the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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asked to do missionary work in the Turgai, and in this way the whole region
was soon covered with well-organized parishes led by principled pastors. An
end was put to sectarian propaganda. Those who had been lured into the
sects were converted without difficulty to Orthodoxy. Everywhere evening
services with talks with the priests were organized. Religious-educational and
missionary brotherhoods began to be opened. Thus Orthodoxy was saved in
the region.
In 1908 Bishop Joachim himself visited the region. In every settlement he
was met by masses of believers. At the main centres he served triumphant
liturgies, the missionaries preached and distributed anti-sectarian literature.
Vladyka himself was an outstanding orator, and amazed everyone with his
knowledge of the Scriptures. In his discourses he briefly, but powerfully and
convincingly refuted the errors of the apostates. Every year the numbers of
those joining the Orthodox Church increased. After a "priest" of the sectarians
from the village of Viktorovka was joined to Orthodoxy, the sectarians fell
silent, and no more conversions to sectarianism were observed. One Baptist
sectarian leader by the name of Prostibozhenko, a good chanter and choir
director, converted to Orthodoxy with his large family, and became an ardent
apologist for Orthodoxy. Bishop Joachim offered to ordain him, but he
declined out of humility, and accepted the post of reader, choir director and
assistant missionary. Vladyka himself had a passionate love for church music.
Vladyka Joachim travelled tirelessly on a cart round his huge diocese,
which included Orenburg province, Turgai region and the lands of the Urals
Cossacks. Every year Vladyka would travel from the river Tobol to the city of
Guriev on the Caspian Sea, which was about 3000 versts as the crow flies. In
Guriev they had not seen a bishop for 25 years.
Vladyka saved countless people from despair and falls into mortal sin.
Once he dissuaded Deacon Gir-ko from killing himself as a result of a family
drama. He went to him by night, put him drunk into his carriage, drove him
to his hierarchical house and kept him for a whole week, forcing him to serve
every day. The deacon came to himself, persuaded by the love of Vladyka.
Later Vladyka ordained him to the priesthood and appointed him to a
militant workers' parish in P-y factory. Gir-ko literally regenerated the
rebellious parish, and presented the image of an ideal priest.
Vladyka protected education, and during his episcopate the church schools
multiplied and flourished. He clothed the poor seminarists from head to foot
from his own resources, ordained them to the priesthood and provided them
with means to live.
He was a true benefactor, doing good deeds both openly and secretly.
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