For God is with us

Atheism says there’s no God, everything was created by nature, we live only here, on the earth and there’s no life after death. A man died, crumbled to dust and that’s the end. This ideology – “Live only now” has fostered all mischief: murders, robberies, violence, wars…

Church thinks in a different way: there is an exit. If we trust God, keep the commandments, shrive sincerely, take communion worthily, we will inherit eternal life, places of Paradise. There is a mortal life as well as a celestial one. God has prepared Heavens for us. By our free will we can refuse from Heavens and choose hell, but refusing from afterlife isn’t in our power.

The author of this book – archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov) tells about the failure of atheistic judgments, about the purpose and meaning of life, about God and soul, about the ways of salvation, about things we should do in order to meet Christ and become real God’s son.

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov). Is there God?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov). Is there God?

- Yes, there are some people who say there is no God. I ask: “How do you know there is no God? He has existed for thousands years and suddenly disappeared.” A thirteen-year-old boy came to me and said: “I doubt whether God exists or not. Maybe, there is no God?” and I answered him “When I was little, about 7-8 years old, I climbed the choir loft on Christmas holiday and was sitting on the stairs because there were many people. And God gave me such a grace that I had never known before. And then I decided: “Whatever happens to me in my life, I must always trust in God, go to church and pray.” And I have been going to church and praying for 77 years already. I had to get it across to this boy. I told him there are no unbelievers on the Earth: some people believe that God exists; others believe that He does not. And I asked the boy: “Tell me, what is easier to believe: that billions of people, animals, birds and fish, almost all plant kingdom and the whole Universe have appeared on their own or that someone has created them?”

Brief information about the convent of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple

The convent of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple is located in the centre of Ivanovo.This is one of the few convents in Russia, based in our time.

The return of the church to believers and the opening of the convent had been preceded by dramatic events: 16-day hunger strike of four women of the Orthodox community of Convent of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple or "Red" church, as it is called among people- Larissa Cholina, Margarita Pelenkova, Valeriya Savchenko and Galina Yaschukovskaya.

After a serious struggle with the local authorities, the church was released from the state archives and handed over to the believers. Returned in 1989 the church was home parish for less than a year. A small group of spiritual children of Archimandrite Ambrose (Yurasov) gathered and this marked the beginning of the convent on the site of the former State Archive. On March 27, 1991 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexiy II the life of the abode began at the church of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple.