Covenant News

Bellevue (WA) Team to Assist Russian Orphanage

BELLEVUE, WA (July 25, 2002) - A computer whiz and a Covenant church are teaming up to help an orphanage next month as Newport Covenant is preparing to send 16 people to Russia to help kids in Uglich.

Associate Pastor Andy Larsen said the team will assist David Tagliani and the Uglich orphanage with work projects, including an on-site bathhouse and a greenhouse. The group will also lead a Bible camp before returning home August 16. Five others from Covenant Bible College in Strathmore, Alberta, are also helping the team in Uglich, a town of more than 40,000 people located four hours northwest of Moscow on the Volga River.

Larsen first heard about the orphanage from a teen in the church youth group, Julie Hill. Hill's uncle, Tagliani, was head of worldwide operations at nearby Microsoft Corporation. He left the software business in 1996 and traveled around the world for a time, gaining new perspective on life.

Prompted by his mother (who had delivered a supply of eye glasses on a mission trip there), Tagliani visited Uglich and was touched by the 60 children at the orphanage, which serves children ages 7 to 17. Tagliani helped start the Matrix Café to help the orphanage finance its ministries. The business employs some of the 65 orphans in various ways at an establishment that serves pizza, ice cream and Internet access (computer terminals and Playstations).

Tagliani continues to help those who leave the orphanage to find jobs and obtain apprenticeships with high-tech companies. He has also assisted a compassion ministry in Afghanistan, serving as a consultant.

Larsen traveled to Uglich with three others last year and met Tagliani, who now lives in Moscow. He appreciates Tagliani's heart for children and his willingness to change his direction in life in order to better society. "We've become friends," said Larsen. "His niece, Julie Hill, was in our youth group and I've heard the story of her crazy uncle many times. He's not a macho guy, but has a soft spot for the marginalized. He views the kids in the orphanage as his kids.

"What I appreciate most is that he probably doesn't need to work the rest of his life, but he's leveraging his position to make a difference in this world," Larsen continued. "We're in a high-tech area, so there are many stories of people who retired from Microsoft at an early age. His story is one where God has entered the picture in a very unique way. That, I felt immediately, was something our church needed to hear and partner with. That has truly been borne out - we had a fundraiser for the orphanage in June and raised around $14,000."

Another intriguing part of the upcoming mission trip, said Larsen, is the makeup of the group. Some team members are middle school children and one is more than 60 years of age. Larsen hopes it's a trend that continues as the years pass.

"We anticipate our church having an ongoing relationship with the orphanage," he said.

For more on the mission team's trip to Russia, call the church staff at 425-747-0515 or email Larsen at andyl@newportcov.com.

Printable version of this page.