Our call to Russia started before we were married when God put a love for everything Russian on our hearts. A map of Russia hung on our wall for many years before we moved, reminding us that one day God would give us our marching orders. In calling us to CRM, we have our orders.

Our vision for our place in cooperating with the Spirit’s work in Russia utilizes our passions, dreams, and gifts in a unique way.

Lyle’s experience and ministry over the last 20+ years:

• Fostering citywide cooperation among Christian leadership in Richmond
• Counseling and coaching individuals, marriages, and families
• Challenging and encouraging children and youth
• Fluency in Russian

Diana’s experience and ministry:

• Working with youth
• Teaching language arts in public schools and online
• Counseling families in the US and overseas in their educational needs
• Curriculum development
• Speaking at missions conferences
• Consulting with Christian schools

Ministry role:

• Coaching and Mentoring Leaders. The Russian community has been devastated by poverty, broken marriages, absentee parents, and a lack of Biblical teaching and Christian leadership. As a teacher, counselor and friend, Lyle has invested intensely in the lives, marriages and families of a number of emerging leaders since moving to Russia in 2007. Today, this group of people is able to pass along their knowledge, time, wisdom and training to others in need, and they are bringing the light of Christ’s love into the darkest corners of the world.
• Body Building. A core group of leaders is emerging from Lyle’s coaching and mentoring work. As a group, their meetings and trainings have been centered a new experiential curriculum Lyle has developed. Its purpose is to create healthy community, sensitivity to the voice of the Spirit, and obedience in ministry. They are learning how to love one-another as Christ taught, and the way a family should. As they pray for opportunities to impact the community at large, they will begin to build a joint vision for ministry in the city, seeking God in prayer together for direction. This may mean investing their time as a group in prison ministry or going deeper into orphan ministry. It may also mean developing programs to help small businesses develop or working more closely with, and seeking God’s favor to inspire city officials and the Russian government. Whatever the venue, the goal is making disciples of Christ.

All of these ministries are means to the greater goal of making the name of the Lord Jesus renowned among the Russian people. Less than 2% of Russians attend a church of any kind, thus the need for fresh leadership in reaching the younger generation is urgent.