Vladimir Zaharchuk — pastor of a church

In 1991 the Soviet Union fell apart. Depression hit hard. No job. No goal. No nothing. In 1996 I decided to commit suicide. I put a halter round my neck and … the Lord spoke to me, saying, “I have set before you life and death. Now choose life, so that you may live.” I took the noose off, jumped off the stool, fell on my knees, repented of my sins, and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior!

I started sharing the Gospel and, in 2016, planted a church in Voskresensk (100,000 population town 50 miles southeast from Moscow).

We had three kids — two boys and a girl. The girl was run over by a taxi — killed her. The boys rushed in to lynch the driver. I shouted, “No, we forgive him!”

The taxi driver accepted the Lord and joined the church. In memory of our daughter, we adopted Dima, Venya, Angela, Vanya, Anastasiya, Danya, Irina, and Anya. Together, we read a chapter from the Proverbs every morning, ponder over it during the day, and pray through it in the evening.

The church grew-grew-grew and … plateaued. I realized I needed training — enrolled to the Moscow Seminary. Wow, this seminary is for real! Especially, its Church & State course. For my church operates under persecutions and I must know how to fight back. Also, Social Work & Christian Counselling course speaks directly to my heart.

For there are so many underprivileged people around — the poor, sick, homeless, hungry … When I see old babushkas going through the nearby grocery store’s garbage bins in search for expired food I cry out to the Lord — don’t they know the Father offers them eternal Bread of Life! It breaks my heart to know that these “orphans” have not yet found their true Family. My task is to bring them Home — to Church. That’s what the Lord called me to and the seminary trains me to do.