In one team with the God  
08.11.2009 

Vladimir Muntyanu, a pastor of an evangelic church had held a meeting for more than 20 thousand persons where he promised people to heal cancer and told that the Holy Spirit was present there. Surprisingly, everyone believed that.

One could easily guess that the service, organized by the senior pastor of the power-evangelic “Regeneration” church, Vladimir Muntyanu (don’t confuse him for his namesake, a famous footballer, Vladimir Muntyanu), was going to be a big-way event. 
In most of big Ukrainian cities there were ads telling that this event was supposed to happen on the 27th of September in Dnepropetrovsk in “Meteor” stadium. The ads promised to “destroy generic curse”. If someone, who didn’t live in Dnepropetrovsk wanted to visit the event, he was suggested to go by “Regeneration’s” buses.
I decided to go to Dnepropetrovsk from Zaporozhe with a group of “pilgrims”, as it cost less then going by a regular bus. We were accompanied by two young and pleasant coordinators of “Regeneration” church. They asked me to fill in an application blank, where I was supposed to write my personal data and contacts and to describe my problem. I told “Regeneration’s” representative that I was mostly unhappy about my very low incomes, which tend only to let me make both ends meet, even if I work very hard. It seems that money doesn’t like me at all. 
Moreover, I told that as far as I knew all my relatives had the same trouble with their financial state. There were farmers, workers, engineers etc in our kin, but none of them was rich. “Well, there might be a generic curse, - girl told me. – Maybe someone of your family had cheated somebody and you don’t know it”. She promised me that some idea might come to me during the service and I would understand what to do. 

“Jesus Christ’s property”  
After we arrived to Dnepropetrovsk, I saw crowds of people coming to “Meteor” stadium. Near the entrance there are lots of stalls selling different ill-matched books, DVDs, etc. One could find the Bible and Vladimir Muntyanu’s “personal evangelism tutorial” laying in one row with books like “Your child and drugs”, “Success Arithmetic” or “Your everyday Vitamins” in book stall. Film stalls are selling DVDs with films, which can be considered to be Christian ones, like “Schindler’s list”, “Island”, “Christ’s Passions”, etc. There are stalls selling stickers with various signs like “This object is under Christ’s protection”, “Guarded by angels”, or even “Jesus Christ’s property” and little bottles with something which was told to be anointing oil. 
The visitors started taking their seats on the lower stands of the stadium. There are twenty-four thousand seats on the stadium, and 80% of the seats had been taken, so this time there were about 20 thousand people who came to see pastor Muntyanu. 
There was “first line zone” right on the football pitch. This “VIP-zone”, which covered almost a half of a pitch was full of people holding banners with shocking signs, like “Asthma”, “Diabetes”, “High blood pressure”, “Depression”, “Stroke”, “Lung sarcoidosis”, “Paralysis”, “Deafness”, etc. This looked pretty much like a mobile sick quarters, as except for those people, there were also some disabled ones sitting in wheelchairs and even on the stretchers. To get to the “first line” zone, one had to make an appointment beforehand. As I was explained during my travel to Dnepropetrovsk, the first line zone was meant for the sickest people. 

The Agronomists of finance
The pastor’s audience was being warmed up with cheerful singers who were doing their best to rock the public – and the public was rocking. People, standing around me rose their hands up dancing to the music and singing simple lyrics, like “we were healed with his blood”. Some of these people were even weeping. 
After that the long-expected show began, as pastor Muntyanu appeared on the stage and announced that he wanted us give donations. He told that he wanted us see that our money wasn’t just a number of green backs, but a seed that could sprout. Besides, it must be the seed of faith. Money can be seeds that make Lord do all you want. The pastor assured us that Lord could fulfill our wishes if we gave him our money. 
One had to put donations into the envelopes, which had been given by the ushers at the entrance and then put the envelopes into big white plastic buckets – the ushers gave them to people all over the stadium – and the “first line” wasn’t an exception. Nobody cared that there were sick people who had very little money. By the way, I found some of “Regeneration’s” adverts in the envelope. There was a script on one of them, saying “Donate your money; you take part in a holy activity! You make a decision to be in one team with Lord!”
 
“The Holy Spirit is moving all around the stadium” 
While Vladimir Muntyanu was preaching to the audience, I started a conversation with an old lady, who seemed to be absolutely happy. I found out that the woman had been a parishioner of a similar church, called “Emmanuel”. She had never visited Muntyanu’s services before, but she used to watch his programs on TV. 
“My life changed! I feel so inspired!” – Cheerful parishioner told me. – “My pension benefit is 600 grivnyas (about 75 dollars), and when I give the tithe, I feel so happy! I used to smoke for all my life and now I have given up smoking – and I save 300 grivnyas! And Lord helped me pay the bank loan! My son got a new job, and he was paid the arrears of wages and more than others”.
Meanwhile I happened to hear a horrible scream somewhere from the stands. “Oh, this means that the person was possessed by demons and now he was released!” – Another parishioner mentioned. It was getting dark, the music was plaintive and the pastor’s mesmerizing voice used to range from scream to whisper. He was telling something like “the release is coming… the demon of death is leaving… The Lord’s power is here, right here, on this place. Generic curses will be destroyed by Holy power of Jesus… I feel that now someone is being healed of cancer. I beg you to close your eyes and lift your hands to heaven… start moving your limbs if you were paralyzed, get out of your wheelchairs… everything will vanish, all your tumors and glands, it will vanish right now. For the sake of Jesus… Paralysis and strokes will vanish… for the sake of Jesus!!!” 
The man on the left of me was moaning and howling excitedly, people on the “first line” were weeping and moaning as well. Only a very reserved person could remain indifferent listening to these sounds. 

“Pastor told that everything would be all right by the next morning” 
When leaving the stadium, I asked some people if the prayer met their expectations. 
Natalia, a 50-year-old woman was a parishioner of some other church but she told she didn’t care as “there’s only one God. This event is food for my soul. I don’t care for healing. I came here to make my non-believer husband and son come to the church. My son used to be a Satanist, but Lord saved him”. 
Veniamin Lesnikov came to Dnepropetrovsk from Vinnitsa on business. He told that the ads were everywhere in his native city, so he decided to visit “the meeting of these modern shamans, whom I hardly understand, I should say that I even reject them.” 
Lyudmila Lukyanenko, who is 51 year old, came to heal her leg, as it was something wrong with it. “I haven’t consulted the doctor yet. I just decided that I could try this, and it might be successful. I don’t feel anything by now – my state seems to get neither better nor worse. But I have positive emotions, as the pastor promised me that I will be better when I get up in the morning”
It is really surprising that people living in the XXI century, a period with lots of scientific and cultural achievements, are still willing to be irrational, they believe any words of one, who claims himself to be a magician, and give their money and time to him without any critical thought. Yet, it is quite understandable in our society, which has very weak social institutes. People can only believe in miracle. 

The paper’s reference
“Regeneration” spiritual center is based in Dnepropetrovsk. The website www.regeneration.org.ua tells that this center was founded seven years ago by Vladimir Muntyanu, who is the senior pastor and who “Preaches the Holy Script in a simple and popular way”. 
The only fact, which is being told about Vladimir, is that he was cured from incurable disease when he was 20, so, he dedicated his life to Lord and he has been serving him for 15 years. Muntyanu preaches both in big halls in Dnepropetrovsk (like the one in the palace of winter sports) and in other cities of Ukraine. 
The videos on the website claim that during this period of time hundreds of people were miraculously healed. Yet, very few surnames of these people were made.

 Olga BOGLEVSKAYA, “GAZETA PO-KIEVSKI”                                                                                            (o 5)