A Modern Day Saint

by Katherine Camp                                                                                                           Vol. X, No. 2, February 1997

Dr. Vasily Logvinenko, from Odessa, Ukraine, is a modern day saint. He faithfully served the Lord during the heartless days of communism in the Soviet Union, and lived to tell us about it. Dr. Logvinenko was pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Moscow during that city's darkest hours. But he prepared for the occasion. He dressed in the full armor of God, and took his position. He stood firmly and defended the Christian faith against a constant barrage of communist propaganda. And God brought him through. Two years ago he reached retirement age and returned to his home town, Odessa, Ukraine.

Recognizing there was still much work to be done in Odessa’s churches, he could not settle for retirement just yet. And God called him to serve as pastor in the Grace Baptist Church, Odessa, founded in 1993. Soon the church outgrew its temporary sanctuary.

Then the Jerusalem Baptist Church, located in Fairfax Station, Virginia, learned about the need and responded to it. Mission minded, the Virginia church now has the privilege of sponsoring the expansion of the Odessa church facility. Recently, Dr. Logvinenko visited the Fairfax Station church and shared the status of the project. Progress is steady but slow, due in part to ongoing economic restoration in this newly free land.

During his visit, I talked with him about his home town. He shared present conditions and available opportunities in Odessa, a city of about 1.5 million people, located on the Black Sea. It is the largest port city on this body of water. But even with this geographic advantage, its people are still going through the throes of recovery from communism.

Freedom is only five years old in Odessa, and the economy has not yet developed to sustain the people. Dr. Logvinenko shared that those with jobs are paid the equivalent, in American currency, of about $100 per month, and retired persons draw around $20. Poverty and its attending restrictions abound.

Yet, these dear people are hungry for God. They flocked to the crusades held by Western ministers during the last few years. And many came to Christ in these meetings. But now it is reported that less than one percent of these new Christians are in church, largely due to a lack of church facilities. Every week crowds fill the available space, and others stand outside straining to hear the Gospel.

Obviously, thousands of churches are needed in this new land God has opened. The Grace Baptist Church, the third largest in Odessa, reflects the pattern of churches there. It began with 25 members and continues to grow. Attendance is now at 250. More than 75 adults have been baptized. About 100 children attend Sunday School, and half of them are from non-Christian homes.

Grace Baptist Church does have a significant advantage. It was given one-half of a city block in a strategic area. It is located near a major tram line and is surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings. Many residents are within easy walking distance of the church.

The need now is for both manpower and resources to get the facility constructed. And although it is a challenge for Dr. Logvinenko and the Odessa church family, his faith is in place as he works toward the goal. For he has learned that the adversary usually shows up when Christians get busy in obedience to their Lord.

But as in the days of communism, Dr. Logvinenko will now defend the faith against other misguided groups as well. Some such groups have already arrived. He explained their entry into Odessa. "While freedom is a great blessing, it also brings problems," he said. This happens, he pointed out, because freedom justly opens its door to all people. Therefore through Odessa’s open door came both the true churchmen, and biblically inaccurate groups, too.

These groups, Dr. Logvinenko further explained, came preaching a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel which caused great confusion among the people. His conclusion: This kind of invasion is why strong churches that preach the true Gospel are needed now in Odessa. To this end, Dr. Logvinenko asks for continued prayer concerning the work and workers in his city.

In summary, Dr. Logvinenko’s life portrays the characteristics found in the early disciples of our Lord Jesus. For like those of the first century church, this modern day saint knows by experience the potential cost of following Christ. And church history documents the process as well: When one places God above all else in life, suffering will come.

Definitively, such commitment is modeled by a personal priority that begins and ends with sacrificial giving. It is the total giving of one's self and resources to God and His work, undaunted by prevailing circumstances or possible consequences -- in Ukraine or in America.

[Katherine Camp is a member of Jerusalem Baptist Church, Fairfax Station.]