The Old. God is definitely working in the hearts of the Russian people, and we witnessed this in the churches, too.  On the aesthetic side, I am captivated by the regal architecture, the bright gold domes that glisten in the sun, and the exquisite mosaics, stained glass, and Christian symbolism captured throughout the walls, windows, and ceilings of the Russian Orthodox churches.  We overlooked a row of such churches right below our hotel window in Moscow, and along the Western skyline near Red Square.  I also enjoyed seeing Cathedrals in Rostov and in neighboring Novocherkassk.  Many decades ago, these were the center of every town, but after the Russian Revolution in 1917, many were destroyed.  I am thankful that many stand today, and others have been rebuilt.  The presence of this Christian symbol is remarkable given the past 80 years of atheism.
 
 

Postcard perfect picture of a snowy Saint Basil's Cathedral.	I could see Red Square from my hotel room.  Saint Basil's is getting a face lift.
Church tops east of Red Square.	Church of the Redeemer.
Church below my Moscow hotel window.	Another beautiful church at the end of church row.

I am puzzled by the icon worship and the formality of Orthodox churches, but God can work there.  This may be where He is returning to the hearts of many Russians. One sunny day on a walk through town, a few members of our team decided to visit Rostov’s Orthodox Cathedral.  We tried to be quiet and respectful, tiptoeing over the crumbling floor tiles that were being repaired, and we saw the many leather-skinned babushkas (grandmothers) with their head scarves and their softly spoken prayers to the icons on the walls.  After surveying the beautiful sculptures and stained glass windows, we looked up above the altar and noticed 2 large Latin-looking symbols that looked like “X 8”.  Some of you may be familiar with this symbolism, but I was not.  I got quite a lift when I found out it means “Christ is risen.”  When I visited a school a few days later, one of the teachers gave me a hand beaded Easter egg with the exact same symbol.
 
 

Rostov Cathedral on a bright,  sunny day.	Novocherkassk Cathedral,  the center of town.

As we walked out of the Cathedral, one of the babushkas stopped our group and wrote down each of our names and said she would pray for us.  Then another babushka tapped us on the arm and pointed up with one finger.  “Eesoos, Tolka Adien!” she repeated several times.  With those 3 short words, “Jesus, Only One” she witnessed to everyone who came into that church.   That dear lady was no little person.

The New.  Galina invited me to attend church with her one Sunday, so I brought Ellery and Sam from my team, not knowing exactly what we would see, except that it was something nontraditional.  We hopped on a bus, got off a few blocks later and she pointed to an office building downtown.  The church was housed in the auditorium in that unassuming building, and it was packed with about 500 people of all ages who seemed full of joy and excitement.  It was like being in a Southern California church, with lots of clapping and singing of familiar contemporary praise songs.  The Russian words were displayed on a screen above the stage, and several vocalists led the worship, accompanied by an electric guitar, drums, and keyboard.  For 3 hours, we sang, listened to a long sermon entirely in Russian, had communion with bread and goblets of wine passed from row to row, witnessed an altar call and 2 offerings.  The offering was passed from row to row by the congregation, each person slipping bills into plastic shopping bags.  The people eagerly gave, sometimes reaching over a couple rows to make sure their contribution made it in.  When’s the last time you saw that kind of enthusiasm for the offertory at church?

Contemporary worship service in Rostov.

Galina had a ball and so did our American trio.  She brought her granddaughter and daughter-in-law, too.  She sang and clapped and often looked over at me smiling and nodding the words to me as though I was suddenly going to join her in Russian.  Ha! I didn’t understand a single word except God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, but I clearly sensed God’s Spirit was moving in that place.  The new freedoms Russia experienced after the fall of communism were exemplified in the free open worship of this storefront church.  We could hardly believe it.  What must it have been like for some of the congregation, especially those in their 60’s, 70’s and even 80’s, to be able to pray and worship now, when they had been told decades ago that there was no God?