The Builders Dinner at GC19 was “very profitable” for Continental Theological Seminary (CTS). Dr. Dimitrov, President, did an outstanding job presenting the challenge of reaching Europe and beyond. The challenge was presented by Don Ross, Superintendent of NW Ministry Network. The result was $325,200 committed to construct a new dorm and cafeteria. The goal by August 1, 2020 is $500,000. 

CTS does not have enough dorm and apartment space on campus for the growing student body. Married students are being required to live off campus at a high cost to make room for single students. Would you consider making a faith commitment? If so, please let me know at carley@buildersintl.org. 

Jim Wellborn, a staff member at Builders, made some photos of the dinner to share with you. By the way, please feel free to post on this site as well as ask your Facebook friends to like this page. 

The Builders Dinner at GC19 was “very profitable” for Continental Theological Seminary (CTS). Dr. Dimitrov, President, did an outstanding job presenting the challenge of reaching Europe and beyond. The challenge was presented by Don Ross, Superintendent of NW Ministry Network. The result was $325,200 committed to construct a new dorm and cafeteria. The goal by August 1, 2020 is $500,000. 

CTS does not have enough dorm and apartment space on campus for the growing student body. Married students are being required to live off campus at a high cost to make room for single students. Would you consider making a faith commitment? If so, please let me know at carley@buildersintl.org. 

Jim Wellborn, a staff member at Builders, made some photos of the dinner to share with you. By the way, please feel free to post on this site as well as ask your Facebook friends to like this page. 

The Builders Dinner at GC19 was “very profitable” for Continental Theological Seminary (CTS). Dr. Dimitrov, President, did an outstanding job presenting the challenge of reaching Europe and beyond. The challenge was presented by Don Ross, Superintendent of NW Ministry Network. The result was $325,200 committed to construct a new dorm and cafeteria. The goal by August 1, 2020 is $500,000. 

CTS does not have enough dorm and apartment space on campus for the growing student body. Married students are being required to live off campus at a high cost to make room for single students. Would you consider making a faith commitment? If so, please let me know at carley@buildersintl.org. 

Jim Wellborn, a staff member at Builders, made some photos of the dinner to share with you. By the way, please feel free to post on this site as well as ask your Facebook friends to like this page. 

Breaking News! The Security Passport, a document affirming the right to exist for organizations, is a matter of RECORD!  Today Friday, January 25^th 2019, just before noon, the “Temporary Worship and Ministry Facilities” were UNSEALED by the authorities. Thank you for your prayer support!

·        Labor funds are needed! The goal is to hire 2 shifts with 10 workers each for 7 months which is about $70,000.

UNSEALING OF BUILDING

·        Background

o  Temporary worship and ministry center was closed due to building code violations in March.

o  There is more to the story. Your prayer support is appreciated. 

o  It means that the office workers can return.

o  It means that the workers can go back into the building to do tasks.

o  No gathering of people can take place for worship and teaching these are being done off campus.

o  It is a tremendous sign that the government is now moving forward with necessary permits.

SECURITY PASSPORT

·        This is document is required by the government because of the anti-terrorism laws enacted in 2016.

·        It is required for all buildings that can accommodate 50 or more people.

o  Includes metal detectors and a HD security camera for 24/7 with a storage capacity of memory for 30 days.

o  Good News Church is in compliance.

·        It is possible that it will be issued soon. I just emailed the office in Chelny today for an update. As soon as I receive information I will share it with you.

CONSTRUCTION:

·        Background

o  Builders International became involved in this project in 2015 after it was approved by AGWM. 

o  A prayer team visited the site in February, 2016 with funding and a strategy to complete the basement by December 31. It was completed and inspected.

o  Site visits were made in early 2017 but construction progress was halted by the government. The original design provided by the government was revised to meet safety, security and energy efficiency. This was completed on August 1, 2017. This provided an 8-week construction season but progress was made to the first floor.

o  Hope abounded for significant progress for 2018, only to be faced with ongoing delays. Now, it appears that by August 15, the building permit will be in hand.

·        Ready to go!

o  Labor agreements are in place with brick masons who are ready to work one, two or three shifts to assure as much progress as possible.

o  Building materials are on hand to complete the first floor.

o  The plan is to complete the deck of the second floor and begin the walls of the second floor. 

PARTNERSHIP: Builders International is committed to raising one-third of the cost of the building. The local church is committed to the remainder of construction cost. Our partnership provides accountability for donations, encouragement to the pastor/congregation, and funding to move the project forward. The outcome will be a very beautiful building that is strategically located in a city of 600,000 people where evangelism and outreach can only occur on the church campus. The population is Tatar, an unreached people group with 99% being Muslim or secularist.

UPDATE Concerning Religious Persecution:

Hello Brother Carley,

You remember the brother from the Nizhnekamsk church was sued for distributing Christian tracts in the Tatar language. The church hired a lawyer who defended Damir in the court. The judge eventually took the side of Damir, and we won! We thank the Lord for His blessing and protection, and you for your prayers. 
You can read more from my other messages below. Vasily Evchik

The Nizhnekamsk City Prosecutor has issued his Judgment in the case of an administrative offense concerning a Christian who worked as a taxi driver and witnessed about his faith to his clients. He distributed tracts in both Russian and Tatar languages based on his own convictions. However the General Prosecutor Office made a mistake in its decision that he was guilty of the administrative offence according to the Article 5.26 of the Part 4 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses "Breach of the legislation on freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and religious associations". The General Prosecutor Office has handed the case to the Court. The Lawyer paid the Court's attention to the fact that according to the Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation: Everyone shall be guaranteed the freedom of conscience, the freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or together with other any religion or to profess no religion at all, to freely choose, possess and disseminate religious and other views and act according to them.


