During
my first trip to Russia we saw many hundreds of people turning to
Jesus, but there were very few churches and pastors to care for them.
Again the Lord put another burden on my heart, the need to start a
Bible Training School to teach the Word of God in Russia. As I
continued to visit the Russian Far East, I met some pastors who had a
similar burden. So in April 1994
we started "Faith in Action Bible School" in Vladivostok. Since that
time we have trained some 200 workers, who are in many kinds of
Christian work now. I traveled to Vladivostok to teach in the school
many times since that first trip in 1992. It closed in 2010 when the
pastor of the local church that we worked with changed, the new pastor
didn't have a vision for a residential Bible School.
Training in the Word
of God
The Vision...
THE HISTORY
In October 1992 while on his first visit to Eastern
Russia, the Holy Spirit spoke to Noel Morris, giving him a burden of
the need for teaching the hundreds of young Russians he saw coming to
Jesus.
After meeting pastors in Vladivostok who had a similar
vision to train and send out Russian workers, plans for FAITH IN ACTION
were formed.
In January 1994 Rev Des Short from Faith Bible College in
New Zealand came to Vladivostok, and agreed to assist with curriculum
and teachers.
In October 1999 we were successful in buying the remains
of a Russian Army Camp as a home for the school and the local church.
We own some 17 buildings (or the building sites which can be rebuilt)
and 7 Hectares of land on a long-term lease. One building is used for
the school, and the "Church of the Living God" has renovated one of the
larger buildings for the church auditorium.
FAITH IN ACTION is still one of the few residential Bible
Schools in the Far East of Russia, and to date about 200 Graduates have
been sent out into all kinds of ministry, for example: pastoring,
planting pioneer village churches, evangelistic teams, apologetics,
rehabilitation, prison ministry, and children's ministry.
In February 2003 just as the semester was beginning, 4 car
loads of FSB (formerly KGB) lawyers and others arrived at the school's
campus with the intent of closing down the school (and possibly the
Church too). They had a large dossier on FAITH IN ACTION with copies of
letters, faxes and e-mails. They monitored phone conversations,
interviewed neighbours, and harassed the Pastor and his staff for
several weeks.
In Russia the 1997 Religion Law allows for "teaching of
religion and the religious upbringing of followers" in churches, but
"professional religious education for preparing clergy and religious
personnel" is subject to State licensing. There is provision for
"Seminaries" on one hand, and in-church training on the other, but no
concept for the in-between Bible Schools and Bible Colleges.
On 21st March the case was heard in the Primorski Krai
Regional Court and the judge ruled against FAITH IN ACTION for
"conducting educational activity without a suitable licence".
The case was appealed in the Supreme Court in Moscow on
20th May. Although being defended by Vladimir Ryakhovsky, one of the
best Christian Lawyers in Russia, three judges upheld the previous
ruling to close the Bible College.
But FAITH IN ACTION has not died, rather it has been
"re-categorized" as a "training course" in the Church. This is the
reason we have changed our terminology, although our purposes remain
the same. The same students, same teachers, same staff, same location,
but now it is known as "Faith in Action Training Course" The School...
THE STUDY COURSE
The unique course comprises 16 weeks of lectures, 8 weeks
of practical outreach (in a church or evangelism team), and another 16
weeks of lectures.
Their studies combines both class-room lectures and
practical application. Students begin the day with prayer, and end it
with prayer. In the week-ends they are assigned to outreaches to
Hospitals, Childrens' Homes, markets, or to assist the churches.
FAITH IN ACTION began classes on April 4th 1994 with 10
students. They came from several cities in Siberia, from Sakhalin
Island and from the Vladivostok area. Some had only been Christians for
a few months, most since Peristroika.
In September the next group of 12 students arrived. This
meant that from then two class rooms and two teachers were required.
Since then a new group of students has come every six months.
TEACHERS
Over the last eleven years the teachers have come as
volunteers, even paying their own travelling expenses. They were from
Japan, America, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, England, Finland,
India, Ukraine and Russia.
Initially there was a predominance of foreign teachers,
but in recent years many more Russian pastors and teachers have stepped
up to teach the required courses.
FACILITIES
In the beginning FAITH IN ACTION rented space in a holiday
complex, but in 1997 a disused Army Camp became available on the
outskirts of Vladivostok. At first one building was used on the
condition that students patrolled the property and kept it from being
vandalised.
In 1999 the buildings became available at auction and were
purchased for US$40,000 which was provided in response to prayer. The
land is under a long term lease.
Many of the buildings are only the remaining foundations, but
can be rebuilt without expensive new building permits. Some renovation
has been done but there is still a great "potential" available. The Fruit...
VILLAGE CHURCHES
Students spend a part of their practical assignment in
going to many villages that have no Christian witness. As a result,
there have been churches established, and now some of the graduates are
pastoring these pioneer churches all over Far East Russia.
Some of these villages are close enough for students to go and minister over the week-ends.
Other graduates work in church and missionary situations, some even traveled regularly to China.
Approximately 60% of the Graduates from FAITH IN ACTION
are involved in some kind of Christian Ministry. This is much higher
than that of most other Bible training institutes in Russia.
GRADUATES
Since 1994 about two hundred students have graduated and
received their diploma. Graduation ceremonies are held twice a year.
However the training they have received on how to rely upon the Holy
Spirit for God's leading, guiding and power is much more valuable than
any diploma.
In 2004 a reunion of Graduates was held, with over 60
attending during the functions. There were many testimonies of how the
Lord had met them in their ministries over the years.
CHANGING RUSSIA
These students have gone out to change their world, with
the joy of the Lord in their hearts and the Word of the God on their
lips, and a passion to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their
fellow Russians and the neighboring Chinese and North Korean people. The end of a Chapter:
“Faith In Action” closes its doors in Russia
Several years ago the pastor of the Living God Church (which
hosts Faith in Action) had a moral failure which cost him his ministry
and marriage. At the beginning of last year Pastor Mikhail took over
leadership of the church. Mikhail’s vision does not include a
residential-type Bible School, and we have not seen any new students
since he took over.
So it is with regret that we finish our commitment to Living God Church
in supporting FIA Bible School. We want to acknowledge the Church’s
previous role without which nothing would have been achieved, and to
bless them as they go forward with their new vision.