The work in Novosibirsk, Russia, began when a small group of five couples from the Smyrna congregation wanted to reach out to the lost in Russia. Since the October Revolution of November 7, 1917, the state religion of Russia had been Atheism and Christians had be persecuted. Many church buildings were confiscated and used for secular purposes such as libraries or arsenals. However, the political climate began changing in the late 1980s under Mikhail Gorbachev. New political and social freedoms allowed churches to once again own buildings and conduct religious services.

In the spring of 1990, a letter (Page 1, Page 2) was received by World Christian Broadcasting in Franklin, Tennessee, requesting Bibles and teaching materials for a course on Christian religion to be offered at the Novosibirsk Pedagogical Institute.

After several months of correspondence (from David Young), the dream became a reality in February 1991 when a small group from Smyrna traveled to Novosibirsk to teach a seminar about the Bible. Three people were baptized during that first visit.