A Conversation with Rev. Patrick Whaley on the Importance of the SASHA MINISTRY

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1 A Conversation with Rev. Patrick Whaley on the Importance of the SASHA MINISTRY How did the idea for SASHA get started? I first met Bishop Hans Vaxby in September 2005 when our partner United Methodist Church in Pskov dedicated their new church building. Rev. Hans Vaxby, originally from Sweden had been elected Bishop of Eurasia, including Russia in January of Bishop Vaxby was very impressed by the entire Pskov ministry (worship, small groups, Sunday School, Men s Ministry, young adults, missions and outreach ). We have a wonderful pastor in Pskov and shared a great relationship together. Memphis church members and I had been making regular trips to Pskov since Bishop Vaxby asked at the building dedication if I would prayerfully consider working full time in Eurasia. He continued to ask and a group of dedicated friends and my family prayed about this opportunity and a partnership was formed. Beginning in July 2006 I have had a special appointment from Bishop Wills and the Memphis Annual Conference to be appointed to Eurasia and Bishop Vaxby as Teaching Pastor Where does the name SASHA come from? One of the men in Pskov was named Alexander, Sasha is the nickname. He was a military officer, an alcoholic and an atheist. His wife began coming to the church. Sasha was not happy and would abuse her for attending the church. She continued to attend and her life was transformed. God worked through her, our Pastor Nelli, the people of the Pskov church and church teams from Memphis. Several years ago Sasha accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and became a very active church leader. His life was totally changed!!! The very day I called Bishop Vaxby to accept this opportunity to be in full time ministry in Eurasia, we received a phone call saying that Sasha had died of cancer. This ministry is dedicated to Sasha of Pskov because I know there are millions of people throughout Eurasia just like Sasha. People who need someone to tell them about the love and grace of Jesus Christ!! What do you do as Teaching Pastor in Eurasia? Think of our name, SASHA! Shepherding A Servant s Heart, Amen! I have a desk at our United Methodist Seminary in Moscow. I spend time teaching and mentoring our future pastors at the seminary. However, the greatest work occurs all across Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. I usually stay in a given location 2 4 weeks. I want to become the pastors and church member s best friend. I am there to encourage and support their ministry and to challenge them to grow in their faith, missional outreach and evangelism. Through Bible Studies we grow in God s grace and discover our calling as a pastor and a church. We discover their gifts and talents and how God calls us to become the Body of Christ for the world. Through prayer walks we see who lives in our

2 community and seek God s guidance on how we can best reach out sharing the Gospel message through personal relationships. We must be intentional in going out to the people! We also need to live out the Fruits of the Spirit. It is only when they see Christ in our lives that people are willing to learn more about Jesus and a life long relationship with God. We set goals and through SASHA we give seed money to begin new ministries or enhance their current ministry. I return several times to shepherd and encourage them as together we share the Good News of Jesus Christ. The goal is to give them all that they need to build a firm foundation where Jesus is the Cornerstone. We are to Make Disciples, Mature Disciples and Mobilize Disciples to transform the world beginning with their lives and community. Understand our pastors and church members have a heart for God. Yet, Russia and Eurasia is so large! The government, Orthodox Church and almost everyone in the community do not want them and calls them a cult. It is very difficult to be a Protestant Pastor or church member. SASHA becomes their friend and their support as together we read the scriptures and live out the faith sharing the Good News! Give us some examples of where you go and how the ministry has grown? * Samara has an enormous drug and alcohol problem? We helped to start a rehab center. We now have 3 rehab centers where 80+ people have come to know Jesus is greater than any addiction. God has transformed their lives and relationships with their families. Now they reach out to teenagers in preventative ministry. * Kirov is a university city. By visiting cafes and pool halls we have grown a large university and high school ministry. Their pastor has a great interest in sick children. We now have a hospital ministry! * Novokujbishevsk was a church that was ready to close. Their pastor had moved and people were discouraged. Together we prayed, walked and listened to God. Some church members had talents in music and dance. We found people on the other side of the tracks who were even more discouraged. We now have a music, dance and Bible Study ministry with gypsy teenagers and their mothers. The church led by laity, has been reenergized and growing! They have also started a ministry in the women s prison! * Arkhangelsk is almost on the Arctic Circle. One church member comes from a village 45 minutes away. The pastor and I went to visit her last November. Five people came. The next week we had 16. The ladies said if we would play soccer men would come. In December Pastor Dmitri and I played soccer with 14 men. This group continues to meet each Saturday with more than 30!! Small home groups and Bible Studies throughout the city are vital in this ministry. * Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Church members have experienced God s love and grace! They have ministries in an orphanage, soup kitchen for hungry children and groups with university students. In the villages surrounding Bishkek they only have heat and power for 3 hours a day. Schools and factories are closed and life is very difficult. We started a ministry where church members and university students would return home to visit their families in the villages. By providing soup and tea for adults and games and activities with children we are building relationships. These relationships have become ongoing small groups including Bible Study that are rapidly growing giving hope and changing entire communities. * Kiev, Ukraine has begun a ministry with poor children offering food, tutoring and Christian love to those who previously were on the streets. This is a model from Grace UM Church in St. Petersburg! * Kaliningrad, Saratov, Otradney, Novgorod and many other locations in Russia; Chisinau, Moldova; Krasnoameisk and Lviv Ukraine, are all locations where ministry is growing because of SASHA!

3 Tell us about the conferences you lead? We have led conferences for District Superintendents who come from 11 time zones. SASHA helped to start a Young Adult Leadership Conference in St Petersburg that meets each January. Some of these young adults ride the train for 5 days one way to attend. We lead district and conference training events for pastors and lay leaders all across Eurasia. Themes include: church growth, growing disciples, training Sunday School teachers and missional outreach. We are developing Sunday School and Bible Study Curriculum for all ages using the examples and experiences from Eurasia with Eurasian writers, artist and musicians. How is SASHA funded? Is my gift Tax Deductable? I thank God for people with a heart for all of God s people in world missions. Every penny of the SASHA MINISTRY comes from individuals and churches who want to make a difference in the lives of people in Russia and the other countries. I am extremely thankful for Germantown United Methodist Church who collects the money and does the book keeping and the SASHA Board of Directors that represents 6 different churches and makes the decisions. People give because they believe in the ministry. They know me, they know the connectional ministry of the church and they know their money is transforming lives throughout Eurasia. ALL MONIES are TAX DEDUCTABLE! We need $8,000 a month to support the ministry! The largest gifts come from individuals. We receive money from church budgets, Vacation Bible Schools, Men s Ministry, Sunday School Classes. When in America I will be honored to visit you and your churches. Please send all donations to: SASHA MINISTRY Germantown United Methodist Church 2331 South Germantown Road Germantown, TN Our need is great due to the economic crisis! Every gift is vital. Russia has the Orthodox Church. Do we also need to be there? Who is coming to our churches? These are great questions. I have a great and growing appreciation for the Orthodox Church. Throughout the days of Communism this was the only church and just a handful of grandmothers kept alive the faith. Especially during the days of Stalin more than 2500 churches were demolished and thousands of others were closed. People died for their faith and atheism was taught in the universities. Those Orthodox Churches that remained open were vital!! Today new Orthodox Churches are being built with government support. The church and the state are almost one and the same. Those who attend church have a strong faith and appreciate the rituals of the church. However, in most cases worship is spoken in a Slavic language that few people know and understand. For most people church is a ritual not a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are Russian you are orthodox whether you attend or not! We believe God created each of us and through Jesus wants a personal love relationship with us. We believe in the Great Commandment and the Great Commission! We believe Jesus is the Light that shines out of darkness that can transform a life, a community, a nation and our world. Throughout the scriptures Good Samaritan, Prodigal Son, Sermon on the Mount, letters of Paul we are called to share the Gospel with all people. There are millions of people in the countries of the former Soviet Union who do not know Jesus Christ. They have chosen not to go to the Orthodox Church. So as Jesus taught in parables, Paul travelled and wrote letters to the people of his day, John Wesley went to the country side and factories, we too are called to share God s amazing love and grace. Most churches began with grandmothers and they still come. However, our churches now reach

4 out to people of all walks of life. We have mayors and people from government who attend. University and Medical professors and teachers of children and youth, lawyers and bankers are in church and Bible Study each week. Doctors and nurses, accountants, builders and shop keepers come. Men who work in the oil fields, coal mines and building nuclear submarines are in our Bible Studies. Former military officers and a former employee of the KGB are in attendance. We have business leaders who own several shops and those who employee more than 30 people. Russians with high level jobs with international companies attend along with high school and university students. Some people have been fired from their jobs because they attended a Protestant Church. Parents forbid their teenagers to come to our cult meetings yet, they still attend. It is not popular to come to a Protestant Church however; people will testify that God has changed their lives! Why am I excited about the ministry? In a very difficult society where Protestants are not easily accepted we are reaching out meeting people where they are in life and inviting them into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. In this part of the world many churches do not have their own building and those who do usually do not have a sign out front. It is only by building relationships, sharing a cup of tea, vital worship, small Bible Study groups, living a Christian life style and our missional outreach that people come to know Christ! Do mission trips really make a difference in the lives of people you meet? John 1 tells us that in the beginning was the word and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Bible is God s love story telling about our relationship with God and one another. Adam and Eve sinned against God when creation was perfect. It was a relationship with a snake that led them to the forbidden fruit. The 10 Commandments were laws of God broken by humankind. However, Jesus came as a human to give us abundant life. John 10:10. Luke 4:18 Jesus tells those in the synagogue why he came. In Genesis we read where God told Abram he was blessed to be a blessing to others. God calls us to be in relationships with each other. People in Eurasia always tell me they would rather have a visit than money. Most of the places I go either do not have a partnership church or their churches do not visit. They are eager to share life s questions and want relationships. Mission trips are vital for everyone. Most people who come to Eurasia will say, they received far more than what they gave. I very much recommend that all Christians go on mission trips and keep these relationships going through and future trips. Most of the pastors and many lay people and I each other weekly for ongoing encouragement and ministry. Issues of faith are very different in Eurasia than in other places. People have grown up with an atheist background and now are orthodox even though they do not attend nor understand the rituals. Protestants are cults. Sharing life together and seeing and trying to understand the faith through their eyes is vital in a growing relationship!!! Please join me and see first hand the importance of the SASHA Ministry as we grow Christian disciples! Tell us about your family? I am very blessed to have family who understands and supports the ministry. They prayed and all agreed that God was calling us to Eurasia before we said yes to Bishop Vaxby. My wife, Christy is an inner city high school teacher in Memphis. Because of some health issues she is unable to travel. I am usually gone 2-3 months and then return home for about 3 weeks. I am trying to be both in ministry and a good husband and father. We have 3 children; Sarah is 26 and a neonatal nurse in Miami, Florida. Elizabeth is 24 and the Aquatics Director at Vanderbilt and David, 20 is a junior at the University of Tennessee.

5 What is your SASHA MINISTRY when you are in America? SASHA Ministry has 4 goals: * Shepherding and mentor pastors and laity empowering them to become church leaders; * Providing models of evangelism, church growth and outreach as we grow the church of Eurasia; * Christian Discipleship providing curriculum and resources to grow deeper in the Christian faith; * Develop deeper relationships between Eurasian and American churches and ministry. While in America I spend much time on the last two areas. We relate with agencies to provide the Upper Room November 2008 first edition in Russian, Walk to Emmaus first Russian Walk summer 2008, Disciple Bible Study, DBS II will be out soon in Russian. Various Christian books, Sunday School curriculum and Faith Sharing New Testament have all been projects that SASHA MINISTRY has spent time and finances to help develop. I also build partnerships between churches helping with misunderstandings or helping to explain the need for a new church boiler or the importance of starting a new ministry. A Partnership Church relationship is about $8,000 per year. I am always excited to preach and share the ministry with groups!! Tell us more about the Walk to Emmaus in Russia? Five ladies from Pskov, Russia were the first to experience Emmaus when they came to the Memphis Emmaus Walk. These ladies went to Estonia to experience additional leadership. The first Russian Walks were held in the summer The second set of walks will be summer Emmaus will be in 2 locations including Pskov. Through SASHA ministry we have raised $3,000 for the translation of Emmaus curriculum and more than $10,000 for Emmaus leadership training How do you decide where to go? I work very closely with Bishop Vaxby as we plan the ministry of SASHA. In America he has asked me to go to Florida, Wisconsin, NY and other locations to tell the importance of our total ministry in Eurasia. In Eurasia I go to churches with new seminary graduates; locations that do not have a partnership church; places that have opportunity for growth or new church plants; and then all across the 9 countries that make up Eurasia for the leadership training events. When people ask where I live in Eurasia, I say, the train!

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