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Supporting Friends in Russia
By Johan Maurer

Elektrostal, Russia, April 27 (Orthodox Easter). Last night, I joined hundreds of believers, seekers, and the merely curious, who jammed Elektrostal's new Orthodox Church for the Easter vigil.

As the mass of churchgoers gradually edged into the sanctuary, I saw a neatly lettered sign on the wall. Quoting from memory: "All visitors who have participated in the schismatic cathedral at Noginsk [north of Elektrostal], as well as all who have been involved with sectarian or non-Orthodox churches and religions, witchcraft, sorcery, wizardry, palmreading, spiritualism, fortune-telling, hypnotism, white or black magic, MUST CONFESS AND RECEIVE ABSOLUTION."

It was sobering to see Friends (as non-Orthodox) lumped in with sorcerers and magicians. But then, this has been a sobering visit for me. For years, I have been sure that Russia would be fertile soil for Friends understanding of Christianity, and that thousands could be drawn to a joyful, accessible Quaker movement here.

After visiting Friends and seekers in Moscow, Novgorod and here in Elektrostal, I am also thinking more about the obstacles.

One challenge is the monopolistic claims of Orthodoxy. Many Russians identify the Orthodox Church with Russian nationhood and its preservation. A significant segment of the Church advocates excluding all religious groups who have no roots in Russia; some want to restore the Orthodox monarchy.

One manifestation of this sentiment is the campaign for sainthood for the last tsar, Nicholas II.From their viewpoint, these nationalists do have something to complain about. They see foreigners flooding in to evangelize a country that has been more deeply Christian for longer than their visitors' country. They hear their services dismissed as "dead" and "formalistic" by those who have never participated in the day-to-day community of the church and don't try to understand its vocabulary and symbolism.

The fact that foreigners seem to have money to buy influence doesn't help! Matt Taibbi, editor of an English-language Moscow periodical, The Exile, quotes Vasily Romanyuk, director of the Moscow Theological Institute: "The reason some Russians join cults is to get free schooling and trips overseas. It's sad, but true.

"The threat which the Orthodox perceive is not just from the outside. A variety of home-grown cults also threaten their monopoly. In the same Exile article, Assemblies of God theologian Pyotr Fedorus explains that "Russians don't join cults for the same reasons people in the West do. They do it because they have a long tradition of becoming engrossed in spiritual questions, because they are materially miserable, and because life in this country is so bizarre and inexplicable that sometimes it seems only extreme religious teachings can make any sense out of it.î

All this helps explain why Friends here are pulled in at least two directions. Many consider themselves also as fully Orthodox. Others are being lured into various movements, ranging from mystical sects to U.S.-based Protestant groups which have been displaying more vision and energy in their Russian outreach than we have. Almost everyone who finds Friends inadequate as a sole spiritual home complains that we do not provide enough leadership, teaching, or spiritual unity.

I still feel that the vision of a vital Friends movement in Russia is valid. Our radical hospitality, spiritual intimacy with Jesus Christ and with each other, and ethical consistency, are immediately relevant to the challenges Russians face every day.

What could FUM contribute? Occasional pastoral visits and our participation in the Russian Quaker Library project are not enough. The message I'm hearing here is that sensitive pastoral leadership, with organizational and teaching gifts and a commitment to deep listening, is urgently needed. I pray that we can respond while there is still a hopeful and committed core of Friends in Russia.

Is God asking you to consider serving in this great country at this crucial time?

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