The Russians are coming

The cry, "the Russians are coming!" was heard at a recent worship service in Willingdon Church in Burnaby, B.C. In fact, a group of recent Russian immigrants was present at the 11:15 a.m. service. They requested that the church consider teaching a Sunday school class in Russian and then offer translation (via headsets) during a regular service. After some discussion and prayer, they were warmly welcomed. On Easter Sunday, April 7, the first Russian Sunday school class was held. Ninety-nine people of Russian descent were present. Several families at Willingdon are already fluent in Russian, making the reception of the new people easier.

There are several thousand recent immigrants of Russian origin in the Greater Vancouver region. The church prays that these "visitors" will soon become a part of the larger Willingdon body, not only by being present but by baptism and membership as well.

This Russian outreach is the latest in a series of international ministries at Willingdon. The Spanish congregation, which meets at 12:30 p.m. may start a second service, probably at 10:00 a.m. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Mandarin people continue to meet with the English congregation, using headsets for their translation. Senior pastor Carlin Weinhauer has often stated that the church needs to reflect the ethnic make-up of its broader community, and Burnaby is becoming more and more international.

Bill Klassen, Assistant to the Senior pastor/Administration

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