Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015

MOSCOW – The 15th annual Russian National Prayer Breakfast (RNPB) took place on March 17, 2015, under the theme “Blessed are the peace-makers.”

This annual event is a well established, good tradition that unites us as people of faith and honor, who are not indifferent to the spiritual and moral life of our society. By our presence here we declare our solidarity in pursuit of a spiritual regeneration of our nation, in the active construction of a system of moral and ethical values in Russia, and in the prosperous spiritual welfare of all the peoples of our great country. We are convinced that the spiritual renaissance of a country begins with an inner transformation of every individual regardless of their nationality, confessional adherence or professional sphere. Therefore, we are truly thrilled that these values and a desire to pray for our country unite such a significant number of high-level representatives from the political, economic and religious elite of our country.

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015With these words Master of ceremonies, Mr. Alexander Kruchkov, greeted the assembled guests, among whom were representatives of foreign countries:
– his Excellency, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bosnia and Herzegowina in the Russian Federation Mr. Ivan Barbalić;
– his Excellency, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany in the Russian Federation Mr. Rüdiger von Fritsch;
– his Excellency, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Austria in the Russian Federation Mr. Emil Brix;
– diplomats of the Albanian, French, Canadian, Hungarian embassies, as well as representatives of the Commonwealth of Independent States;
– Mr. Johannes Selle, member of the German Bundestag, member of the European Parliament;
– Mr. Branislav Škripek, member of the European Parliament;
– Mr. Arne Gericke, member of the European Parliament;

as well as:
– representatives of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation;
– deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation;
– members of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation;
– representatives of the Moscow City Government and Moscow State Duma;
– representatives of national communities;
– representatives of security agencies;
– representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation;
– heroes of Russia and heroes of the Soviet Union;
– business representatives, and
– representatives of major religions and confessions.

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Mr. Alexander Torshin, State-Secretary - Deputy Chairman of the Bank of Russia, delivered an opening welcome address to the assembly. He began by expressing a sense of gratitude on behalf of all present to Dr. Peter Sautov, Chairman of the National Morning Prayer Foundation, for his warm reception and the meaningful content of the event.

Turning his attention to the theme of the Prayer Breakfast, Mr. Torshin noted that peacemaking is an eternal and urgent subject. God created man for a peaceful life. However, people reject God's will, which leads to conflict and war, resulting in suffering, loss and death. This much sought after peace does not happen automatically, but is a result of great labor. In order to maintain peace and welfare, it is necessary to demonstrate humility and meekness. Wherever “everyone is right”, there will be discord and contention. The older generation still remembers programs of disarmament and knows the true non-monetary value of the Nobel Prize. Despite the immense need for peace-making efforts, we observe that many politicians find current circumstances to be a justification for armament and an opportunity for weapons trading. Many speak freely about the possibility of war, having forgotten what it cost to stop the arms race in the past.

Peace-making starts with oneself. Each person must strive for peace in his own soul, his family, his home, his country. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Chief Peace-Maker and a perfect example for our peace-making efforts. We don't have that much time, as we see how frequently these days the world is approaching the precipice of another world war. “How long will we walk near the precipice? Obviously, in such a war there would be no winners.” We must understand that much of what shall be depends on us. In conclusion Mr. Torshin reminded the guests that God has promised a great reward to His peace-makers (Mat.5:9). He gave us His blessing upon the work of peace-making a long time ago. “This is our task! Let us pray!”

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Rev. Eduard Grabovenko, Head Bishop of the Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, having recounted the story from the life of king Solomon in 1Kings 3:17-28, admonished the participants to value human life. After that Rev. Grabovenko prayed for peace, for those in authority, and the entire assembly concluded a prayer following the wording of the Lord's prayer “Our Father”.

 

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Mr. Nikolay Svanidze, Political columnist for the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “The All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company”, was invited for Scripture reading. He read the prayer of Moses (Psalm 90), which contrasts God's eternal greatness and the transient nature of human life. The psalmist asks for wisdom: “Teach us to number our days that we may obtain a heart of wisdom.” (v.12), in the spirit of repentance he prays for God's mercy: “Have pity on your servants!” (v.13), and in hope requests help in our work: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (v.17).

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015The Children's musical group “Svetoluchiki” (transl. “Light Beams”) under the direction of Elena Kaplina performed the song “Protect love” written by Konstantin Meladze. The lyrics were a reminder to all of what is truly important in this life and that which gives people hope.

