Mission Challenges in Russia During Covid

“In Russia, gatherings of more than five people are forbidden, and that means regular worship services, Bible studies, catechism classes, and so forth have been curtailed, and studies at our seminary have been suspended until the fall semester. Therefore, we have shifted all lessons for the remainder of this term to distance learning on-line formats.

“This, of course, has made the LHF materials we have especially important! For the course I am teaching called ‘Personal Spiritual Life,’ students have always needed access to the Book of Concord, Luther’s Freedom of a Christian and The Theology of the Cross. In a regular classroom setting, the students would read and then we would discuss and analyze in our class meetings, now in a distance setting, they will have to read those books much more closely.

“Russians still read quite a bit, and being quarantined gives people more time to fill. I know of one person in particular, named Yuri, who has been wanting more time to read LHF books and now is using that time to do so. He just finished The Foolishness of God and is now reading Kolb’s On Christian Faith.”

– Rev. Leif Camp, missionary and Dean of Students Theological Institute of the Church of Ingria (Russia)