thedailytimes.com : Your 24/7 news source

Latvia: A North European Baltic country bordered by Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus and Russia.

Population: 2.2 million.

Number of Methodists: Growing every year.

That's great news to churches like Fairview United Methodist in Maryville, a member of the Maryville District of the Holtson Conference of the United Methodist Church. This church, led by Senior Pastor Dr. Jerry Russell, has a connection with the tiny republic that dates back to 1991, the year Latvia regained its independence from the Soviet Union and began the movement to reopen the Methodist Church there.

"I made a trip to Latvia in 1991 not long after the fall of the wall," Russell said. He met with a Lutheran pastor there interested in doing just that. "She was the matriarch of the reopening of the Methodist Church and the Methodist movement in Latvia," Russell explained.

That woman is the grandmother of Kristine Vainovska, a Latvian who is in town this week for the Friends of Latvia/Lithuania Conference that will include meetings at Fairview and a sermon Sunday by Bishop Christian Alsted, at 7:45 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Vainovska will share her story at an informal gathering from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Also present will be Gita Mednis, the district superintendent from Latvia.

Vainovska was just 9 years old back in 1991 when Russell visited her grandmother. But this 26-year-old has kept ties with this local congregation and is forever grateful for the work being done in her native country by mission teams and others she has met here.

She actually came to Maryville as an 18-year-old and worked one summer at Fairview with the children's ministry. Two years later she came back to attend Hiwassee College in Madisonville and then went on to graduate with a degree in theater from Maryville College. She resides in Latvia and is the district superintendent's assistant for the United Methodist Church, based in the capital city of Riga.

Russell said it was Fairview's hope that Vainovska would take her summer experience here and become inspired and encouraged when she returned home to work in ministry there.

"It happened," Vainovska said. "I came away from that experience looking at children's ministry in a new way. "I saw how I could involve games, music and theater for more fun."

The Faithful Men, a singing ensemble at Fairview, adopted this ministry in Latvia years ago and visits every two years. The group is led by Wesley Rouse, minister of music.

Their visits have helped bring more men into the Methodist congregation, Vainovska said. She said in her country, more older people and women and children make up the majority of the church population. The Faithful Men came, gave their testimonies and shared their love of Christ. Those visits are important for growth, Vainovska said.

Ironically, as the Friends of Latvia/Lithuania meet this weekend, so too are the Friends of Estonia. First United Methodist in Sevierville is the primary location for this gathering. The Estonian District Superintendent, Taavi Holman, will be at Broadway United Methodist in Maryville on Sunday.

Russell and Vainovska both said they have seen firsthand the steady growth of the Methodist population in Latvia. Vainovska said they needed at least 10 congregations with at least 10 members in each in order to restart the movement after independence was regained.

"We now have 13 congregations," she said. "Two of them are Russian speaking. The largest congregation has 250. Most have between 30 and 70 church members."

Part of the purpose of the Friends of Latvia/Lithuania Conference is to provide a report to supporters on what has been accomplished in these two countries. Russell said it is an opportunity for others to step up and join the effort.

It has not been easy bringing up what was a congregation of less than 10 people, but there are those committed to the task. In hard economic times people sometimes become more focused on situations closer to home, but Russell said this is one project that hasn't suffered.

"In economic times like this, you cut out what you consider luxuries, but you do not cut what you consider necessities," the pastor said. "The people going to Latvia feel like this is a necessity in terms of their spirituality. There are lots of exciting things going to happen over the summer. Lots of people are coming. It will be a busy time."