“Religious Revival in Russia, Topic” from the August 31, 1945 Door County Advocate
Religions Revival in Russia, Topic
Lecturer to Be at Four Churches in County Next Week
Seeking to interest American help in the revival of religious worship in his native Russia, the Rev. Peter Varonoff, author, lecturer and evangelist, is making a nation-wide tour for the Russian Missionary Bible Society, In., and will give four of his talks next week in Door county as follows, each at 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 4, Sawyer Methodist church with the Friends church, co-operating.
Sept. 5, Baptist church at Sister Bay.
Sept. 6, Bethel Baptist church at Newport.
Sept. 7, Sturgeon Bay Baptist church.
His topic will be “Russia, God and Victory,” and it will be illustrated by slides and motion pictures. Admission is free.
The son of Russian missionary parents, Rev. Varonoff visited more than 16 countries, studying then existing conditions in Europe. He subsequently wrote many works on international and other questions. “12 Years Under Dictatorship” is his best known book.
“In spite of careful atheistic education, the young people of Russia turned to things spiritual; and sporadic religious revivals in defiance to stern Soviet anti-religious policies caused much concern in official quarters in Moscow,” the speaker cites, adding that the survival of religion among the masses of Russian people is regarded, by many as a miracle of Grace. Twice the present number of churches is needed to minister to the crowds seeking entrance.
“For the sake of national unity, religions is now being tolerated,” Rev. Varonoff declares. “‘The Godless,’ official organ of the atheist movement, has been closed; civil rights have been restored to the clergy; blasphemous films and plays are being suppressed, school books revised to exclude attacks on the church, the manufacture of religious objects is legalized, labor laws relaxed to permit people in rural sections to attend religious festivals and Sunday restored as a day of rest.
“The way has been opened so that the printing of Bibles can be done in Russia and wide distribution of them carried on without interference from anyone. This is our great opportunity to give Christianity and the Bible to a great nation and people.”
REV. PETER VARONOFF
Illustrated talks will be given at four Door county churches next week by the Rev. Peter Varonoff on the revival of religion in Russia and the opportunity for missionary service among the people there. Rev. Varonoff is author of “12 Years Under Dictatorship.” His parents were Russian missionaries. (See details in story elsewhere in this issue.)
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[Ivan Voronaev Pentecostal missionary to Bulgaria and Russia: https://www.geocities.ws/muntzer2/Voronaev.html
In 1937, Peter’s father, Ivan, was shot to death in Siberia. His mother, Ecaterina, was released in 1960, and she was allowed to move to the United States.
Ivan Voronaev, Peter’s father: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Voronaev
The Life and Ministry of Rev. Ivan Voronaev: https://books.google.com/books?id=3EacAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Inventory of the Ivan E. Voronaev Collection: https://sbhla.org/wp-content/uploads/178.pdf ]
Articles about missionaries
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/missionaries