Protect love, protect your world,
Remember and understand – we are born to be happy,
Protect your home, your soul, your heart,
Believe, it's nearer, than it seems to us.

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015The first thematic speech was delivered by Mr. Yaroslav Nilov, State Duma Committee Chairman on Public Associations and Religious Organizations, a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party. Mr. Nilov pointed out that at present the ideology of war outweighs the ideology of peace. The world is a place of military and informational wars. Who are the peace-makers? What is their goal? What motivates them? Mr. Nilov asked everyone to examine whether each one is a peace-maker today by admonishing the audience: “Everyone of us should be considered a peace-maker.”

Mr. Nilov briefly discussed two contentious situations:
– the staging of the Wagner opera Tannhäuser in Novosibirsk, and 
– the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Obviously there should be a balance between artistic freedom and prohibition of provocations and insults. However, freedom of speech does not imply a right to insult. Mr. Nilov emphasized that a desire to achieve this balance motivates the efforts of the deputees of the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the pursuit of attaining and maintaining peace in society.

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Ms. Elena Nikolayeva, the First Vice-Chairman of the Committee for Housing Policies and Communal Services, representative of the “United Russia” Party, expressed her gratitude to the organizers for causing people amidst their daily routine to stop and ask the question: “What is most important?” Human life and freedom are foundational values of any society. However, where is the line between freedom and all-permissiveness? People need to learn to speak more openly and more honestly. It is necessary to be honest with one's own conscience, because fundamental spiritual values should permeate all spheres of life. Of special importance is the educational system, which should incorporate a system of values, which children later on will bring with them into society. To achieve peace it is necessary that “each of us be a peace-maker.”

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Mr. Andrey Tumanov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, a representative of the “Just Russia” Party, in his address shared a personal testimony about how as a child he wanted to fight in a war. His two grandfathers, one from Elektrostal, another from Slavyansk, were heroes and decorated veterans of WWII. As a boy Mr. Tumanov tried to get them to tell him about the war, but couldn't understand why they didn't want to talk about their experience. As a young man at a reunion of the graduates of the military academy where Mr. Tumanov studied to become a fighter pilot, he saw his friend, who fought in Afganistan. Mr. Tumanov noticed his medals and became rather jealous, but once again was surprised to hear his friend say: “I am jealous of you. You did not have to kill!” Only when he was around 40 years old did he finally understood that war is something really evil. In his opinion among today's politicians there are those, who never grew out of their teenage years and are attempting to solve issues by confrontation and war. “My grandfathers would not have fought against each other,” and we “should not resolve problems with war.”

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Mr. Sergey Melnikov, Office of the Presidential Assistant for Domestic Policy, Executive Secretary of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations, in his salutary remarks noted that the Breakfast's theme was very timely, because the main victims in conflicts occurring in the Near East, Northern Africa and Eastern Ukraine are peaceful people of faith. We can observe how ancient ethnic and confessional balances are being destroyed: hundreds of church structures are demolished, people are killed, hundreds of thousands leave their homes under the threat of violence and death. The way of peace can be achieved by means of a dialog without external interference. Mr. Melnikov sited a quote from Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyanskiy that the process “of a replacement of a code of civilization that existed in Europe from the middle ages”  is underway and added, that it is possible to resist that change effectively only within parameters of tradition, because “tradition is a system of value preservation.” Religious extremism – is the (result of) a short-sited policy of western countries.

In order to overcome religious extremism, it is necessary to use the moral authority and peace-making potential of religious organizations in defense of people of faith. Mr. Melnikov gave as an example a document written by the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation, which serves as a good strategy for action:

  1. guarantee freedom of conscience and freedom of religion;
  2. stop violence and discrimination based on intolerance under religious or nationalistic slogans;
  3. respect the dignity of every individual;
  4. show compassion to people of divergent political views;
  5. show humane treatment of prisoners of war;
  6. guarantee the safety of the civilian population, especially of the elderly, women and children;
  7. assist in the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid;
  8. organize humanitarian corridors for the safe passage of refugees from zones of military action.
    Sourcehttp://www.pravmir.ru/sovet-po-vzaimodeystviyu-s-religioznyimi-obedineniyami-pri-prezidente-rf-prizyivaet-ostanovit-nasilie/

In conclusion Mr. Melnikov underscored that Russia is one of the world's leading countries in a successful consolidation of governmental institutions and religious organizations. He also expressed his confidence that “together with the leading religious organizations of the world we can overcome all the present crises.”

