The following information may be used in bulletins, newsletters, sermons, in Sunday school or during other teaching moments.
145 million people
live in Russia, with more than three-fourths of those people living in urban areas.
Russia is home to 130 ethnic/language groups.
Russia is the largest country in the world, comprising one-eighth of the earth’s land mass and spanning 11 time zones.
The average life expectancy is 67 years.
Inflation rose 230 percent from 1990-1998, when the stock market collapsed, causing bank runs and the devaluation of their currency.
The unemployment rate is 11.3 percent. The average monthly income for a Russian worker is $50 or less.
The Russia Initiative, operated through the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, provides a way for individuals, work teams and congregational delegations to travel to the region, establish partnerships with groups from cities and towns, and then to nurture those relationships. Besides the Board, a number of United Methodist agencies and related institutions participate in the Initiative.
The Russia Initiative is making a difference through programs such as the establishment of orphanages, feeding programs for refugees, facilities for handicapped persons, ministries to and with senior adults.
The initiative began in 1991, after a visit to Russia by Bishop J. Woodrow Hearn of the Houston Area, and the Rev. Randolph Nugent, top staff executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. In 1992, Bishop Ruediger Minor was appointed to the mission effort. In 2005, Bishop Hans Vaxby became the new leader of the Eurasia Area.
Since the program’s beginning, about 3,500 United Methodists from the United States have participated in evangelism, theological education, leadership training, cultural exchanges and humanitarian aid projects. Seventy-one Volunteers in Mission teams have gone to 18 sites in Russia.
Through the initiative, congregations from around the United States are in partnership with 41 churches in Russia. Eighteen congregations in Russia still need U.S. partners.
Virginia United Methodists have been in ministry in Russia since 1993. Each year, two to six teams from Virginia have traveled to Stavropol and Pyatigorsk, and Russian exchange delegations have visited Virginia.
Through the Initiatives of Hope, the United Methodist churches of Virginia will help raise funds to establish permanent church facilities for worship and ministry in the southern Russian cities of Stavropol and Pyatigorsk.
The United Methodist Church in Russia numbers about 60 congregations and is growing through evangelism by volunteers from abroad as well as by Russians themselves.
In the early 1990s, there were 15 United Methodist churches in Russia. Last year, Bishop Ruediger Minor made 88 appointments.
The United Methodist Church in Russia is organized into six districts.
The Russia United Methodist Theological Seminary, begun in Moscow in 1994, had 53 students in 2003-2004. Some 47 students have graduated to date, preparing to serve the 110 churches throughout Russia.
