In recent years, the service of the “God Will Provide, International Mission Association” has spread widely not only throughout the United States, but internationally as well. A lot of work has since been done, which has convinced even skeptics that this mission is not only pleasing to God but also useful to people. Over time, the living fruits of labor – the changed lives of people released from drugs and alcohol – have become the best form of advertising and spreading the word. Today, rehabilitation centers, churches and shelters associated with this mission are active in 32 countries around the world. On top of this, the founder of the association, Bishop Peter Nakhaychuk, is developing a new direction of service – mass evangelistic campaigns “Gospel to Crusades.” Before Peter’s next trip to Africa, we conducted an interview with him regarding his upcoming plans and projects.

“My next trip to Africa is motivated by the need to prepare for the big crusade that we planned in May,” Peter Nahaychuk told us. It will be a open stadium gathering of many thousands in the Republic of the Congo. We have the permission of the authorities, and today we are working on technical issues involved in the delivery of the necessary equipment from China. This includes the light and sound systems as well as the overall stage design. A lot of professional equipment is needed to conduct such a large-scale event.

When planning such a large event, do you expect to collect several thousands of guests? How do you estimate such a large attendance?

– We have already had experience in carrying out 6 similar crusades in the Congo, and each event yielded approximately 50 thousand guests. I understand that today in the United States or Europe, such figures are unrealistic when it comes to Christian gatherings, but in Africa, the dynamics are very different: the people need, crave, and willingly accept the good news of the Gospel. In addition, we agreed upon the support of two thousand local pastors. For forty days they will be in fasting and praying to seek God’s will and grace for these crusades. We are grateful to have such a strong support system.

Why specifically Africa? How is it possible to collect so many people to attend the crusades? Perhaps this is due to the fact that people there are not spoiled by constant events and are therefore easily attracted by a large-scale gathering?

– It was never our own goal to set out and host such a mass event. This direction, like all the previous ones, was revealed to us by the Lord. Before we began to set the technicalities in motion, we made sure to receive confirmation that this was really His will, and not our own ambitions and desires. One of the strongest of these confirmations was meeting personally with Reinhard Bonke. As you know, he is a world-renown evangelist who conducted similar crusades in Africa. We had a previous understanding that this anointing was given to us by God, and during the meeting with Reinhard, we received the confirmation that we needed. He blessed us and instructed our team  on how to efficiently conduct such evangelistic campaigns; his blessing and advice was very valuable and important to us. It is impossible for a person or an organization even with large finances to organize such an event without directly following God’s will because this is not just a concert or a show for entertainment purposes, but rather a ministry that without God’s presence and leadership would be able t successfully take place. At such events, people truly experience the living God and become witnesses of healing, liberation and resurrection. And this service is not Peter Nakhaychuk’s or any one of his team member’s. This is the ministry of Jesus Christ, His works, and the miracles of the Holy Spirit. The people involved in these events are merely the vessels used for God’s glory.

How do you feel in this somewhat new role?

-I did not specifically seek this role out. Quite the contrary, actually. I am not an extrovert and wouldn’t consider myself to be a good public speaker. To be honest, public speeches and sermons are not easy for me. But when I received the direction from the Lord to preach in Africa, I trusted that if He called me to it, then He will surely follow through and make everything work out for the best if I obeyed. I did not know anyone in the Congo, and I definitely did not have the finances to go through with such a large-scale mission. However, as soon as I put my full trust in God regarding this calling and took the first necessary steps, I ended up finding an African-native who said that the Lord told him to find me and assist me in the process in every way that he could. This individual, named Emmanuel, turned out to be an interpreter, who speaks Russian and English as well as various local dialects. In addition, he connected us to a businessman who, also by a personal revelation from God, wished to finance this project. After this, how could I have room for doubt or fear? I am so happy to be able to participate in the great work of God with such wonderful and faithful people of the Lord.

What are some of the plans for the project “Gospel to Crusades” in the near future?

As I said earlier, two thousand South African pastors agreed to support us in preparing for the first series of crusades scheduled for May 24-25. We plan to have a gathering of more than 100,000 people in a huge open stadium in Kinshasa, the capitol of the Congo. Altogether, there will be 14 worship groups. This is by-far the largest event we have coming up in the near future. Also during this time, we are going to host several street evangelizations for 10-15 thousand people each. We plan on hosting some of these in the country of Nigeria, but so far no exact dates have been determined.

Now you focus all of your strength to the development of the ministry “Gospel to Crusades”. Do you find yourself being able to efficiently spread out your time and energy between managing the crusades while maintaining focus on the other parts of the mission?

I am, as mentioned before, the bishop of the Association, but this does not mean that I am alone in managing everything and making decisions. We have a large, friendly team of dedicated ministers who take responsibility for the ministry, not just before me, but above all before God. We communicate, we consult, and we pray before making important decisions. The Lord is the God of order and He will not entrust you with more than you have learned to handle. If it is God’s will for us to serve in Africa today, then we rest assured that He considers us ready to take on new territory to carry on the message of salvation.