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WORLD CRISIS FOR MISSIONS IN RUSSIA
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A CALL FOR PRAYER AND CONFERENCE ON BEHALF
OF RUSSIA'S MILLIONS
AT THE
Moody Tabernacle, Chicago, Illinois, June 24th to June 28th, 1918
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To the Lord's People Everywhere:--

The Revolution in Russia has resulted in throwing open to the Gospel the largest country, with its largest popula-
tion of white people in the world. There are 182,000,000 people in Russia, and yet there are not as many Evangelical work-
ers there as in the City of Chicago alone. Many are eagerly waiting for the Gospel. When recently one of the leaders of the
"Dom Evangelia" Mission in Petrograd, immediately after returning from Siberia, went with his Choir and Workers to the
large Square directly in front of the Winter Palace, and conducted for the first time in the existence of that City an open
air Gospel Service, large numbers of men and women assembled. After the Message was delivered the people turned to
the Preacher and said: "Where have you been so long? and why did you not tell us this before?" "I was in Siberia,"
was the reply.

Never since the beginning of Christianity has such an immense population of our own white people become accessible
to Missionary Enterprise. Our Evangelization plan must embrace not only the hundred million native Russians, but also
the seven million Jews, the twenty million Poles, the thirty million Ukrainians, millions of Mohammedans (Tartars, Kurds,
Kirghiz etc.) Armenians, Roumanians and Greeks, and besides these the Bulgarians, Servians, Croatians, Montenegrians and
other related Slavonic peoples.

The propaganda of Atheism and Materialism is already assuming awful proportions. There is no time to lose. The Greek
Orthodox Church is rapidly losing its grip upon the hearts of the people, and before long large masses of simple religiously
inclined Russians may be led astray into complete infidelity. Millions of the people are looking for something different.
What is it to be? Atheism, or the Gospel? If the latter, then, because of existing conditions in Europe, [bold]America must
assume chief responsibility[/bold] for meeting the need, else this greatest Missionary Opportunity of the Centuries may be turned
into the most abysmal failure.

The greatest immediate need is the printing and circulating of at least a million copies of the Russian Bible, three million
copies of the New Testament and a large supply of the very best Russian Evangelical Literature. Then several hundred
Evangelists, Colporteurs and Christian Workers must be trained and equipped for service in Russia. Already one hundred
Russians in America have offered themselves for soul-saving service in their native land and are now in training, and there are
also hundreds of converted and educated men in Russia who have suffered for their faith and who need to be rallied and
encouraged.

As a very vital factor in the realization of a comprehensive Evangelization plan for Russia we must immediately un-
dertake the thorough Evangelization of the Russian and other Slavonic people in our own country and Canada, in order
that they, in great numbers, being converted and trained here, may return to their native lands fully equipped for effective
service. Last, but not least, the united prayers of God's people everywhere must be offered up in behalf of these long
neglected multitudes.

We feel that the time has now come for the assembling of Evangelical Leaders and those whose hearts are moved, for
a general meeting of prayer and conference. God seems to be leading very definitely in this direction. Accordingly, we send
out this invitation to all who are stirred by the Spirit of God to assemble for the

FIRST GENERAL CONFERENCE IN BEHALF OF THE EVANGELIZATION OF RUSSIA

to be held from June 24th to June 28th in the City of Chicago, at the Moody Tabernacle, corner North Avenue and North
Clark Street.

A Choir of about fifty Students from the Russian Bible Institute of Philadelphia is expected to be present to sing their
beautiful Russian hymns during Conference week. Russian speaking and other Stavonic Evangelists and Missionary Work-
ers of the Chicago Tract Society will also give their aid.

Ministers and friends who find it impossible to attend, but who are moved to have some part in this work, are urged
to arrange special prayer services during the Conference Week, and all Evangelical Ministers are requested to preach
special Missionary Sermons on "Russian Mission Sunday," June 23rd. Material of interest in connection with the Evangel-
ization of Russia, will be sent to Ministers, Sunday School Superintendents and Bible Class Leaders upon application.

Any friends unable to attend, but whose hearts are stirred to take some financial part in this work, can send their gifts
to Mr. A. M. Johnson. (President of the National Life Insurance Company of the U.S.A.), the Treasurer of the Confer-
ence, 29 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois.

All inquiries and communications regarding the Conference should be addressed to Rev. Jesse W. Brooks, (Super-
intendent of the Chicago Tract Society), Chairman Conference Executive Committee, 440 South Dearborn Street, Chicago,
Illinois.