"Don't forget us,

now that you have received your own country," were the words spoken passionately spoken by a Finno-Ugric delegate at a missions conference in Tartu, Estonia in 1993, two years after Estonia re-established her independence from the Soviet Union.

"Hõimurahvaste Aeg" or A Time for Kindred Nations, is a joint-project of the Estonian Bible Society, the Estonian Evangelical Alliance's Evangelism and Missions Workgroup, the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Mission Centre, and the mission organization Ljus i Öster.

The goal of the Time for Kindred Nations project is to encourage Estonians to be actively involved in missions to their related people groups inside of Russia.  Our primary activities are:

• Bible translation into the Finno-Ugric languages, most of whom do not have the Bible in their mother tongue.
• Sending of mission teams from Estonia to co-operate with and encourage the small number of protestant Christians among these peoples.
• Supporting long term Estonian missionaries working among these peoples.
• Providing training for Christian leaders from among these peoples.

We believe that the time has come for Estonian Christians to take responsibility for bringing Christ to the Khanty, Komi, Udmurt, Mari, Mordva and other Finno-Ugric peoples inside of Russia.  The similarities in language and culture, as well as the very real sense of bond that exists between these peoples is something that God wants to use to bring about the salvation of these nations.  We believe that every nation has the right and the need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their mother tongue, and in terms that are understandable to their culture.

We believe that this is the mission God has given to the Estonian Church.

EEA Evangelism and Missions Workgroup   www.misjon.ee
EELK Mission Centre   www.eelk.ee/mk
Estonian Bible Society   www.eps.ee
Ljus i Öster   www.ljusioster.org

Hõimurahvaste Aeg No. 1

A Time for Kindred Nations, Vol. 1 was published in 2006, the first issue of an annual journal designed to inform and encourage Estonian Christians to be involved in missions to the Finno-Ugric peoples inside of Russia.

Although the journal is published in Estonian, the following are available in English: 

The Symphony of Creation:  a Hobbit’s Approach  to Missions .......... Mark Nelson

A map of the Finno-Ugric peoples

The First Finno-Ugric Christian Youth Conference

Kindred Nation Partners 

This program is designed to build a partnership relationship between an Estonian congregation and a specific congregation, ministry team or ministry project among the Khanty, Udmurt, Komi, Mari or Mordva peoples.

The goal is that the Estonian congregation would commit to praying each week for their Finno-Ugric partners in Russia, that God would bless their work of bringing Christ to their people, in their mother tongue, in ways their culture will understand.

Photo:  an Udmurt (left) and Estonian lady in their traditional folk costumes.

If you would like to support the work of the Time for Kindred Nations project:

Donations may be sent by international bank transfer to: