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International Easter Celebrations
Majors Wesley and Ruth Sundin, regional officer and director of women’s organizations, Russia Northern Region, respectively, will be at the St. Petersburg West Corps on Easter Sunday. In St. Petersburg it is a day of great rejoicing and praise, and feasting. All of the Army’s social services programs will have special Easter emphases.
The Salvation Army in Russia celebrates at the same time as the Russian Orthodox Church, which this year is the last Sunday in April. Most years, there is only a week’s difference between the two calendars, but this year it is more than a month. Because, as in America, some people only come to church on Easter and Christmas, they are accommodated by having Easter when the national church does.
“We have recently started a feeding program at the railroad station for the homeless people,” says Major Wes Sundin. “We normally have between 350-400 turn out for that. A Christian service is being planned especially for them.”
The Sundins recently visited the Army’s furthest corps, in Petrozavodsk, a 10-hour train ride away from St. Petersburg. While there, the Army opened another corps, the Klutchivaya Corps.
