Moscow — “Our numbers are smaller than we had anticipated, but the start has been made.” That was the opinion of Vladimir Li, pastor of Moscow Presbyterian Church, following the founding of Russia’s first Presbyterian General Assembly in Moscow on Oct. 4. Twenty-nine delegates from Presbyterian congregations stretching from Moscow to Sakhalin Island, 4,400 miles to the east, attended the founding of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Churches of Russia.
The General Assembly will be meeting every two years. President for the initial two-year period is Vladimir Li, a medical doctor with a master’s degree in theology from California. His deputy is Ahn Soon-Cheol, a long-term Moscow missionary from Korea. “There would be less interest if we only met again in four years,” Li said. “We chose to meet in two years so that those still on the outside can join sooner.” The next assembly is to be held in 2014 on Sachalin Island.
One immediate task involves obtaining government registration. This will allow congregations to join a genuine Presbyterian denomination. In order to achieve legality, Presbyterian congregations have been forced over the past 20 years to work under a variety of interdenominational umbrellas.
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