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[Music] The church in a totalitarian state. What have six decades of Soviet religious policy been able to do to it? Is the church dying?

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[Music] Behold, we live. Christians in the Soviet Union, a documentary film produced by the Mission Fellowship Light in the East from original Amateur Super 8 and 16 millimeter films.

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The Church of Jesus lives in the world for the world. She lives from God's eternal power and the reality of his words. If God be for us, who can be against us? Christians leave the fellowship of the worship service strengthened for everyday life. The Soviet Union covers more than 8 million square miles and is the largest country on

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earth. Of the more than 260 million inhabitants, one half are Russian. The other half comprise people of more than a hundred different races. The majority of the population live in the European part of the Soviet Union. In this film we shall visit Christians in the towns of Leningrad, Tallinn, Riga, Odessa, Kiev and Rostov-on-the-Don.

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Moscow, a cosmopolitan city with seven million inhabitants. In the Kremlin the cross has been replaced by the Red Star. Former churches are now museums. Soviet reality has no place for God. Man assumes himself to be almighty. These buildings are used for education and government.

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The new man should be filled only with the ideas of Karl Marx and Lenin. The The mausoleum on the Red Square with Lenin's remains is a place of national pilgrimage. The fact that Lenin's teaching is essential to progress is impressed upon all Soviet citizens from their earliest years.

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Lenin lived. Lenin lives. Lenin will live again. Moscow to the Black Sea. Young communists maintain a guard of honour at the monument

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to the unknown sailor in Odessa. [ Music ] People of this earth, carry on their memory through your generations. Fill it with life.

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I beseech you, remember those who will never return. [music] Christians don't glorify man, but God. They don't allow themselves to be brought into line with an atheist system,

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and are therefore regarded as alien elements and parasites. They have taken up the cross of Christ. Vladimir the Great brought Christianity to Russia about a thousand years ago. His memorial stands not far from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

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A relief on its base shows how Jesus helped, healed and saved. How does the Church bring this message to the Soviet people today? The Zagorsk Monastery, just outside Moscow, is a sanctuary for Orthodox Christians and a tourist attraction, especially on the one day of the year when the memory of its founder, St. Sergius,

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is honoured. A great crowd throngs to the spring of healing waters. The pilgrims have come a long way for this holy festival. Twelve out of every hundred Soviet citizens belong to the Orthodox Church. They have come full of hope. They long for the the bread of life, righteousness and peace.

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(gentle music) An Orthodox priest has said, the most important way of preaching today is to distribute the Bible itself.

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Every sincere seeker finds the truth in it and his savior in Jesus Christ. (bells ringing) Young people who have been brought up as strict atheists

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are beginning to seek religious values and goals in the God who has been silenced. Queues outside the churches of the Kremlin, which are now atheist museums.

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Their rich art treasures appeal to the religious feelings of the visitors. Missionary minded priests are transferred, dismissed from office or imprisoned in labor camps. We should not overlook the suffering of the Orthodox Church. The Lutheran Church, as well as the Orthodox, has maintained its faith for centuries.

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This church in Pushkin near Leningrad was opened in 1977 for the Finnish-speaking citizens living there. The German Lutherans have long been oppressed because of their nationality. Nevertheless, at the end of the 70s, they increasingly received permission to open more official churches. The Danish pastor, Dr. Paul Hansen, has visited these churches in the diaspora several times.

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What was the situation in the churches you visited? [German] For me it was like looking back to the life and church situation of the first century, when she had no clergy or theologians, but was alive.

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[German] The majority are without Bibles, and nevertheless they live with a deep faith. [German] People who, like the first Christians, have sometimes been persecuted and have suffered a great deal,

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but nevertheless have remained strong, believing in God's guidance and God's love. At the time of my last visit, there were some 56 registered churches, But there are hundreds of places in these vast parts of the Soviet Union, such as Siberia, Kazakhstan and other Soviet Asian republics, where Lutheran Christians, German-speaking Lutheran Christians, come together for services.

