We just received this from a ministry partner. Please continue to pray for Russia.
Dear Precious Partners in the Gospel,
Over the weekend, I received the shocking news of the beating death of a beloved Baptist pastor in St. Petersburg, Russia. According to the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (UECB) and published reports, 76-year-old Pastor Yuri Golovin, a preacher at the Central Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, was beaten by unknown assailants outside the home of an elderly church member whom he had intended to visit. After the assault, Pastor Golovin managed to get the attention of the church member, who immediately called an ambulance. Sadly, Pastor Golovin died of his injuries at the hospital.
There has been no confirmation of what motivated the attack, however a report in the International Christian Newspaper indicates that his assailants might have been local drug addicts.
In addition to his pastoral ministry at St. Petersburg, Yuri Golovin had been the head of The Gideons chapter in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast (state). Youth pastor Anton Tretyak said that Yuri had been a wonderful example for him. “During my baptism in 1991, he heard my testimony about how I had come to know God and he invited me to participate in distributing New Testaments in schools and hospitals. It was then that I saw in his face an example of a living Christian, who was not ashamed of witnessing about Christ and living for Christ. This was my path to life!”
Please join me in praying for the family of Pastor Yuri Golovin, as well as for his extended church family, in the midst of their deep grief. Pray also that the Lord will bring those responsible for this horrific crime to justice, and that this tragedy will lead to many new opportunities for the Gospel in the St. Petersburg region.
For our Savior,
Bob Provost
President, Slavic Gospel Association
