NOVOSIBIRSK – On September 2-4, the annual youth conference “Up to Heaven” was held at the Covenant Church of Novosibirsk. The organizers rejected the standard practice of inviting famous speakers to the conference. Their goal is Christ in the center and hours of deep worship.
“Two years ago we found ourselves in a situation when right before the conference, we learned that invited speakers wouldn't be able to come,” says Avigea Maksimyuk, one of the conference organizers.
— We realized that we will do the conference by ourselves. And we experienced God so deeply! We were amazed at how powerful and unusual the conference was.
The focus was really on Christ, not man.
And this is what we carry today, a solution to the youth ministry of Covenant Church: we don't need popular speakers, with all due respect and reverence, we don't need a name that gathers an audience. We want people to come only because at the conference we speak about Christ, experience His presence. That alone can really be the answer to our needs. That's what makes a difference in lives.”
The entire conference was about Jesus Christ. That's why everything from the workshops to the worship services was imbued with a focus on the character of God.
Three days of the conference were filled with prayer, spontaneous and prophetic worship, confessions, and simply silence in God's presence.
Covenant Church, Novosibirsk, 2021
The Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith
