Рождественское письмо

Приветствую вас, братья! Поздравляем вас с Рождеством Господа нашего Иисуса Христа и Новым Годом. Желаем вам Божьих благословений в будущем году. Благодарны Богу за ваше участие в деле Божьем в нашей стране. Братья и сестры миссии передают вам сердечный привет.

У нас все, слава Богу, хорошо. 25 декабря состоялось богослужение церкви «Благовестие» и двух наших дочерних церквей. Мы арендовали зал у церкви «Вифлеем». Присутствовало около 600 человек, несколько человек покаялось. В начале богослужения 15 человек приняло крещение (10 сестер и 5 братьев). Один брат впоследствии поделился свидетельством. Ему 20 лет и он долго шел к Богу. В детстве ему подарили детскую Библию и он читал ее. Уже тогда он был близок к Богу. Но потом он ушел от Него. Жизнь без Бога потеряла для него смысл. Наша семья молилась за него. И однажды он пришел в церковь и принял Иисуса. Родители были категорически против его крещения. И полгода назад он решил не принимать крещения, потому что опасался их. Теперь же он принял крещение, хотя и втайне от родителей. История этого молодого брата весьма типичная. Почему родители и родные против евангельской церкви? Потому что многие считают евангельские церкви "сектой", "культом". Но Бог продолжает действовать вопреки "общественному мнению" о евангельских церквах.

29 декабря состоялась праздничная встреча с миссионерами СМС. Была хорошая атмосфера. Я прочитал проповедь на тему «Рождество – это праздник спасения». Затем было вручение подарков, праздничный стол. А после этого я попросил братьев и их жен поделиться самыми яркими событиями из прошедшего года – Божьими благословениями. И братья с радостью стали рассказывать о том, как Бог действовал в их жизни и служении.

Михаил из Столбцов рассказал, как они провели романтический евангелизационный вечер для неверующих семей. Двадцать неверующих семей пришли в тот день послушать Слово Божие.

Виктор из Витебска рассказал, как через их поместную церковь одна молодая девушка нашла Христа. Она росла в очень сложной семье. В результате плохого обращения со стороны ее родителей в ней глубоко укоренился комплекс неполноценности. Она даже пыталась покончить собой – настолько бессмысленной казалась ей жизнь. Когда она пришла в церковь, она даже не улыбалась. Но Господь действовал в ее сердце, и сейчас она счастливая последовательница Христа, активно участвующая в служении. Она хотела бы в будущем стать миссионеркой.

Александр из Колодищанской церкви рассказал, как однажды, посещая больницу, он встретил бывшего верующего, который отпал от веры. Александр беседовал с ним, и он глубоко раскаялся в своих грехах и в своем охлаждении.

Были и другие истории. Братья и сестры ободрились. В конце мы молились, чтобы Бог послал пробуждение в нашей стране, чтобы Бог разрушил твердыни дьявола, которые мешают нашим близким придти к Богу, чтобы Бог исполнил каждого из нас силой Святого Духа, чтобы мы безбоязненно и дерзновенно словом и жизнью несли свидетельство о любящем и спасающем Боге.

Какие молитвенные нужды у нас?

1) Правительство объявило о девальвации белорусского рубля на 20%. Молитесь, пожалуйста, чтобы Бог дал мудрости нашим руководителям, чтобы они принимали правильные решения в экономически сложное время.

2) Для того, чтобы открывать новые церкви, нужны материальные ресурсы. Молитесь об этом.

3) Молитесь о том, чтобы удалось вместе одной командой развивать дело Божье в Беларуси, чтобы между церквами СМС и новыми церквами было взаимопонимание и взаимная поддержка.

Ваши во Христе служители

Дмитрий и Алена Лазута

About new SMS director in Belarus

Slavic Missionary Service International, USA, welcomes Dmitry Lazouta as the new director of SMS Belarus. His experience and education have fully prepared him to partner with SMS to fulfill the Great Commision in Belarus with emphasis upon planting churches and training new workers to fill positions of leadership.

Please pray for a harmonious transition, as Dmitry and Alona get acquainted with the national workers of SMS Belarus and begin their new service for the furtherance of the gospel and the glory of God.

Dmitry Lazouta repented and became a Christian during his teen years. When eighteen years old, he followed the Lord in believer's baptism. From 1983 to 1989 he assisted the Evangelical Christian Baptist Church in Minsk, Belarus as youth leader. Then, he, along with 25 other believers, started a new church in Minsk. During this time (1990 to 1994), Dmitry also particpated in evangelistic work among univeristy students and started a magazine especially designed for college students. In 1996, Dmitry was ordained in that new church (Good News Evangelical Baptist Church) as the associate pastor. He then accepted the postion of senior pastor in 2000. Dimitry has also taught certain subjects (Moral Theology and Romans) in the Minsk Theological Seminary and is preparing a new course, "Leading a church in its growth and development," to teach in the seminary in the future. For the past seven years, Dmitry has been involved in planting seven new churches and looks forward (by God's grace) to plant new churches in Belarus.

