Professional Documents
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CJF Ministries®: Gennady and His Wife, Natasha
CJF Ministries®: Gennady and His Wife, Natasha
CJFM.ORG OrderLine
(800) 926-5397
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(210) 226-2140
October 2018
“Jesus wept” (John 11:35). It’s the shortest verse in the Bible, yet so full of meaning! Sometimes there are
just no words to express our grief or sense of loss when a dear friend dies. Like Jesus, we stand at the grave
of the one we loved, and we weep.
Even as we mourn the loss of a precious earthly relationship with our friend and brother Gennady
Brutsky, we cling in faith to the promise of a glorious resurrection. Until that day when we stand with
Gennady in the presence of our Lord, we pray that God will comfort us and all who mourn for him, espe-
cially his precious wife and dear children.
Gennady Brutsky was the director of our work in Belarus and the former Soviet Union (FSU) for approxi-
mately 10 years. At the time of his sudden death from an apparent heart attack, our brother was only 52
years old; but by the grace of God, he made those years count mightily for the Lord.
The Formative Years
Gennady grew up in a Christian home in Minsk and made his own profession of faith
when he was 21. In addition to earning a law degree, he received theological train-
ing in Minsk and Austria and was ordained to the ministry in 1994. During a brief
period of religious openness in the 1990s, Gennady helped plant some 40 churches.
He had a deep love for the Jewish people and a clear understanding of God’s ongo-
ing plan for Israel.
For many years, Gennady served as a senior pastor and the leading Baptist elder in
the Minsk region. The lives of Gennady’s wife, Natasha, and their dear children also
reflect a home where God is loved, honored, and served. CJF Ministries was incredibly
blessed to have Gennady oversee our work in that region for the last 10 years.
Gennady and Natasha with their four children at the beginning of their association
with CJF Ministries a decade ago. L-R: Paul, Ben, Inna, Natasha, Gennady, and Andrew.
The three older children are now married. Courtesy Paul Brutsky ©
At the muddy Jordan River in 2015. Paul Brutsky (r), who is fluent in English,
traveled often with his parents and was regularly called upon to serve as a
translator at pastors’ conferences and other CJFM gatherings. His cheerful
spirit and willing servant’s heart were invaluable to his father and to us. Also
pictured are Alexander Firisuk and Yuri Apatov (black cap), president of the
Eurasian Federation of Baptist Unions. G. Heisler ©
Relief from God
Their problem continued until Nickolai developed a relationship with members of the
Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists of Belarus. Although the Baptists were also
considered a non-traditional religion, they were a much larger group and already had
obtained government approval to meet. More importantly, many of their churches
owned their own facilities. The Baptists allowed our Messianic congregation to register
under their umbrella, and, knowing Jewish reluctance to enter a church, offered them a
place to meet in their seminary building. Although this arrangement was a little tenta-
tive at first, as each party learned to trust the other, the relationship soon grew stronger.
In 2007, some of Belarus’ leading Baptist pastors, including then Belarus Baptist
Union president, Nikolai Sinkovets, joined CJF Ministries for a special tour of Israel.
We had already obtained the support of another highly regarded regional Baptist
Union leader, Alexander Firisuk (who still serves on our FSU advisory board). As
a result of the tour, CJF Ministries and the Belarus Baptist Union became better
acquainted and developed a strong desire to cooperate in ministry. Our work in the
FSU began to grow.
Gennady looks for a good camera vantage point atop a wall at Qumran. R.A. Higbee ©
That 2009 conference was such a resounding success, Gennady immediately began
advocating for more conferences, where we would take the message that “God is not
finished with Israel and the Jewish people” to other FSU countries. He not only advo-
cated for these conferences, and lobbied enthusiastically for them, he made them a
reality. And that was no small task considering the logistics involved! The dates and
venues had to be decided upon; transportation coordinated; invitations issued; meals
and accommodations planned; translators, and worship teams procured. And like any
widely-scattered religious denomination, there are differences between the various
regions; so, the leadership in each locale had to be approached with tact and sensitiv-
ity. Topics for the program had to be decided upon as well, and several local churches
(with translators) had to be selected to host CJFM guest speakers at worship services
on the Sunday following each conference. Because of Gennady’s incredible adminis-
trative abilities, his dogged determination, and his winsome personality, each confer-
ence went off without a hitch.