According to the Item 1 of the Article 3 of the Federal Law 125-FZ "About Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations": Freedom of conscience and freedom of religion shall be guaranteed in the Russian Federation, including the right to confess any or no religion by an individual or by a group of individuals, to conduct religious services or any religious ceremonies and rites, to carry out the teaching of religion or religious education, to freely choose and change as well as to have and disseminate religious and other convictions, and to act according to them, as well as to create new religious associations. 

Thus, the lawyer insisted that the aforementioned citizen was acting within the limits of the Constitutional norm when he expressed his own private convictions which can not and should not be conditioned by the legislating of his actions by any religious association, otherwise the Constitutional freedom of the citizen D. would depend on his membership of a religious organization or on the will of a third party, which is against Constitution. Since the citizen was carrying out his constitutional right of religion outside of any religious association, he could not be doing a missionary activities by definition. 
The Court has heard the reasoning of the lawyer and cancelled the Judgment in the case of an administrative offense and ceased the proceedings on the case.

Six months ago, May 2016, I visited the construction site of the Good News Church.  I did not see much had changed from the time of my first visit in 2003. Today, the foundation is complete.  The basement is finished along with the floor of the first story.  I am rejoicing!  God has answered my prayer for progress.

The photo below, tells the story of the working conditions.

The financial goal is to raise $150,000 by May 15, 2017. 

Update of the construction happening at the Tatarstan Church

We plan to finish the basement stage by October 10, 2016. 

After October 20 2016, we plan to start construction of the first above ground level of the church building. 

Thank you for your help! It is appreciated and valued!

In July, Herb Parker, Ed Schneider and Steve Levick went to Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia, on a Builders International team.Their visit came just after the new Russian laws restricting evangelism with other ramifications came into effect.Therefore they, because of visa restrictions were limited in their capacity to serve.

You can view the advancements that are being made with the project. The video is on this site.

In his own words to his church, Brother Vasiliy shared, “Dear Brothers and Sisters! We have to make more efforts in order to continue construction process! We can do many things ourselves! It was like this last week, when our brothers did the work at the site with their own hands, not construction workers, but we ourselves did some works…they worked at the southern part of the building.”

• income and expenses:
  
• Income - Forty-four people gave the sum of $569.00 or 37,600 rubles (average monthly salary is 20,000 rubles)
  
• Expense (last week)– Total $785.00 or 51,800 rubles
  
• Tractor Rental $45
  
• Insulation materials $362
  
• Back-fill dirt $226
  
• 2 metric tons of cement $148
  
• Loan payment $315 (monthly)
  

The income was from 44 people who gave a total of $569.

All the church family is involved in giving to move the project forward.They are asked to collect waste paper and then it is sold for 4 1/2 cents per 2.2 pounds or 3 rubles.This touches my heart as I remember doing the same for project in my church as you man.  (I saw their collection station.)

Therefore please pray for the congregation that God will bless their finances to bless the church. Also, please consider a regular donation until this project is completed. The dollar is very strong in Russia right now.Builders’ goal is to transfer an offering each month for the project.

The next goal to see work continue on track is to raise $30,000 by August 5, 2016.  These funds will pay workers who continue to lay the brick for the exterior and interior walls. As well, the floor will be placed for the second level.

A team will b on site in mid-October to review the progress that has occurred during the 2016 construction season, as well as to cast the vision for the 2017 construction season. If you would like to join us, find out more at:  https://buildersintl.org/events/legacy-team-russia-2/

Thanks to your generosity, the first financial goal of $25,000 has been met and work is now underway for the 2016 construction season!

The Good News Church is located in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny (Chelny) in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.  It is about 1,000 miles east of Moscow.  The population of Tatarstan is predominately composed of the Tatar people group with majority being Muslim.  The Tatar people have been identified as an unreached people group.

Chelny is  a city of 500,000 people, in an industrial city known for the very large factory that produces trucks. As a planned city, the people live in large apartment buildings. The foot print is small compared to western standards.  Public transportation is very accessible for travel around the city. It is the hub for the regions cultural celebrations for the Tatar people.

The Good News Church was founded by its current pastor, Vasiliy Evchik, about 20 years ago.  He and his wife Raisa have five sons. He is the bishop of a group of 24 churches in the Republic of Tatarstan and is one of Bishops of the Pentecostal Union of Russia. He has found favor with the local government leaders.

The local government has given to Good News Church (1)  Choice property, (2) architectural design and blueprints with all schematics for utilities, (3) permits for all construction phases, and (4) permanent tax exception for the property.  This is a miracle but the challenge is that church has been under construction for the past 12 years.

Bricklaying phase of construction begins May 25, 2016 and continues for 20 weeks. The workers hired are from the local community and work fro a company who has carries the work permit. We'll keep you up to speed on project updates here!

The cost to hire one worker is about 9,000 Rubles ($125 USD). Currently the US Dollar is strong and is going further to complete this project!

The construction of the building is projected for fall of 2018.

The first legacy team will depart on Monday.  Soon we will have an update with some photos and comments by those who are traveling.  

We have learned much as this team has been put together.  We will have another trip in October.