Our History
Comfort Foundation's history begins in 1992 when the Ministry of Education in Russia issued an invitation to Christian organizations to visit Russia and introduce school principals and teachers to a Christian Ethics and Morality curriculum. Over 70 Christian organizations formed a coalition called "COMISSION" and sent teams averaging 8-10 people in size to various cities within the former Soviet Union. BCM International worked with Campus Crusade for Christ to send the first group to Vologda Russia in 1993. For the next three years BCM International, under the leadership of then European Director Bob Evans, continued to send teams to Vologda. Team members worked with Russian interpreters to introduce Christian principles through videos and various curricula to Russian educators. The teachers were also given the opportunity to attend voluntary Bible studies offered in the evenings and on weekends. In the fall of 1996, after the last COMISSION team had left Vologda, one member of that team, Sherri Brock, returned to continue BCM International's work with teachers.
In 1994, a group of Christians from Cherepovets asked BCM to send a COMMISSION team there. In 1997, BCM sent two Americans to work with 4 Russians to form that requested team. The team taught Christian Ethics classes in the schools and worked with educators as the teams had done in Vologda.
In the spring of 1997, BCM received several donations to help open a Christian bookstore, Living Word Bookstore. Staffed largely by Russian teachers, the store opened its doors in October 1997. Having now provided the Vologda community with access to Christian resources, the Russian teachers turned their attention to introducing Christian concepts to children in orphanages.
In July 1998, Comfort Foundation was formed in Vologda and registered as a non-profit organization designed to emotionally, spiritually and financially support orphans and underprivileged children in the Vologda Oblast of northern Russia. In August 1998, Russia suffered a major financial crisis, and Comfort Foundation very quickly received the first of many humanitarian aid shipments to distribute among the orphanages and hospitals. In 1999, Comfort Foundation opened a branch office in the neighboring city of Cherepovets to help underprivileged children from dysfunctional families.
In the summer of 2000, Comfort Foundation Vologda staff members held their first camp for children from Orphanage 4. Comfort Foundation staff, together with help from international churches, university students and others continue to hold camps during the spring, summer, fall and winter school breaks. Also in 2000, the staff in Cherepovets held a camp for children from dysfunctional families. Many of those children lived in New Corners. Several children from one family were at that camp and returned home to tell their mother about what they learned about God. She started to attend church, became a believer, and opened up her home to start a ministry to children in New Corners. Comfort Foundation agreed to run the programs.
In 2005 Comfort Foundation worked with a St. Louis church to host a benefit concert for orphans in Vologda. The church teamed with a Russian orchestra to perform Handel's Messiah the weekend before Easter. Also during that year, Sherri Brock moved back to the United States to work with a dedicated Board of Directors and volunteers to establish a fundraising arm of the ministry, also called Comfort Foundation, to support the work of the Russian staff in Vologda and Cherepovets. Comfort Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. It was registered in the United States in March of 2005.
In April 2008, Comfort Foundation purchased office and program space on the ground floor of a residential building in Vologda. The new headquarters includes activity and craft rooms, guest rooms, class and video rooms, and office space. Comfort Foundation also began a new program in 2008, Graduates Club, to help orphans transition from institutionalized housing to independent living. Comfort Foundation offers programs to teach young adults basic life skills, boost their confidence and self esteem, address their self image, prepare to apply for a job, help to set a budget, and much more.
In addition to the ongoing camps at the orphanages and with children from dysfunctional families in Cherepovets, Comfort Foundation hosted its first camp for foster children and their families at the new office in June 2009.
As of September 1, 2009, Sherri Brock stepped down from full-time service to Comfort Foundation and Chris Culley assumed the role of Executive Director. After Chris departed 2 years later, the Board of Directors decided to contract US administration and effectively become an all-volunteer organization in the US. With this change, the organization is able to direct as much income as possible directly to the ministry in Russia.
Due to the changing way in which reading materials are purchased, Living Word Bookstore was no longer sustainable and closed its doors in the Spring of 2012. The bookstore was able to donate remaining materials to several churches in Vologda for their use.