A History of To Russia With Love & The Russian Pentecostal Church

     To Russia With Love arose from the energy, inspiration, and faith of Ivan Venikov, a Russian émigré. Ivan, his wife Nadia, and their four small children arrived in America in 1989 as part of the first wave of Pentecostal Christians to escape the Soviet Union after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The Venikov family was extremely grateful for their new country; Christian faith in Russia had meant denial of education and jobs, harassment, even imprisonment. The Pentecostal Church in the USSR had not enjoyed even the limited tolerance that the officially registered Russian Orthodox Church received. Thousands of Christians from the USSR in this immigration were truly fleeing to religious, political, and economic freedom.

     When the Venikovs arrived in Sacramento with little more then the clothes on their backs, Ivan had the total support of a very strong and loving Christian wife. He had an immediate link with the Capitol Christian Center of Sacramento, their sponsoring church. He had four (and soon, six) children to support. He possessed the civilian skills of a marble worker, and the practical training of a former sergeant in the Russian army. Those assets and constraints...and an active vision that the Lord meant for him to grow a mission that would bring critical relief supplies and the word of God back to a country in crisis. As a Pentecostal, Ivan believed totally in vision. When he felt he was called there was no doubt.

     There had rarely been a region with greater need, and greater potential. The basic securities of food and shelter were disappearing. The make-work jobs and meager wages of the Soviet era vanished. Pensioners on fixed incomes experienced 200% annual inflation. A class of organized criminals, often linked with corrupt government officials, became a major force in society. Nobody was quite sure how long the new freedoms would last. Yet, for the first time in three generations, people could experience and learn the Word of God and Jesus without active persecution.


     Against this backdrop, within six months of his arrival Ivan was able to ship a forty-foot, twenty-ton container of basic food and clothing back to a church in Russia. With support from the Capitol Christian Center, an Assemblies of God church, he was able to increase his contacts in the Christian relief community and expand modestly.






     In 1992, the US government began paying the shipping costs of relief goods to the former U.S.S.R. In 1994, To Russia With Love, made up of only Ivan, two part-time employees (secretary and truck driver), and a small army of émigré Russian volunteers, shipped 91 containers on a budget of $154,000 dollars. The outpouring of clothing, food, goods, and money from American churches was amazing!




     In our peak year of 1995, TRWL shipped even more food, clothing, medical supplies, and durable goods to the Christian community in his former country: 109 twenty- and forty-foot containers, twenty-plus tons each. That's 2,300 TONS of Christian giving from the people of America, enabled by federal support and focused by the faith of Ivan Venikov and To Russia With Love.


     That's only the material end of TRWL. In thirty-three cities in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, TRWL contributes to 65 pastors and their churches. These are Pentecostal churches: dynamic, charismatic, and actively spreading the Word. In Kurgan, TRWL owns title to the land on which a church has just been built. Our hope is that ownership by an American non-profit organization will prevent outright confiscation if the Communists return to power. Mikhail Venikov, Ivan's brother, is the pastor of this church.

     The eight years since 1995 have brought much change and many challenges. Russia and surrounding countries have made some strides toward democracy and free markets, but a criminal Mafia class has rooted deeply into society and government. Churches enjoy freedoms unheard of under Communism, but material and financial needs are no less pressing. In many communities the Pentecostal Church may be the last resort for basic needs for the poor. Congregations and faith are still growing yet prayers and aid from overseas are desperately needed. Unfortunately, the US government has phased out funding for funding for shipping. While John and members of the mission are still in the former USSR 3-5 times each year, our shipping volume has contracted greatly. We still ship containers of aid, but graft and theft at the borders are very problematic.

     Our projects now include:
  • Organizing and funding Christian Summer Camps for children each year, most recently in Moldova and Russia. In these camps we have been blessed with the energy and faith of many Russian- and Ukranian-American teenagers from Sacramento. These high-schoolers have competency in two cultures and the Pentecostal faith for active evangelism. We know they will provide another generation of Christian hope between America and these countries;
  • Continued support to the Pentecostal Church throughout the many countries: Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and others;
  • Gifts and toys for many orphanages;
  • Financial support for indigent single mothers and families in Moldova, including a recently purchased home;
  • A project to bring a harvester to a Christian community in Bourche, Southern Moldova.
  • Bringing interested Christians of all denominations to the former countries of the Soviet Union for works of faith and faith-enriching travel.