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Mr. Alexander Tarnavsky, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Public and Religious Organizations, representative of the “Just Russia” Party, began his address by reading a passage from the gospel of John, ch. 3, vv. 17-21: 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.

Mr. Tarnavsky expressed his appreciation to friends from the European Parliament for their presence and noted recent friendly visits to Russia of political representatives from Japan and France. “We have become more open,” and the peoples of Russia and Europe are opening their hearts to each other and engaging in honest discussion on pressing issues. “It is better to speak the truth,” than to attempt hiding something. At the same time “we need to respect conventions that exists in various countries.” Peace-making – is above all a dialog. It is better to have a challenging dialog, than a war that will bring victory only to one side. That is the only real path to peace.

His highness prince Charles-Louis de Merode and her highness princess Clotilde de Merode delivered a second thematic speech.

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015His highness began by pointing out that Jesus came to bring peace on earth. From His birth (Luk.2:14) to His resurrection (John 20:19,21,26), the Lord brought peace to people. “What is peace? It is a state of being, that comes down to us from God and in which we must grow in order to share it with others.” We discover what peace means in our family home, where we learn the importance of love and forgiveness. “The concept of human rights, the idea of an equality of people before the law, the acknowledgment of inviolability of human dignity and the recognition of human responsibility before God and His creation came about on the basis of the belief that we (the human race) came to exist from one Father, our God and Creator.” ... Watch the full speech (French/Russian) of his highness prince Charles-Louis de Merode.

 

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Her highness focused her attention on the subject of prayer. People resist the Lord in His desire to act in us and to change us. In prayer we forget to seek God's will instead of our own. Our prayers frequently become well-cultured exchanges, that look more like a memory exercise, instead of a spontaneous conversation based on love.

Prayer of petition is not a lower-class of prayer, but an opportunity to labor with God. When the Lord's people unite for prayer, such prayer is powerful because it more fully reveals Jesus Christ. Watch the full speech (French/Russian) of her highness princess Clotilde de Merode.

 

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Mr. Johannes Selle, member of the German Bundestag, member of the European Parliament, presented the third thematic speech in Russian. “When we speak of our faith and of God's love, we feel that we are all equal. Our party affiliation, political views, place of birth and gender don't really matter.” This sense of equality permeates prayer breakfasts that take place in the German Bundestag, where members of different fractions gather in order to speak of their families and faith, rather than for a political debate. Those times of informal personal fellowship can frequently accomplish much more than hours of debate. It doesn't change our political views, but we deal with each other without animosity and hate.

Mr. Selle passed along greetings from the participants of parliamentary prayer breakfasts in Germany and then directed his attention to the subject of peace. At all times it takes courage to speak the words of Christ in this world. Prayer gives us strength to follow the Lord's teaching and find peaceful ways of dealing with complex problems, such as a peaceful revolution in Germany 25 years ago. “We are very grateful to Russia for the trust that was shown toward Germany. Those historic days created much more good will toward Russia, than all the years of socialism with its ideology.” The paradoxical words of Scripture that “the meek shall inherit the earth” are confirmed by the example of Germany, which sought to dominate the world by means of aggression, but was defeated.

What can we do to help the establishment of peace? As Christians we must do the Lord's will. If we despise any person, we despise the Lord Himself, because God is manifested in every human being. God wants to indwell each one of us. We also must learn to listen to one another. It is not easy to listen to people who think differently from us, but we must strive to develop a constructive dialog in order to achieve strong and permanent peace. Russia plays a significant role in the peace-making process. “Without Russia we cannot move forward... Russia, as a great state power, serves as an example for other nations. Therefore, it is so crucial that Russia acts in an exemplary way.” Europe and Russia share a foundation of Christian faith, which should help us in seeking a peaceful dialog. Protection of human rights, social justice and sound economic development will play a significant role in achieving peace. “If we will listen to God and to each other, this way will lead us to peace.”

The lyrics of the song “May you live, my Russia” by M.Kh. Akhmadiyev, music by V.A. Chelnokov, performed by Svetoluchiki expressed strong love for Russia, dreams and hopes for its bright future in a prayer for their Fatherland.

Russian National Prayer Breakfast – 2015Mr. Sergey Andreyev, mayor of Togliatti, led the assembly in a concluding prayer to the Lord.

 

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