Dmitry Lazouta's Testimony

I was born in Christian family. My two grandfathers and two grandmothers were the first generation of evangelical Christians in Belarus. Growing up in a Christian home I was taught faith in God, however in high school during the reign of communist philosophy I was told that there was no God, that Christ was a mythological personality, that modern science has a lot of proofs that God is not the creator of our world, that evolution is really responsible for creation, that less and less people around the world believe in God and that not one of the astronauts who has been in space has ever seen God. I remember that in my teen years I was thinking: is it possible that my parents and small number of people who are not highly educated know the truth and is the soviet government with such a strong Academy of Science mistaken regarding the issue of existence of God?

lazuta

Another source of my doubt was the persecution of Christians. I understood that if I chose faith in Christ I would not have a good future in Soviet Union. I would not be allowed to study at university level or to have a good job and also, I might end up going to jail for my faith in God.

However, I made a choice to be a follower of Jesus Christ and I have never had any regrets about that. In two years time I was secretly baptized in an underground church. At that time Michail Gorbachov started perestroika and glasnost. Soon after that the evangelical Christians were allowed to study at all universities and I started studying music in the Belarusian Institute of Culture.

It is very difficult for me to imagine that life without God is better than the life of a Christian. Hope and meaning of life are the two most important things for me in my relationship with Christ.

Three years after perestroika had started Christians received the freedom to study at the universities and I used that chance to get a bachelor degree although I was the oldest full time student in my group.

Attending the underground church, I was influenced by many faithful brothers and sisters who were giving up their freedom and some of them even their lives for their faith. Their courage was and is always a source of inspiration for me.

Dmitry Lazouta's Bio

I was baptized in 1983. I was 18 years old then. For several years I was a youth leader of the underground Evangelical Christian Baptist Church in Minsk.

In 1989 with a group of 25 people we started a new church. I was one of the leaders of this new project.

In 1990 I met a representative of IFES who introduced me with the concept of university student work. Being a university student I started several Bible study groups. I was a pioneer of student work in Belarus.

In 1993 after graduation from the Institute I became a full time staff of IFES.

In 1994 I started a Christian magazine for students and graduates that is called “Not of this world”.

In 1996 I was ordained as an associate pastor of Good News Evangelical Christian Baptist Church.

From 1996 till 1998 I was studying at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. I received MA in Christian Studies.

After graduation from Regent College I worked part time as IFES staff and as a pastor of Good News church.

Also I was involved in seminary teaching in Minsk Theological Seminary. I taught Moral Theology and Romans as well as Calvinist-Arminian controversy.

In year 2000 I started a new Christian magazine called “Christian Culture”. In the same year I quit working for IFES and became the senior pastor of Good News Evangelical Christian Baptist Church.

During the years that I taught at the seminary and Christian college I was also a main speaker in different leadership conferences, teaching different subjects on spiritual formation, leadership, church growth and development, etc.

In year 2006 I started a leadership development school for missionaries, pastors and church leaders. I led it for one and half years.

Now, I am working on a new seminary course “Leading a church, its growth and development”

During the past several years I was involved in planting 7 churches.

Church plant in Mogilev.

Church plant in Bobruisk.

Church plant in Grodno.


About new SMS director in Belarus

Slavic Missionary Service International, USA, welcomes Dmitry Lazouta as the new director of SMS Belarus. His experience and education have fully prepared him to partner with SMS to fulfill the Great Commision in Belarus with emphasis upon planting churches and training new workers to fill positions of leadership.

Please pray for a harmonious transition, as Dmitry and Alona get acquainted with the national workers of SMS Belarus and begin their new service for the furtherance of the gospel and the glory of God.

Dmitry Lazouta repented and became a Christian during his teen years. When eighteen years old, he followed the Lord in believer's baptism. From 1983 to 1989 he assisted the Evangelical Christian Baptist Church in Minsk, Belarus as youth leader. Then, he, along with 25 other believers, started a new church in Minsk. During this time (1990 to 1994), Dmitry also particpated in evangelistic work among univeristy students and started a magazine especially designed for college students. In 1996, Dmitry was ordained in that new church (Good News Evangelical Baptist Church) as the associate pastor. He then accepted the postion of senior pastor in 2000. Dimitry has also taught certain subjects (Moral Theology and Romans) in the Minsk Theological Seminary and is preparing a new course, "Leading a church in its growth and development," to teach in the seminary in the future. For the past seven years, Dmitry has been involved in planting seven new churches and looks forward (by God's grace) to plant new churches in Belarus.