Leading up to a celebration of the 500th anniversary of the printing of the Bible in the Belarusian language in 2017, Andrew and Inna Ryzhkov participated in a recent ceremony at the Library of Congress to donate a facsimile edition of the Bible.
The couple on Aug. 11 met with Raman Matulski, the Director of the National Library of Belarus, to donate the Francysk Skaryna’s facsimile editions of the 500-year-old Bible in the Belarussian language. They also donated the Good & Evil illustrated Bible to the Jefferson Library for the European Reading Room.
Next year, the celebration will include Bible exhibitions, regional conferences on the impact of the Bible on European cultural and historical development, Bible distribution and open outreach ministries in public schools, universities and public arenas.
Since 2015, Louisiana Baptist churches have participated in mission teams in the country, in partnership with Byelorussian Mission, founded by the Ryzhkovs. By 2018, plans are to have visited all six provinces in Belarus, at a rate of two per year.
For more information on how your church can participate in this ministry, contact Wayne Sheppard, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director for Louisiana Baptists, at 318.449.4278 or wayne.sheppard@louisianabaptists.org.