Christian Music Camp 2026 – Belarus

For the second year, the Christian Music Intensive was held at the children’s recreation centre “Zhemchuzhinka”. It took place from July 6–12 — seven days when children from all over the country come together. These are children from churches who attend music schools. Our goal is to raise a new generation of music ministers. To this end, we gather together, spend a week in preparation and rehearsals, and the culmination is our participation in a worship service of a local church. This is a very important practical aspect. We don’t just play for ourselves; we want God to be glorified through us, for the church to see the fruit of our labour, and for the children themselves to understand why we are doing this.

The experiential element is especially important here. When a child plays in an orchestra or sings in a choir, they can realize that their voice and their instrument truly matter. Music school lessons, though demanding, are very important. For some children, the opportunity to participate in such a large ensemble is a way to ignite their desire to serve God. For some, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

This year, we had 157 participants from approximately 50 churches across the country. The participants were aged 11 to 18.

For the intensive, we assembled a team of musician-educators — believers who teach in music institutions. This year the team consisted of 40 people. Each person contributed their part (Bible lessons, theory classes, choir rehearsals, activities, instrument-specific training), and together they produced a wonderful result.

The Music Intensive is an educational project aimed at:

the spiritual formation and growth of the younger generation in love for God and the Church;
generational continuity;
supporting small churches.

These goals are achieved through:

Biblical values and principles, Bible lessons, and spiritual mentoring;
Development of musical abilities, practical experience in orchestra and ensemble playing, and singing in a choir;
Joint music-making and fellowship with Christians, participation in a large project—the recording of a worship service—and inspiration to continue in music ministry in their local churches;
Motivation to pursue (or continue) education in secondary specialized and higher music institutions for quality service to God in the local churches of the Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists of Belarus.

It is very important for us not only to raise the musical level but also to provide a spiritual foundation. This year, in the spiritual segment, we focused on having a serious approach to ministry. We examined several biblical stories and drew lessons from them:

Miriam– do not speak ill of ministers or criticize them.
Nadab and Abihu– do not bring “strange fire” into the church.
The story of Uzzah– do not do what seems right in your own eyes, but measure everything against God’s Word.
Manna in the wilderness– do not grumble. Grumbling is rebellion against God.
Ananias and Sapphira– do not try to live a double life or hide anything from God.

The children pay for their own stay at the camp. We try to involve churches and explain that this is not just a camp where children have a good time, but a time when new music ministers are being raised for their own churches. We encourage churches to either cover part of the participation cost or to give voluntary donations toward the music intensive. Some churches responded. The church where I serve as pastor held a special offering. With these funds, about half of the T-shirts were purchased — the ones the participants wore at the final service in the church. These T-shirts serve as a keepsake for the children.

We were very short on funds to cover the team’s accommodation. People’s financial situations vary, and for many it is difficult to take a week out of their lives, serve actively, and also have to pay for it.

Just like last year, starting three weeks before the intensive, I wrote daily prayer requests to the team. We prayed for every aspect of the camp: team unity, children’s behavior, safety, God’s protection, health, and so on.

Amazingly, on the very day we were praying about finances, we received good news from you — about your desire to help and participate in the ministry of the intensive. Your response greatly strengthened our faith. We see that this ministry is truly needed, based on the feedback from both the children and their parents.

The funds you donated were used to cover the team’s accommodation. We are deeply grateful for your open hearts. Together with us, you are making a significant contribution to raising a new generation of music ministers. In time, those you have invested in will sing and play to the Lord on instruments in their churches.

Last year we faced scepticism from some people who said: “Children don’t even want to practice music, and now you want to gather them in the summer for classes. You only have one week — how can you create anything good or worthwhile in that time?” But the results of both last year and this year exceeded all my expectations. I loved watching the children joyfully RUN to rehearsals with their instruments in hand!

This is not the first time I’ve noticed a pattern. When you are doing God’s work, the enemy tries to create obstacles. He tries to distract, bring unnecessary busyness, sow division, shift focus from the main to the secondary, throw you off course, frighten you, and spread panic — to do everything possible so that you don’t work at full strength for the Lord.

The children open up during the camp. They share their struggles and concerns. One young man wants to go to medical school, but he is very troubled by the fact that he would have to take a military oath, since in our country all doctors are called up in wartime. He does not know what to do, so he asked for advice. We talked and prayed about his situation.

It is important to understand that most of the children we work with are from church backgrounds, have believing parents, and many have already prayed the prayer of repentance and are involved in church ministry. Therefore, we do not expect a large number of conversions, as might happen in regular camps with many children from non-believing families. But we strive to conduct Bible lessons at a high level, and God works through the teachers of those lessons.

The young people also shared how God answers their prayers. One young man had attended military training camp after 10th grade (in our country this is compulsory to enter 11th grade), and he asked God to remove fear from his life and to help him witness. God answered. There he met another young man, they became friends, and now this new friend comes to youth meetings.

It was a great joy for us to hear from the children that they want to serve more in their local churches and develop their musical skills for the glory of God.

We are very grateful to you for participating in this work. May God bless you.

With gratitude and blessings, The HMI-2026 Team

One mother wrote:

“I thank our Lord and every one of you who created and runs this wonderful music intensive. Our daughter is participating for the second time, and now, just like last year, she speaks of it as the best time of the summer. I see my child so bright and happy! Your work, communication, teaching, and atmosphere work wonders! Our daughter was deeply into online communication—various groups, communities, TikTok, and Telegram. After the camp, she herself wanted to unsubscribe from all of it! It all became unpleasant to her! As for the orchestra—it’s just amazing. The masterclasses, lessons, and immersion into such a large musical community lift her up and inspire her! You accomplish in ONE WEEK what simply amazes and cannot but impress! Thank you so much! May the Lord bless you all!”