By Linette Schut

MORE THAN 100 people crowded the small lawn in front of First Lutheran Church in east Vancouver June 6. As a family appeared in the doorway of the church, the crowd cheered.

"Let Mikhail go free!" cried a loud voice above the applause.

Mikhail Lennikov, his wife Irina and his 17-year-old son Dmitri have been living with the threat of deportation for almost a decade. After years of fighting to stay in Canada, Mikhail, a former KGB agent, has finally been ordered to leave the country.

Rather than return to Russia and be permanently separated from his family, Mikhail has taken up sanctuary at First Lutheran Church, living in a small room in the church basement -- unable to leave the building. The Lennikovs are members of the church, and Mikhail has been welcomed by the whole congregation to stay in the building until he is permitted to return to his wife and son at their home in Burnaby.

The Lennikovs were calm when they spoke to CC.com on the day of the rally. "How am I able to keep this composure?" asked Mikhail. "I have a good teacher: Jesus Christ." He spoke of the strength he draws from remembering how Christ suffered much more than his current situation, saying: "This is exactly where I draw my serenity."

His wife said she has also learned to rely on God's strength in their difficult circumstances. "We've lost a lot . . . but we still manage with huge losses," said Irina. "When you go through all this, you have to have faith; it makes you stronger."

Faith has been an integral part of the Lennikov family's lives since they moved to Canada. Mikhail said he began searching for some sort of faith in his early 30s, while still living in Russia; but because a church community was not readily available, nothing came of his searching.

But when he came to Canada, finding a church family became a priority, along with a continuing development of his faith. The Lennikovs have been involved in a number of different local churches throughout their 12 years in Vancouver.

For a time, they were a part of local evangelist Audrey Mabley's ministry. Mikhail was baptized during this time and became involved in other aspects of the ministry. "Mikhail was in our fellowship for about a year, and led worship," said Mabley. "He is a fine, wonderful, faithful man of God."

They found First Lutheran Church through one of Irina's coworkers, who encouraged them to come to the church, ensuring them that they would be welcomed and find a family there. They said they have not been disappointed, and have found unconditional love and forgiveness among the church members.

"We open the door, people walk in, and stuff happens," said First Lutheran pastor Richard Hergesheimer. "Sometimes the Spirit gives us a swift kick and reminds us what it means to love one another and take care of each other."

Referring to the Lennikovs as one such "kick," Hergesheimer said inviting Mikhail to find sanctuary in the church was a "no brainer." "It's not going to be easy," he admitted, "but we're in this together because we're part of the body of Christ."

Speaking about Mikhail's past, Hergesheimer said it didn't matter: "The slate is wiped clean. I said from the beginning the reason I've chosen to stand with Mikhail . . . is because of what's happened since he's been in Canada. Everybody has things in the past [that need forgiveness.] This is our way of putting forgiveness into practice."

Mikhail's deportation order came after a long struggle, in which the government finally decided that because of his former involvement with the KGB, Russia's former secret service, he is a potential threat to the country.

Mikhail's final bid to stay in Canada was rejected by a federal court judge on June 1. He was scheduled to return to Russia June 3, after obtaining a one-week extension to be able to attend his son's high school graduation. A letter, co-signed by 23 MPs, was sent to Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenny and Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan, asking them to halt the deportation; but at press time, the government still stood firm on their decision.

The concept of 'sanctuary' goes back to ancient times and can be found in the Old Testament, for example in the Cities of Refuge where Israelites could flee to safety if they accidentally killed someone. Some variation of this concept has continued on through history, becoming more popular in North America in the last 30 years with an influx of refugees from Latin American countries.

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A number of other people have found sanctuary in Vancouver churches, with varied levels of success. Two years ago, Amir Kazemian was granted permanent residency on humanitarian and compassionate grounds after spending more than two years at St. Michael's Anglican Church in Vancouver.

Although the federal government has generally honoured this form of evading deportation, it is nevertheless technically illegal. Yet the Lennikovs and their supporters hope Mikhail's stay in the church will end well. Hundreds of citizens, along with many government members, are rallying around the family.

"We will not give up -- and we will not give in until Mikhail is free," declared Hergesheimer at the June 6 rally.

Irina and Dmitri have both been granted permanent residency on compassionate and humanitarian grounds. "This is the place I wanted my son to grow up," Irina told the crowd at the rally. "I really hope this is the place the three of us will continue to grow together."

After the rally, Hergesheimer encouraged Mikhail and Irina with words from an old story about the faith of Hildegard of Bingen: "In the end, Jesus said all shall be well." As the Lennikovs wait to see what will happen next, they continue to believe in the truth of these words.

Related stories:

Former KGB agent's final bid to stay in Canada rejected
Officials determine he was not forthright about his past and was a security risk
Vancouver Sun, June 2

Former KGB agent to be deported
Mikhail Lennikov's life in Canada appears to be over. Yesterday, the former member of the Soviet Union's KGB spy agency who has lived in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby for the past 12 years with his wife and son lost an appeal of his deportation order.
CanWest News Service, June 2

Ex-KGB agent takes refuge in church
After years of playing by the rules in his fight to stay in Canada, former KGB officer Mikhail Lennikov has turned his back on the law, defying a deportation order by seeking sanctuary in a Vancouver church basement.
Globe and Mail, June 2

Vancouver church gives sanctuary to ex-KGB agent
A Vancouver church granted sanctuary Tuesday to Mikhail Lennikov, a former Russian KGB agent facing deportation. "We did so because we believe it is the right thing to do," explained Pastor Richard Hergesheimer of First Lutheran Church in east Vancouver.
Vancouver Sun, June 3

A Russian refugee claimant's fate is left to the whim of a single person. How fair is that?
With the stroke of a pen, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney could allow Mikhail Lennikov to stay in Canada. That one person has such power might strike you as odd, but then again it was was one other person who, with the stroke of a pen, decided that Lennikov must leave. And that is the problem.
Peter McKnight, Vancouver Sun, June 4

Coming in from the cold
Former KGB agent in sanctuary in Vancouver church seeks to stay in Canada on compassionate grounds
Vancouver Sun, June 5

Ex-KGB man should stay, Canadians say in survey
41 per cent nationally disagree with deportation order
Vancouver Sun, June 6

Ex-Soviet spy seeking church sanctuary could be in for long stay, study shows
As former Soviet KGB employee Mikhail Lennikov settles into his new home at a Vancouver church to avoid deportation, another pastor who's witnessed the sanctuary experience first hand has some advice: Keep busy. Research by a Canadian authority on sanctuary suggests Lennikov, who was to be deported to Russia last Wednesday after 12 years in Canada, could be calling Vancouver's First Lutheran Church home for a long time.
Canadian Press, June 7

A question of conscience, even now
Former spy made his choice years ago to join the KGB and while we know few details of his espionage work, it is a decision he should live with
Pete McMartin, Vancouver Sun, June 9

June 11/2009