18th February 2011 Travis Snode

European City Spotlight: Moscow, Russia

Missions

We are serving the Lord as church planters in the British Isles, but we have a burden for the whole world and a heart for the continent of Europe especially.  I am going to try to periodically post some information about some of the largest cities in Europe to raise awareness of the need, generate prayer for laborers, and stir the hearts of God’s people to go and take the gospels to these key cities.

Pray for Moscow, Russia

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to spend about a day in Moscow along with my pastor and several other members of the BCWE team.  We were only there less than 24 hours, but it made an indelible impact on my mind.

It was November and very cold and snowy.  We walked through downtown Moscow to a historic fortified complex at the heart of the city called the Kremlin.  Near the Kremlin is St. Basil’s Cathedral and Red Square.

We met with an American missionary there and a Russian man from his church.  They showed us what they could of the city in the time we had.  I remember there being some beggars on the street and someone saying that it was cheaper to use Vodka than washer fluid to clean their windshields.

Here are a few statistics about the city to spark your interest and fuel your prayers:

• Population in the Moscow metropolitan area is nearly 15,000,000 people.
• The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world.
• Moscow is the most populous city on the continent of Europe and the seventh largest city proper in the world.
• Moscow is the site of the Moscow Kremlin, an ancient fortress that is today the residence of the Russian President and of the executive branch of the Government of Russia.
• The Kremlin is also one of several World Heritage Sites in the city.
• The city is served by an extensive transit network which includes four international airports, nine railroad terminals, and theMoscow Metro, second only to Tokyo in terms of ridership and recognized as one of the city’s landmarks due to the rich and varied architecture of its 182 stations.
• In 2008, Moscow ranked top on the list of most expensive cities for the third year in a row.  It costs about US$2500 per month to rent a 1-bedroom apartment and about US$1500 per month for a studio in the center of Moscow.

Read about other places around the world at bcwe.org.