New Pentecost

Ok, you’ve heard this story before (or maybe you haven’t) and now there’s a twist. Or rather an intrusion of the Holy Spirit.

I took Russian in college. Not proficient, just a bit of conversation.

In 96, I go to Estonia, where maybe 40% are ethnic Russians.

I get back from that mission trip all jacked up. I quit grad school and head off to be a preacher.

Maybe 2 months after the trip, I saw a woman in the UK library, looking lost not getting any help. I could tell right away she was Russian. She is so happy to get some help and have someone to talk to, she takes m home! I meet he husband, kids, and parents who live wth her. Her dad s a great tenor and she is pianist. They give me an impromptu concert. She lived in an apt complex where waves of refugees have settled (Africans are there now). There were Russians all over the place.

I brought this to the attention of the Methodist leadership. We need a Russian speaking pastor. But it was not on anyone’s radars screen, and I could not really articulate the plan that I see now.

But I made a vow—if the Lord placed a people group in my path, I would do what I could to learn the language, and connect with their home people and start churches.

8 years later, I am in the Ville. Not even a week. My dad buys me a suit. The tailor is Ukrainian. I meet a Ukrainian in the Post Office. I took me a few weeks, but I finally figured it out! I started learning Ukrainian. But then, church leadership did not think this was a very good use of my time.

I was pretty upset about it. I wondered, “Hey wait a minute, God! Doors open and then slam shut!”

I get to Lexington, The Rock, and I had a lot to learn to keep up. And then, the Congolese come! Ok, Lord, is this it? For one reason or another, that door has closed to—at least to going over to Congo. We still have a strong ministry with them here.

So there has been a lot of soul searching. What is happening? Have I missed the boat? Is this about me?

I have pointed out before that we are in a new Pentecost. America is STILL a land full of churches. And people are coming here from all over the world. If we will reach out in ministry, we can form bonds that will allow us to do effective mission work in their home countries. But that means we will have to break out of a lot of ways we do things. Language and culture are the big issue we face, not contemporary or traditional worship. And then, too, we will actually have to be evangelistic. There can’t be any of this wishy washy crap about Jesus is A way or the way for me, but you find your own path. There may only be a very small number of churches that can pull this off. But the prize for those that do is huge: feeling the rush of the Spirit as it spreads across the earth, convicting the world of sin and bringing the world into all truth.

Ok, so it’s Saturday night. The Congolese worship service is humming. Friday night I met a fellow pastor, Leopold. We had a prayer meeting in my office because we find we have so much in common. He is from Cameroon. But he planted churches in… Russia. It’s an amazing story I’ll tell later. The kicker is he works with a Russian church here in Lexington, the daughter church of a Ukrainian church in Versailles, KY.

They are looking for a place to worship. We are going to see if there is anyway that can be part of what we’re doing, work with us, worship in our sanctuary.

I guess what kills me is that 13 years ago, we should have had a Russian-speaking Methodist Church. How many more opportunities are we going to miss? I mean, please. A man from Cameroon comes to the US to help lead a Russian congregation?

Can you imagine the Holy Spirit freak-out? White Americans, African-Americans, Africans, Hispanics, Russians. And y’all, this is Kentucky. Can you imagine what is happening in New York, Chicago and San Francisco?

So while we’re at the concert, I get an invitation to preach at the Russian church, and an invitation to be the preacher for the Congolese Evangelistic Association’s annual retreat, in Chicago. I am totally humbled, and I take all this as the highest honor from God. I left the richest church in Kentucky Methodism to come to the poorest, and am called to preach the irresistible Pentecost to the invisible participants in this Holy Spirit mystery.