Covenant News

Churches Help Russian Children Hear the Gospel

CHICAGO, IL (September 30, 2005) - Children at two Russian orphanages are now hearing the gospel via radio because of a cooperative venture of three Evangelical Covenant churches.

After Mike McAllister led a missionary team from Creekside Covenant Church to run a week-long camp for the orphans in 2004, he determined that when church members returned this year, they also would leave an ongoing Christian presence. That desire led him to contact Daniel Johnson at Christian Radio for Russia, which operates the New Life Radio Satellite Network.

They agreed that providing satellite dishes so the orphanages could receive the Christian programming would be an excellent way to leave that ongoing presence. Johnson knew of other Covenant churches that were interested in supporting missions in Russia and put them in touch with each other.

The congregations - Bethany Covenant, of Mt. Vernon, Washington, and Country Covenant Church, of Elgin, Illinois - were eager to help Creekside with the effort by raising funds for the satellite dishes. "The initiative shows how different congregations can pool their mission efforts to share the love of Christ to children and adults throughout Russia," Johnson says.

With the money raised, the folks from Creekside in Redmond, Washington, traveled to the Vologda region of Russia, where members again led a summer camp - and helped install the satellite dishes. When not helping to install the satellite dishes, team members, who ranged in age from 17 to 62, ministered to 100 children at the summer camp. Half of the children were from two local churches, and the other 50 were from the orphanage.

The children can now hear programming like that broadcast shortly after Creekside members arrived. "The station can be a year-round presence that can affect the children as well as the teachers," McAllister says.

The church plans on continuing its ministry in Russia. "We are expanding this ministry to be more than just summer camps," says McAllister. "We want it to be a partnership with the local churches."

It is an ambitious undertaking. "We plan to implement sponsorship programs that will fund spiritual mentoring by local church leaders called to children's ministries, repairs for the orphanages and transition help for when the children leave the orphanage," McAllister says. "This transition period is difficult and critical for these children," he adds, noting that 10 percent of the children will commit suicide in their first year. "We plan to sponsor some of these children to live in Christian homes for the first few years."

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