A more recent picture of Gennady and Natasha’s growing family. Courtesy Paul Brutsky ©
God’s Blessings on the Work
Largely due to Gennady’s efforts, CJF Ministries has now taught nearly 2,000 pas-
tors in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and Latvia about God’s ongoing
purposes for Israel and the Jewish people. Because of his influence, many Russian-
speaking pastors have also toured Israel with us, and hundreds of Baptist pastors
have been challenged to begin Jewish outreach ministries in their own local commu-
nities. These preachers have learned that celebrating the biblical feasts is a good way
to learn about the Jewish roots of their faith and to build bridges between themselves
and their Jewish neighbors. A ministry effort of such magnitude across the FSU would
never have been possible without Gennady Brutsky.
Gennady sits with Alexander Firisuk and Rob Styler at the head table for a meal in
Latvia at our 2018 pastors’ conference. CJFM staff and presenters sat opposite lead-
ing Latvian pastors and their wives. Gennady was in the process of planning a 2019
Russia conference when the Lord called him home. R.A. Higbee ©
Rob Styler teaches at the 2016 pastors’ conference outside of Tbilisi, Georgia, while
CJFM staff member Jenya Drazman translates his message into Russian. Headphones
were provided to non-Russian-speaking attendees so they could receive the informa-
tion in their native Georgian by a separate translation. R.A. Higbee ©
CJF Ministries has been incredibly blessed to have a man of Gennady’s character, abili-
ties, and vision leading our work in that region of the world. The esteem in which
Gennady was held is reflected by the following comment from his direct supervisor,
CJFM director of missions Rob Styler. Rob compared his trust of Gennady with the
trust that Potiphar placed in Joseph. “Potiphar put Joseph in charge and let him run
the household. Potiphar did not worry about anything with Joseph in charge. It was
very much like that for Gennady and me.”
Gennady in turn, viewed Rob not so much as his boss, but as his friend. And so he was.
And so were we all, Gennady! We will miss you.
Farewell for Now, But Not for Long
At Gennady’s funeral, mourners prayed together, sang hymns of hope and comfort,
and listened to words of tribute and assurance from Pastor Nikolai Sinkovets and
many, many others.
It is impossible with the few words and photos in this article to do justice to all that
Gennady meant to us as a coworker, friend, and fellow believer. We know that he is
with the Lord and that we will see him again. May that be our consolation until the
arrival of that Day.
Friends and family members help carry Gennady’s casket into the church as his wife and
daughter follow. Courtesy Paul Brutsky ©
Gennady’s memorial service was held at the church he pastored in Minsk. Family members
were seated up front, surrounding the casket. There was standing room only. Courtesy Paul Brutsky ©
A proliferation of flowers accompanied Gennady both to his funeral and to his final
earthly resting place. Courtesy Paul Brutsky ©
If you would like to express your condolences and well-wishes to Natasha and the family,
you may send your card or letter to them in care of CJF Ministries, PO Box 345, San Anto-
nio, Texas 78292, or send an email to info@cjfm.org, and we will see that it’s translated
into Russian and forwarded to the Brutzkys.
We have also established a Gennady Brutzky Memorial Fund to support CJFM’s work
in the former Soviet Union. Contributions to this fund go entirely toward missionary sala-
ries, humanitarian aid (e.g., medications, medical care, food baskets, and housing assis-
tance, as well as blankets and warm clothing during the brutally cold winter months),
and other expenses related to our work in the FSU.