Pastor Clarence McKee says evangelistic campaign in Novocherkassk led to 105 baptisms; team asks for books and funding

Pastor Clarence McKee told a Missoula church meeting (date not specified) that an evangelistic campaign in Novocherkassk, Russia, drew large crowds, led to 105 baptisms into the local Seventh-day Adventist congregation and left organizers pressing for more printed materials and funding.

McKee, who led the trip with his wife, Renee, said the campaign held two meetings a day, attracted as many as 400 people to a hall that seated about 500, produced televised sermons and created sustained local interest: "we have not come to take, but we have come to give," he said, reading from his notes while describing letters from attendees.

The letters McKee read expressed gratitude and described personal spiritual change. McKee read one letter that said, "we are so so satisfied with your lessons," and another asking the visitors to pray for sick relatives. He said local authorities, including the city mayor, and a regional television station supported the meetings and offered to broadcast four 30-minute sermons.

Why it matters: McKee told the congregation that the campaign both established a Adventist church base in Novocherkassk and created an ongoing need for materials and financial support. He said organizers recorded more than 300 signed statements of doctrinal interest, with about 500 additional people "hanging in the balance" who wanted to attend but faced social and familial pressure to remain in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Details and supporting facts: McKee said the campaign baptized 105 people into the Novocherkassk Adventist church and that other new adherents joined Adventist congregations in nearby towns. He said the campaign began without a regular pastor in place and that local members quickly organized two services daily; attendance rose from roughly 20 people when the team first visited to full houses during the campaign. McKee described a mix of converts including college professors, students and older worshipers who had maintained faith through decades of restrictions.

McKee described the logistical strain and resource shortfall that followed the meetings. He said the General Conference had $29,000 available for Russia work that year, that a single flight for an evangelist cost about $3,000, and that a newly printed Russian children’s book at the Moscow publishing house sold for about 15¢ — a price he cited to argue that small donations could supply reading material for families and Sabbath schools.

Participation and programming: Renee, identified by McKee as his wife, led two children’s programs each day and sang during meetings; McKee said children aged roughly 2 to 20 attended those sessions, including groups brought from orphanages. Yuri, the translator named by McKee, arrived shortly before the first meeting and assisted with interpretation. McKee said local hosts Alexander and Galena provided housing and daily support for visiting team members.

Limitations and local context: McKee noted resistance from some local leaders and family members; he recounted that some Russian Orthodox clergy discouraged attendance and that converts sometimes faced accusations of "betraying" their faith. He also said there were effectively no local fire codes that constrained meeting size. McKee repeatedly framed the results as the product of local faith and prayer rather than the visiting team’s efforts: "the only success that was done was the success that came because of your prayers and because of their prayers and their desire for God's word to be proclaimed," he said.

Requests and next steps: McKee asked the congregation to continue praying for Russian believers and to provide small donations for printed materials and travel costs to support more than 200 evangelistic meetings planned in Russia that year. He said printed children’s stories translated and printed in Russia could be purchased locally at low cost but that distribution and flights for evangelists required additional funds.

McKee closed by reading a final letter from Novocherkassk signatories who thanked the visiting team and pledged to continue in their new community of faith. He said the church there was organizing leadership roles — elders, deacons, Sabbath school superintendents — to sustain the growth.