1992

 

  • January
    • 2nd meeting with Mrs. Eltsin. Humanitarian aid airlift is confirmed for April of that year.
    • Throughout the process, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) gets involved.
    • Bishop Minor becomes Bishop’s Coordinator
    • Moscow church “Singing Christians” is started with assistance of Lydia Istomina.
    • St. Petersburg Church is registered with assistance of Roman Tzelner and Lydia Istomina
  • April 19 – Easter Broadcast from Moscow. First-ever transatlantic Telebridge Broadcast
  • April 22
    • Humanitarian airlift from American Methodists to Russian Methodists.
    • First-ever landing of a Russian military aircraft, AN-124, on an American Air Force Base (Barskdale AFB).
  • May – UMCOR sends four sea containers with food and a mini-van to the First UMC in Ekaterinburg to help with the social programs.
  • June-July
    • Dr. Dwight Ramsey is appointed as a Director of the Russian Church Development.
    • The church in Ekaterinburg experiences growing pains, losing some members while a substitute pastor leads the church
    • At the General Conference in Louisville, KY, the Russian Initiative was officially established.
  • Summer
    • more churches are started in the CIS: Kerch (on the Crimea peninsula) and Ulyanovsk (on the Volga River).
    • The UMC office is opened in Moscow by the GBGM
    • GBGM temporarily establishes a special desk within its Annual Conferences, as well as other Boards and Agencies, to link them with the Church in Russia.
  • August – official “inauguration” in Moscow of the Episcopal area for the CIS.
  • September
    • Methodist School (Elementary-level classes) opened on Hochriakova street
    • The first Methodist newspaper “The Light of Methodism” (“Svetoch Metodisma” or «Светочь Методизма») founded by Ekaterinburg church.
    • Irina Istomina is sent to St.-Petersburg
  • October
    • First public Methodist worship service in Sevastopol (started by Ivan Kozlov with assistance of Lydia Istomina and Dwight Ramsey).
    • First Eurasian Leadership Seminar is hosted by Samara UMC.
    • Lydia Istomina is elected to represent Russia and the CIS as a Director of the GBGM.
    • Vladislav Spectorov is elected to represent Russia at the European Conference.