Press-Newsnow.com in Indiana features the Rev. Lydia Istomina, one of the first United Methodist pastors established during the Russia Initiative led by the late Rev. Bruce Weaver, who died last week at age 97.
Joanna Kopp writes: "“It’s a long story,'” Lydia Istomina says when asked about the journey that brought her to St. Joseph, where she has been Francis Street First United Methodist Church’s pastor since 2017.
"Istomina believes she was the first female pastor in her native Russia. Her journey of becoming a faith leader wasn’t straightforward. She was born in the Soviet Union, and while religion wasn’t explicitly outlawed, the communist regime sought to suppress faith-based communities."