Schuller Will Complete His Russian Trip

The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, plans to complete his interrupted trip to Russia in May, an aide said Friday.

Schuller was en route to the Soviet Union in September when, during a stopover in Amsterdam, he accidentally struck his head and needed an emergency operation in the Dutch city. He returned to the United States after surgery.

“Now his doctor says he is clear for everything, there is no restriction on him, and he plans to go to Russia sometime in May,” said Michael Nason, an aide. Schuller will complete arrangements for weekly taped television programs that will be broadcast from Moscow, Nason said.

The Russian Republic has offered Schuller television time every Friday evening for a full year, according to Nason. The only cost, Nason said, will be for Schuller’s ministry to pay $50,000 for year-long translation and dubbing expenses. The program will feature Schuller preaching in English and simultaneously being translated into Russian.

Schuller already has a monthly, 10-minute taped television program on another Russian channel, Nason said. The new Russian program that Schuller will host will be weekly and be either 15 minutes or half an hour long, Nason said.

Schuller’s visit to Russia coincides with a dramatic upsurge in Russian interest in Christianity and the Bible, Nason said. He added that since the collapse of Soviet communism, the Russian people have expressed great interest “in the Bible and all types of spiritual matters.”

Nason said Schuller has been invited to meet with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church while in that country. Exact travel dates have not been set.