Former Soviet Union in the Republic of Georgia

In October 1998, I departed Minnesota where I had been teaching at North Central University and serving on staff at Cedar Ridge Church (formerly Jesus People Church in Eagan) for the mission field in the former Soviet Union. During the summer months of 1992 to 1995 I came to Eastern Europe to teach, evangelize, and church plant with our newly freed Pentecostal Churches. These were the great years of harvest!

For ten years I served in Ukraine as a traveling teacher and as the dean of our regional seminary, Evangel Theological Seminary in Kiev, Ukraine. After the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, I moved to Tbilisi, Georgia, as all missionaries had to leave the country for various reasons.

The Georgian church was greatly persecuted during the Soviet period and had only a handful of churches in existence 20 years ago. Now we have approximately 140 Pentecostal churches. Our Bible college and training systems have trained nearly every church leader in the Georgian church to date. Today, the vision of the Eurasia Region and the Eurasia Northwest Area is to multiply the church. Fortunately, Georgia, along with the Baltic countries, enjoy the greatest amount of freedom in the former Soviet Union today.

I have returned home to the U.S. for itineration and had my first service in Braham, MN on September 8. When I head back to the mission field in late August of 2020, our team will focus on founding and strengthening our new and upcoming regional church-based Bible schools, with the purpose of raising up church planters and missionaries. We started eight Bible schools in the last 18 months in strategic areas across the country. It costs us very little to do this; $2,500 will allow us to help these rural and city churches with a new classroom, equipment, and guest quarters.

While I’m home on itineration, my prayer is to see God do great things in our MN churches and to challenge everyone regarding the call of God on their lives. Thanks to the MN District, to the great churches, and the wonderful partnership of our people over these past 20+ years and for the years that we have left. You can reach me at .