24. To the Ends of the Earth. Stories from the Church in the Soviet Union

In this episode of "God on the Move," Dr. Victor Petrenko shares about his upbringing during the Soviet Union and how, after his father served two and a half years in prison, his family had to flee Belarus for Latvia. From there, Victor planned youth trips to Siberia to share the Gospel with people who hadn’t heard about Jesus in over 70 years. Inspired by the Lausanne Moscow Congress in 1990, he travelled beyond the Arctic Circle to a small town called "The End of the Earth" to preach the Gospel and helped to smuggle thousands of Bibles into China. From stories of horrendous persecution to the miraculous gift of God that is the Latvian Biblical Centre, Victor recalls how the Lord has been there all along.

 

If you are a Christian seeking to discover stories of how God moves in different parts of the world, then this podcast is for you.

 

Links from interview: 

Latvian Biblical Centre 

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Dr Vitali (Victor) Petrenko:

Victor, born in Gomel, Belorussia, studied theology at London Bible College, Brunel University, and received his PhD from Durham University. He is the Director of the Latvian Biblical Centre (Riga, Latvia), an Associate Professor at the Norwegian School of Leadership and Theology (Oslo, Norway) and the author of "Theology of Icons: Protestant Perspective," published in 2000. He lives and lectures in a cross-cultural and cross-denominational environment and cares deeply about peace and reconciliation among nations. Victor is married to Ester, and they have one son, Lukass.