The Birth of a Church Across the Globe

In the fall of 1992, one of our elders, Robert Benlien, along with his wife Charlotte, answered the call to full time ministry. Pastor Ron contacted ministry friends in Bulgaria and Hungary who were willing to receive the Benliens for a time of testing the waters of ministry. At their own expense, the Benliens traveled to Eastern Europe and participated in crusades, conferences, teaching at Bible schools and traveling throughout that area of Russia, praying for the leadership of the Lord.

While they were there, Pastor Ron received a word from the Lord to build a church in Russia. During the next six months, Robert Benlien returned to Russia on a fact finding mission surveying several cities for our church. Monies were solicited and people were challenged to respond the this call of God. Almost 40 people made commitments to travel to Russia paying their way and assisting in church planting crusades through street ministry and personal evangelism.

A Russian national was hired to help prepare the team by teaching language classes and assisting in the translation of songs and other printed materials. We teamed up with the Gulf State Missions Agency, which had a vision to plant churches in Russia. They were overwhelmed that we were willing to undertake one church all by ourselves.

In May of 1993, with visas secured and a city targeted, Robert, Charlotte, Ryan, and Kristin Benlien, boarded KLM Flight 662 from Houston, through Amsterdam, to Moscow. From there they traveled over land to the city of Yoshkar-Ola, the capital city of the Mari-el Republic, some 400 miles east/northeast of Moscow.

This city, Yoshkar-Ola, formerly a closed military city for almost two generations, had heard no witness of Jesus Christ. For one month, the Benliens made contacts and surveyed the city, praying for God to give them favor and show them an open door. On June 16, 34 people left our church with suitcases full of music and sound equipment, teaching materials and ministry aids. Even things such as a full set of drums, speakers, a piano, an overhead projector, a sound board and a large gasoline generator were transported as baggage by those initial goers. Virtually everything needed to begin a church and make it strong was purchased and carried through the efforts of COTR Nederland.

Armed with the vision that God had given to Pastor Ron, our goers' hearts were full and expectant. This strength enabled our team to endure the close quarters hardships of traveling in a former Eastern block country. Even though food was strange, the time difference tiring, the luggage heavy, there were restrooms of trees and bushes, the bus ride took days, the language strange and the danger real, our team arrived in Yoshkar-Ola with good spirits and high hopes that they had been sent by God.

During the next week, through well organized efforts of our team and it's leaders, along with the Holy Spirit which accompanies those sent by God, the city of Yoshkar-Ola found Jesus. Through strategically placed street meetings, our mime and drama teams, along with puppets and street preaching crusades, introduced the city to the gospel daily. Nightly crusade meetings were held in a local hall. At the end of their first week, between five and seven thousand people had made sincere first time commitments to Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives. The hardships of communism had primed them for the refreshing goodness of our God. The church was birthed.

Kate Brooks, one of our newly graduated teens, remained with the Benliens for the next few months, assisting them in the beginning of this new work.