Trip report for Kazakh goverment

Russian Ministries’ representative Wade Kusack and other members of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable (Washington, D.C.) delegation to Kazakhstan have sent their trip report to the Kazakh government.  The report contains practical recommendations designed to help the nation improve its law on religion, increase security nationwide, and begin to rehabilitate its image in the West.

As a reminder, a five-member delegation from the roundtable visited Kazakhstan on 1-6 December 2013 at the invitation of the Kazakh ambassador to the United States.  The purpose of their trip was to continue dialogue with the Kazakh government regarding the state of religious freedom in the nation.

This dialogue began at a breakfast on 8 May 2013 at the Kazakh Embassy in Washington, D.C., which was hosted by the ambassador and attended by officials from the Agency for Religious Affairs (ARA), and 15 representatives from the roundtable.  After hearing their views regarding the 2011 law on religion, the ambassador encouraged these participants to visit Kazakhstan and increase their understanding of this complex and important issue by talking with Kazakh government officials and grassroots leaders.

In addition to meeting with Kazakh officials, members of the delegation met freely with anyone they chose in Astana and Almaty, where they participated as observers in an international conference on religion, security and citizenship.

Russian Ministries also organized a seminar on religious freedom in one of the evangelical churches in Astana. Wade Kusack highlighted the importance of prayer for those in prison, and he emphasized the importance of aiding those in need because of religious persecution. Russian Ministries’ involvement in the development of religious freedom in Kazakhstan is not only theoretical, but also very practical. During his visit, Wade advocated for imprisoned pastor Bakhtzhan Kashkumbaev and also assisted the pastor’s relatives.

Russian Ministries continues its relations with evangelical churches and engages in dialogue with the government of Kazakhstan. “Our approach to helping our brothers and sisters in Kazakhstan is very strategic,” said Wade. “We are not only helping the persecuted families, which is very important, but we are also training the Next Generation of Christian leaders how to serve Christ most effectively in their own communities, how to connect with the international community of religious freedom advocates, and how to maintain a sober dialogue with their own governments. We should not forget that promoting and procuring religious freedom lays an important foundation for national stability and security, and increases the capability of sharing the gospel.”

You can find report here