Where are they located? The Chelkans live in the Republic of Altai within the Russian Federation.
What are their lives like? Traditional religion of indigenous peoples of Altai is paganism. During the 50-70s of the 18th century Christianity began to spread among them. Christianity was especially active in the second half of 19th century. According to the Population Census of 1897, 34.5% of indigenous people were orthodox. At the beginning of the 20th century there began to extend Burkhanism (from "Burkhan," the name of the spirit of the Altai Mountains), it's a form of Lamaism with elements of Shamanism. And even after accepting Christianity, indigenous peoples continue to worship rivers, mountains, lakes.
Prayer Points * Pray that Russian Bibles will be placed in the hands of the Chelkan who understand the Russian language.
* Ask the Lord to bring forth a triumphant Chelkan church for the glory of His name!
* Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send loving Christians who are willing to live and serve among the Chelkan peoples.
* Pray for translation of the Bible to begin in this people group's primary language.
* Pray that the Chelkans' fear of the spirits and mountain gods will be replaced by a love and fear of the one true God.