SALEM, OREGON (ANS) -- A Youth with a Mission leader has delivered a bombshell to Western missionary organization working in Russia: You may be 'liquidated'

Al Akimoff, Director of Youth With A Mission Slavic Ministries International, says that he has discovered that on October 15, 2008, a declaration unexpectedly appeared on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing 56 religious organizations scheduled for “liquidation.”

Akimoff, in a newsletters to his supporters, said, “These stem from a number of major world faiths and included Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, the Catholic ‘Caritas’ as well as small, dissident Orthodox groups and one organisation belonging to the Kiev Orthodox Patriarchate.

“Yet at least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations. These include the humanitarian ‘World Vision’ and ‘Youth with a Mission’. At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the ‘Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’ and three regional districts of the ‘Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists’ (RUECB).

“Apparently; several entire churches are up for liquidation, including the ‘Union of Churches of Presbyterian Christians’ and the ‘Assemblies of God’. Even the 26-congregation-strong ‘Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians’ is scheduled for elimination.”

SITUATION IN RUSSIA GETS WORSE
Akimoff went on to say, “The situation in Russia has continued to worsen this past year as the new visa law went into effect. This limits missionaries to three-month stays after which they need to leave for three months then reapply for a new expensive three-month visa. This has made it especially difficult on families and many have been forced to leave. This has affected every mission.

“We have been spared this in some of the rural areas where some of our workers have received residency permits, but in the cities this has been impossible and has reduced our numbers to the nationals themselves.

“Our Russian Ywammers have continued the work in a number of places but further restrictions could be coming.

“Things seem to be heating up for the surrounding countries as well. Georgia remains in somewhat of a delicate state as well as Ukraine. Meanwhile the Central Asian countries where we have seen so many breakthroughs in the last decade are also beginning to follow Moscow’s example.”