Russia

Europe

Year opened: 1993

Still reeling from decades of living under the brutal rule of dictators such as Lenin and Stalin, the 140 million Russian people continue to seek their identity as independent republics, formed in 1991. Although the economy was devastated with the governmental shifts, the economy has seen steady growth in the past several years.

The people of Russia face a dramatically increasing rate of HIV/AIDS, as well as economic challenges presented by unemployment and underemployment. An estimated 18% of people live below the poverty line. Nearly 20% of Russians are Russian Orthodox; 10-15% are Muslim, 2% Christian, and a large percentage of the population claims atheism.

In 1994 The Mission Society, as a member of the CoMission, responded to an invitation by Russian education authorities to send teams to Russia to teach ethics and morality in schools and orphanages. Mission Society missionaries were sent to the city of Khabarovsk, on the border of China in the Russian Far East. Although the Russian laws have now changed and there is no longer an invitation to witness explicitly, ministry in orphanages continues to provide Christian outreach. A high percentage of orphans turn to crime or suicide when they must leave the orphanage in their late teens. Mission Society ministries offer friendship and guidance to these young persons to enable them to make healthy, life-giving choices. Small-group meetings and the establishment of a Christian resource center are other efforts seeking to reach nonbelievers and encourage believers.

Missionaries in the western part of Russia work in the areas of pastoral training, discipleship of Russian nationals, church planting, and in partnership with the Russian United Methodist Church. Other missionaries manage an orphan transitional program, which helps orphans find work and shelter after graduating from the orphanage around the age of 18.

Learn more information regarding our work in the Russian Far East.

 

Prayer Requests

• Pray for dealing with new visa restrictions.
• Pray for favor with local officials when working with children and orphans.
• Pray for openness and mutual respect between the dominant Russian Orthodox Church and the Protestant churches.