Photo via baptist.org.ru

Christian summer camp near Moscow still closed

Vladislav Vovk, head of the Brethren church-aligned Rucheyok (Little Creek) summer camp in Rumyantsevo near Moscow, reports that his camp is scheduled to reopen for business on 6 September, reports Department for External Church Relations. Yet he has not yet been given formal, legal assurance that his camp will ever be able to reopen. Its closing occurred in connection with the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists' (RUECB) biannual congress, which had been held on its grounds from 31 July until 4 August. After a hastily-convened Istra city court ruled on 2 August (Saturday) to halt the congress, the camp was closed and sealed by the police for 30 days after the congress' official end on 4 August. Over 2.000 Baptists attended the convention at a site with only 350 permanent beds; the closing cited issues of sanitation and fire safety.

Electrical power to the camp, which had been cut by the local government a few hours before the congress began on 31 July, was restored on 6 August. Restricting the camp to emergency electrical power had of course further endangered the safety of the congress.

Immediately following the conference, RUECB-leadership appealed to the courts to overturn the ruling, which they believed infringed upon Christians' legal right to freedom of worship in private, non-public settings. Finally, during a 4th court hearing on 14 August, the regional court for Moscow district overturned the ruling on closure for reasons of fire safety. But it upheld the closure on grounds of sanitation and hygiene, which meant that the 30-day sentence remained in effect.

Vovk reports that the camp's closing during its most lucrative month - August - has resulted in lost income totalling 2 mill. roubles (55.556 euros or $83.333 US). It also deprived hundreds of children from experiencing a Christian camp during 2008. Even if Rucheyok does reopen on 6 September, the school year will already have begun.

Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of the RUECB's Department for External Church Relations, adds: "Please be assured that were are not giving up. The work of Christ remains on track. All things are possible with God and we retain a great deal of hope. We remain commited to changing things for the better."

[08/28/2008]

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