Russian Far East

Far East/Asia

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 six years.

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.

Learn more about our work in Russia.

 Prayer Requests

• For dealing with new visa restrictions.
• For the young people as they leave orphanages and transition to life on the outside.
• For maturing of leadership in the Methodist churches we work with in the region.