Russia

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) provides vital communications and logistics services to mission agencies, Russian churches, and non-government organizations (NGOs) ministering in Russia.

THE NEED

The breakup of the U.S.S.R. in 1991 opened unprecedented opportunities for reaching the people of Russia with the Gospel. However, the lack of mature Christian leadership, Gospel-preaching churches, and Bible knowledge with practical application in daily life still present barriers to the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

Today, there is a critical need for more Russian mission agencies, long-term missionaries, Christian leadership training, a shared national vision for evangelism, and effective networking among Russian believers. Existing ministries need to expand, and new ones must be developed to reach students, children, substance abusers, AIDS victims, and prisoners. Yet, difficult barriers must be overcome in order to provide critical resources that will enable widespread evangelism among Russians and facilitate the nurture of church leaders.

After centuries of imperial rule and communist tyranny, the emerging evangelical Church is growing throughout this multicultural nation. However, it faces formidable challenges. Distances in Russia are vast. Covering more than 17 million square miles, nearly twice the size of the United States, Russia is the largest country in the world, spanning 11 time zones. Ground travel is time-consuming, and there are no reliable and secure communications services available to mission organizations and workers.

THE SOLUTION

MAF services in technology and logistics provide the means of ministering to Russians. By transporting and warehousing Christian literature and media materials for a variety of ministry organizations, MAF provides access to the Gospel.

As an effective means of training national pastors and leaders, distance education (DE) has become a valued and important MAF service. Working in partnership with respected Christian organizations, MAF helps develop church leaders by designing foundational DE courses in Bible, theology, and ministry. MAF equips learning centers with computers and provides email service, Internet access, and networking capabilities.

The MAF program in Russia currently serves 25 ministries including: Campus Crusade for Christ; Lutheran’s Publishing Foundation; Bible Training Center for Pastors; East-West Ministries; International Bible Society;The Navigators; Triad Publishers (a Russian publishing house); and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

The people groups impacted by MAF include Russians, Ukrainians and Armenians, as well as other minority groups living in the Russian Federation.

The next several years will be a time of change for the MAF program in Russia as it transitions from a Moscow-based logistics program to a Siberia-based aviation program under the leadership of Russian nationals. Following that vision, the MAF team is providing assistance to Russian believers as they work to establish missionary aviation in their own country.   

IMPACT 2007 HIGHLIGHTS

In the past 12 months, the MAF program in Russia ...

• Shipped nearly five million pieces of Christian material from the Moscow warehouse, including Bibles, correspondence courses, books, tapes, videos and brochures.
• Distributed an additional 200 copies of the Bibliologia CD, a full-featured Russian Bible reference library, complete with excellent Bible translations, commentaries, dictionaries, and books. An estimated 175,000 copies of the Bibliogia are in use worldwide.
• Facilitated visa applications by issuing more than 300 letters of invitation to short- and long-term missionaries seeking to minister in Russia.
• Continued ongoing efforts to establish a missionary aviation program in Siberia:
  • Held meetings in Sweden with several partner organizations.
  • Placed an MAF family in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. Presently enrolled in Russian language school.
• Provided secure email service for 20 Christian ministries, both indigenous and expatriate, as well as communications services to other national users.
• Supported and encouraged believers through two listservs for personal postings and comments. The listservs currently serve 770 nationals, as well as other believers working in Russia.
• Assisted Campus Crusade for Christ with the development of a Bible study website, www.b-study.com.

KEY GOALS 2008

Utilizing logistics, technology, and aviation expertise ...

1. Move forward with plans to establish a Russian-led missionary aviation program.
   • Attend Project Siberia meetings in Sweden with the purpose of forming an aviation Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) in Russia.
   • Work to further develop the Association of Christian Aviators in Russia (ACAIR).
2. In partnership with Integra, nationalize warehouse and logistics operations.
3. Work with Campus Crusade for Christ to further develop its Bible study website.

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MAF STAFF SERVING IN RUSSIA

• Rick & Rebecca Emenaker
  
• Tom & Diana Mason