Missionaries from Russia and Germany come to Dumfries

Hi Uriah, my name is John Stolnis and I am the Director of Publicity at Crossroads Presbyterian Church in Dumfries, VA. I’m writing to you to pitch a story that I think would be terrific for Potomac Local.

In just about a month, a group of missionaries from Russia and Germany will be coming to northern Virginia to take part in an annual missions project. It’s part of a partnership between our three churches that saw us visit Russia two years ago and Germany last year to do work on several service projects as well as spend time with other believers from different cultures.

For the first time, our Russian and German friends are visiting the U.S. for 10 days from July 8 through the 18th, and I thought it would be something that might be of interest to you. It’s a historic partnership, the first of its kind that we are aware of.

Crossroads has partnered with two “sister” churches, a Baptist church in Gera, Germany, and another in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. In all, 28 Germans and 12 Russians will be coming to Northern Virginia from July 8-July 18, 2016, where they will be joined by congregants of Crossroads Church to help renovate and preserve historic cabins in Prince William Forest Park, which celebrates its 80th anniversary as a park, as well as the 100th anniversary of the US National Park System.

Past projects by the three churches include trips to Russia to help build a sanctuary for the Russian church, and to Germany to help renovate the city zoo in Gera, as well as to participate in the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

This will be the first trip made to the U.S. by the German and Russian groups.

In addition to working in Prince William Forest park, the three teams will assist women in transition at the Women’s Empowerment Center, a facility operated by ACTS (Action in Community Through Service) headquartered in Dumfries. Work will include improving the appearance of the organization’s grounds and building a fence that will help keep women and children safe as they enter the facility. The group will also tour the US Capitol Building, meet Members of Congress and other governmental officials and experience an old-fashioned Virginia farm barbeque.

The goal of this unique partnership is to serve the communities where these churches live, work and play, and to promote understanding between three very different cultures that were once World War II enemies, all while demonstrating the reconciliation that comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.