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And in the majority of cases, as far as we can judge, they're tolerated, even when the churches aren't registered. The open sea and the church tower of St. Olavi characterize the Estonian capital Tallinn, formerly Reval. It is open to tourists from all over the world,

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as are certain other specified routes and towns in the Soviet Union. From this observation point, one can read the English words "God is love". These same words can be seen in Russian in many evangelical church halls.

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The Lutheran Church was unable to maintain the Church of St. Olay, but this is the condition under which the state allows it to be used. Therefore, the Baptists have taken over the church, which seems to be somewhat too big for them.

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However, on Saturday evenings, when the young people of Tallinn are invited to an evening of evangelistic music, it is filled with 2,000 people. This is an exception in the Soviet state, which strictly forbids meetings for young people and children.

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The office of the secret police stands right next to the church. The Christians observe coolly, "We have nothing to hide." (chanting) Far to the south, near the Romanian border,

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is Chisinov, the capital of the Moldavian Soviet Republic. Christians there are singing to the goodness of God and his powerful arm, which will bring them through sorrow and temptation to the ultimate goal.

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(chanting) This church belongs to the officially recognised Council of Evangelical Christians and Baptists, which comprises Evangelical Christian and Baptist, Mennonite and some Pentecostal churches. The church is decorated specially for Harvest Festival. Christians are thanking God for all

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that their fields and gardens have produced. [ Singing ] In the meeting room of the Christians in Odessa on the Black Sea, our attention is drawn to the mural on the front wall. Behind a billowing sea we see the sun rising as God's son of righteousness.

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Written above is "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism". Only a few preachers have theological training. The ministers of culture require them not to preach on politics, controversial community questions, Israel, or questions about the last days. Despite every limitation, God empowers his messengers with a clear, simple message,

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which inspires faith in its hearers. The church may do whatever it likes with the collection, apart from social work. The poor, the old and the sick may not be helped. The state reserves this task for itself alone.

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(chanting) The meeting hall is unable to hold all those attending. It is like this in many places. (choral music)

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A highlight in the life of the church is the celebration of communion according to the words of their Lord. Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you.

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This do in remembrance of me. (choral music) This cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do ye as often as ye drink it in remembrance of me. A communion service in the woods in the vicinity of the Latvian capital Riga. As

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often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do show the Lord's death till he come. At the moment this church has no meeting place. It left the Union, as have numerous other fellowships, because the leaders gave in too much to pressure from the state. These independent, unregistered churches, separated from the registered churches, not because of a difference

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in belief, but because of a different understanding as to how much one may give in to an atheistic government without becoming unfaithful to God's commandments. During the last twenty years, more than a thousand leaders and workers of the unregistered churches have had to pay for this with several years imprisonment.

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Mikhail Kolesnichenko was in a labor camp for several years. Here he is standing in for Joseph Bondarenko, who was at that time in prison. As soon as a preacher is arrested, the next one takes his place. In this way, the atheists encourage the activities they wish to forbid.

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[Music] Meetings in the forest become difficult in bad weather and freezing conditions, But even the cold November rain doesn't frighten these church members away. Their desire for the message of the word and for fellowship with other Christians is too strong.

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The more difficult the circumstances, the nearer the believers grow to the Lord and to each other. [Music] The ever-alert police take immediate action if any young believer seeks to evangelise openly. In the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, many young people have been arrested and were subsequently released.

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Nevertheless, Joseph Bondarenko was condemned to three years forced labor camp. Near Rovno in the Ukraine, the Stolbunov church meets in these woods. Their church member Valery Nazaruk tells how the Lord enabled him to come through four hard years of labour camp as a Christian despite mockery and coercion. He was condemned because he refused to take the oath

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of allegiance whilst in the army. The police have seriously injured a boy's head. They warned that they would do this if Nazaruk took part in the meeting. Somewhere in the Soviet Union,

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Joseph Bondarenko's brother, Vasily, leads this evangelistic campaign. It is the Christian upbringing of children which lights the fires of ideological conflict

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between Marxists and Christians. The one-armed Boris Storovets from Kharkov, who was sorely tried in labour camp, now calls young people to repent.

