for “Jew” in Russian) while serving in the Soviet army; then, after he came to Israel and became a believer, while evangelizing fellow Jews, he is often told, “Get out of here and go back to where you came from!”
One issue of concern that was discussed is the activity of some well-financed foreign Western groups who seek to push Jews still living in the countries of the former Soviet Union to make aliyah to Israel. This issue keeps popping up in various places as a barrier to Gospel ministry to Russian Jews. Encouraging aliyah in and of itself is fine and a noble cause; however, the way it is now sometimes being conducted has become a hindrance to the Gospel to Jews in the former Soviet Union. This occurs in two ways: one, some Jews are offered gifts and assistance by these groups in exchange for their consideration to make aliyah. When real believers sharing the Gospel come knocking on the door, seeking to share Messiah, they are often met with the question, what have you brought for us? Thus, those who are sharing the Good News of Life are placed at a disadvantage because they are bringing the Gospel with no gift to “buy” a hearing from their Jewish listeners and not wanting to put themselves in that position. They certainly want to help those in need, but for the right reasons, not because they should be in a competition for the right to have a hearing. Second, and much more sinister than the first problem, is the disgraceful and un-Biblical position of some of these outside groups in undermining the actual evangelization of Jews in the former Soviet Union, creating many problems for local ministry leaders who seek to be true to the Gospel.
Other Sessions
There is not enough space in this article to try to cover all of the other sessions of the conference. Some additional sessions of note included a session by Alex Seryapov from Israel on “Training Leaders and Uncovering Congregational Reserves for Growth” and a presentation by Dr. Oleg Golobrodksy, a high-tech Israeli businessman and research scientist, on “Raising, Maintaining and Developing a Financial Support Structure.” Another practical seminar taught how to establish a “Launch Team of the New Congregational Plant” – something that is especially important for those starting out in ministry in a new city. For women delegates, a special seminar entitled, “Developing Women’s Ministry in the New Congregational Plant,” looked at the issues of both women in ministry and ministry to women. This was taught by a power-packed group that included Natalia Fomina, Yulia Blum, Klaudia Zhelezny, and others. And, of course, there were the vital theological sessions that undergirded everything we believe, such as: “Preaching the Messiah and Him Crucified.”
Comments on the Conference by Various Delegates
One delegate from Israel expressed his appreciation for what he termed the “colossal work involved in putting together a conference like this...” Kostya Michailidis from Yeshua Tsidkenu Congregation in Australia, rated the organizational aspect of the conference as “seamless” and said that “the lectures by Pikman on unity and by Zhelezny on what it means to be a Messianic Jew (my title), were particularly apt and needed.” He added: “It was fantastic to meet with so many brothers and sisters from all over the world who are involved in preaching the Gospel to the Jews. That is always the greatest value in these conferences. It was particularly valuable this time, as we were able to meet people from places such as Birobidzhan and Kazakhstan, whom we were unlikely to ever meet otherwise.” However, he said “the highlight for me was Erev Shabbat. The music, the dancing, the food, the genuine joy of being together was unforgettable.” His wife, Natasha, said that for her the highlight was morning prayers.
Andrei, a former prisoner, who came with his wife Valeria from distant Birobidzhan in the Russian Federation to be a part of this conference, told me: “Jim, I will never forget this for the rest of my life.” Ilya Lizorkin-Berdichevsky summed up the conference this way: “Sometimes discouraged and isolated servants of God got encouraged and connected. Many who were on different sides of the fence in theology and methods became friends and co-workers. During these five days of theological and ministerial training, delegates received a great deal of theoretical knowledge and some practical skills that they previously lacked. Participants were allowed refreshing rest through daily free-time in Berlin. But most importantly, perhaps, for the first time many were able to see the big picture of the Russian Messianic Jewish Movement: its strength and its weakness, its beauty and its deficiency, its past and its future.”
One delegate wrote, “The conference showed me that the Messianic Jewish movement is truly alive, and that there are many Godly leaders involved.” The conference also cast a spotlight on some other issues that need to be resolved or dealt with over time.
One critique was that it would have been good if the group could have spent more time in prayer and also that we should have prayed at the Reichstag instead of just merely singing there. At the same time, our presence at the Reichstag was a witness and was deeply moving to many of us. We enthusiastically sang “Hi-ne Ma Tov” and “Am Yisrael Chai!” (The People of Israel Live!). Tourists and local Berliners began to stop in amazement, snapping pictures and asking what was this all about? Following the conference, my dear friend Igor Bagirov, who leads a Russian Messianic congregation in Cleveland and who writes of this special moment at the Reichstag, received the opportunity to preach in two local churches. Two women repented and more than 25 renewed their relationships with the Lord.
Jerusalem 2009
Unlike LCJE, the plenary and seminar speakers at the Berlin conference did not present formal papers that could then be summarized and bound into a conference document. However, that is a goal that will be considered for future conferences. A Russian language audio DVD of the sessions is available upon request. Please send an email to: info@frji.org or write to me at: Friends of Russian Jewry, P.O. Box 5501, Falmouth, VA 22403 USA. Speaking of future conferences, there is a plan, Lord willing, to hold a second worldwide Russian Messianic ministry leaders’ conference in Jerusalem in 2009. Before that time, there will also be regional meetings held in various countries to follow up on some of the things that were started at this conference, as well as a special website for delegates and observers to log into to get updated news and share information. Please pray with us as we seek the Lord’s will as to how best to move forward in helping build His Kingdom and encouraging His Body among Russian Jews worldwide. And, God willing, “In three years’ time – Next (Meeting) in Jerusalem!”
Jim Melnick