To Russia With Love is a small mission but God has allowed us to accomplish much. With your support and contributions, our best days in His service lie before us. Please join us in serving God's PLAN!

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To Russia With Love is a 501 (c) (3) Charitable Corporation registered in California. All charitable contributions are tax-exempt.

A Short history of the Russian Pentecostal Union

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     The first Pentecostal congregations in Russia were established in 1907 on what is now the territory of Finland, but was at that time a part of the Russian empire. In Saint Petersburg, the capital at that time, the first congregations were formed in 1913. By the early 1920's the Pentecostal beliefs and teaching had spread over much of Russia. Much of the credit for this phenomenal growth belongs to I. E. Voronaev, who played a large role in uniting separate churches to form the Pentecostal Union.

     In 1926 the first Ukrainian Congress of Pentecostals was held and the organization was named the "Ukrainian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith". (UCEF) By 1927 UCEF had 350 churches with over 17,000 members. As a result of persecution in the late 1920's UCEF became an underground movement. In 1930 Voronaev and many other leading brothers were arrested.

     There was another Pentecostal organization operating at that time in what was then Poland, it was led by brother Schmid and in the 1920's he helped form Pentecostal congregations in the Ternopol, Rovno and Brest regions of the country.

     In 1929 its first united congress was held and the church was named the "Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Poland". (UCEFP) In that same year the first issue of the "Reconciler" magazine, edited by Schmid, was published.

     As a result of the annexation by the Soviet Union in 1939 and 1940 of the western parts of Byelorussia, Ukraine, and Baltic states, Pentecostal congregations, led by Schmid, ended up on the territory of the Soviet Union.

     Prior to the year 1941, when Hitler attacked Russia, Soviet authorities conducted an organized persecution of all believers, especially Pentecostals. Hundreds of churches were closed and tens of thousands of people were arrested and killed in prisons and concentration camps. During World War II religious persecution somewhat decreased.

     In 1944 the Baptist and Evangelical-Pentecostal Christians formed a joint union that was called the "Church of Evangelical Christians-Baptists", led by the All-Union Council. In 1945 both wings of Pentecostals, UCEF and UCEFP, entered this organization. From that moment Pentecostals were legally permitted to hold their church services in the buildings registered under this union. By such means God led his church through a difficult period of testing, protecting and blessing it, into the 1990's.

     In 1990 the first congress of the Pentecostal Union of Russia was called where its constitution and the name "The Union of Christians of Evangelical faith of the Russian Federation" were approved.

     The second congress was held in March 1994 and the third in March 1998, both in Moscow. During the third congress the present leadership was elected, changes and amendments to the constitution were accepted according to the government requirements of the new "Freedom of conscience and religious organizations" law, and the union was renamed the "Union of Christians of Evangelical Pentecostal Faith of Russia". (UCEPF)

     At the present time, the UCEPF of Russia consists of over 1,350 churches with a total attendance of over 300,000. On the territory of Russia there are three theological institutes, several dozen Bible schools, and hundreds of Sunday schools in the Union. The Union also has 56 regional centers, and one hundred and six churches have their own buildings. Many other congregations are working to finish building programs.

     The Union plays an active role in the country's political life. It's leaders were involved in developing the draft of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which was approved by referendum in 1993; they also signed the Treaty on Civil Concordance, and participated in the work of the Presidential and Russian Council of Ministers committee on communications with religious organizations.

     The Union is involved in great charitable works, spreading the light of the Gospel to the most remote parts of Russia, praying, testifying and working for spiritual revival in Russia.

Objectives of the Russian Pentecostal Union The Union is to:
  1. Be a spiritual center for the churches in Russia, guiding the people of God with spiritual authority, with knowledge and wisdom received from Jesus Christ.
  2. Direct the efforts of God's people in fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. (Mat.28: 19-20)
  3. Let our voice be heard in society confronting the evil and lawlessness around us, to proclaim the lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of our life and His imminent return.
  4. Assist in the spiritual strengthening, planting, and growth of the churches.
  5. Protect the purity of Christian doctrine and to follow the doctrinal practice of Pentecost.
  6. Develop all forms and means of spiritual education. Each church member is encouraged to study. Pastors and ministers should have the proper education.
  7. Form and strengthen spiritual bonds with the regional branches, local churches, mission organizations and unions.
  8. Strengthen and develop international connections with foreign church organizations, movements, missions and churches.
  9. Support and strengthen the women's, youth, children, and benevolence ministries.
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