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If someone responds to the call, he kneels down with them to pray. Finally, the newly converted thank God themselves for their new life. The great things God is doing in the East must be made known in the West. At the 60th anniversary conference of Light in the East,

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more people came to the German mission headquarters than the large hall in Korntal could hold. Georgi Vinc, leader of the unregistered Baptists, who had been expelled from the Soviet Union a year before, is speaking. "I would like to thank all Western Christians for their prayers and support, When the church in the east is suffering,

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every single prayer has great power. That thrills us. It gives us fresh courage to preach within an atheistic environment. Our circumstances are very difficult and we are surrounded on all sides by enemies.

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We have nothing there. We have no radio. We have no Christian magazines. We have only enemies. but we do have the greatest of all. We have Christ and if Christ is with us, we can overcome in everything and can be victorious. We have not earned it. We are human like everyone else. We can't credit anything to ourselves. Therefore we say all glory belongs to

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Christ. It is the Lord's power and His wisdom. Therefore the Church in the East is invincible. Even in difficult circumstances faith does not weaken. It It is even strengthened. Many young souls join in and begin to witness for Jesus Christ.

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We now go over to the church in Kiev, which the Wien's family used to attend. [ Music ] [ Singing ] [Singing]

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The Soviet officials wanted to substantially weaken the Baptist church there by sending Georgi Vins and his family into exile. But on the contrary, others have taken their places. The Church knows that it is constantly watched by the State. The believers use their relative freedom and do not allow themselves to be frightened by threats.

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There is often a high percentage of young people. The joyful fellowship continues after the meeting. In Rostov on the Don, a lady member of the church has invited other church members to celebrate her moving into a new apartment. [Music]

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(singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) [Music] Birthdays and other family occasions are welcome opportunities to encourage Christian fellowship and to praise God with music and singing.

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Large Christian families live modestly. Parents do not entrust their children to the atheistic kindergarten. Only if a grandmother lives with them can both parents go out to work without worrying. (clinking)

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After a meal at which each has had enough, they thank the Lord with a hymn of praise. The Bible is worth more than gold the one who has received help and comfort from God's Word throughout a long life of suffering.

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Light in the East is the biggest publisher of Christian books in East European languages. In the Soviet Union, there are almost no Christian books. Light in the East helps with Bibles, concordances, commentaries, hymn books, and daily devotional helps, and with literature for children and young people. These books get to the Soviet Union in many different ways.

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Sometimes Bibles and books are confiscated by the customs. On a poster published in Moscow, communists ridicule a Bible carrier from the West. Nevertheless, most of the confiscated books are not destroyed, but reach their destination via the black market. In Leningrad, Aida distributed handwritten tracts and received Bible portions from foreigners.

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After four years in prison, she continued this work. The police ransacked her apartment. I showed them the books, all illegally brought into the country or illegally produced within it. They confiscated most of them. What can we do? Get informed about Christians in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

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help to provide Bibles and good Christian literature for them. Every book is read by many people and even copied until it literally falls apart and help to support radio ministry which reaches millions of people. God says, "If you receive my Son, Jesus Christ, you are born anew and become a rightful member of my family."

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Amongst the listeners you can find high functionaries and atheists who would never dare to go to a church service. Again and again, some are converted through listening to such programs. Light in the East broadcasts its Russian programmes from different transmitters to the entire Soviet Union. For many, they are the only link with the worldwide family of Christ.

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The programmes are included in family devotions. What can we do? Prayer is most effective, therefore we need to know about each other. The lives of Christians in the Soviet Union reflect the qualities of the servants of God.

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in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, by the power of God, as deceivers and yet true, as chastened and not killed, as poor yet making many rich, as dying.

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And behold, we live. [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO]