(Editor's note: Greg Zhelezny is a servant to whom the Lord has given intelligence, humility and the gift of preaching. With a degree in Middle East Languages And Culture from Columbia University, Greg now leads Hope Of Israel Congregation in Brooklyn and is completing his seminary education. He is also the founder and president of the Russian Community Life Center.)

Deception Of Communism

I was born in 1970 in Kiev. My mother is Jewish, and my late father had a different ancestry - Ukrainian, German, Polish and Jewish.

I was raised as an atheist within the Soviet structure. At some point, I really believed in communism as a system. But in 1986 I began seriously to question my beliefs. After the Chernobyl nuclear station blew up, I realized (slowly but surely) that communism was just another way to skillfully manipulate people into obedience to the "chosen few" who had all the privileges and who could easily absolve themselves from responsibility. I realized then that I had been lied to for years.

At sixteen, such a realization could be crushing. And it was. I almost committed suicide when I was seventeen, but it was not the time for me to go . Afterward, I participated in several cults. Yet nothing gave me the satisfaction I was seeking.

When my parents considered leaving the USSR (its name then), I was happy to do so. I was tired of anti-Semitism, and I also hoped to find some kind of meaningful existence. Little did I know that God had a plan for me beyond my wildest dreams.

When we got to Austria, then Italy, life seemed not much different, except for anticipation of future change. Our state was uncertain, somewhere between heaven and earth. In seasons like these, people sometimes turn to God.

And turn we did. My mother was the first one to go to a local synagogue . On the next Sabbath, my father, sister and I went also. It seemed okay at first, but I soon recognized this as just another ideology. As I understood later, I was dissatisfied because I was looking for God, and not for religion.

At the same time, something unusual was happening to me. On Christmas Eve of 1989, I went to Rome (we lived twenty miles north). My friend and I usually hitched a ride to the city, wandered there for a while, and then went back on a bus. But this time was different. Buses were not running, and the railroad was on strike. It was already 9:00 p.m. Although people in Europe pick up hitchhikers more readily than in America, at night it is very difficult to get a ride. We spent a good two hours trying to catch a car. But everybody was going to a different town than ours.

Decision On Christmas

I remember praying in my mind: "God, if You exist, help me get home tonight, and I promise I will look for You." As soon as I opened my eyes, an old, worn-out Beetle pulled up. The driver had long hair and was about our age. He took us to the door of our house! I was stunned. I never realized that God could actually be a real Being, and that He could hear someone's prayers.

I might have quickly forgotten the whole episode. However, God was not about to let me do that. The next day, a friend of mine told my parents: " You know, you should go to the American Club. Some really nice people are there. You can learn English. They speak about God all the time, but you can ignore that part." When I heard the word "God," it was as if some kind of alarm went off in my head. "I'll go," I said to the amazement of my friend. I went that very evening. That night, they showed the Jesus film. I watched in silent wonder. I had never read the Bible before, never hear the Gospel story. It was a revelation. At the end of the film is a prayer. It is probably not very eloquent. But I could not stop myself from praying that prayer or from raising my hand at the pastor's invitation. I tried hard to resist, yet something - Someone - drew me to a commitment.

Disciplines Of Commitment

It was a first step on the right path. The next day, my whole family began to visit the American Club and to read the Bibles that they received. Later, I learned that in their own spiritual journeys, my parents and sister also trusted Yeshua as they watched the Jesus film in Italy. My future wife and her family also passed through the American Club and found Yeshua.

Ever since that Christmas night in Italy, my Messiah Yeshua has taken my hand and has never let me go. He still leads me today. In Brooklyn, even during the time of my education, the Lord has graciously called me to serve among my own people.

Early on, I began to preach. Then, shortly after my father suddenly passed away in 1996, the Lord made it clear in this very difficult time that He had more plans for me. It was then that Hope Of Israel Congregation and the Russian Community Life Center were definitely established, after our work had been developing for a few years. He has been so faithful in all of this.

The ministry is very challenging, but by God's grace it is bearing fruit in Brooklyn and even in other parts of America and the world. The Lord's love and friendship are my greatest delight. May all people come to love and respect Messiah Yeshua!

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere Him." (Ecclesiastes 3:11, 14)