Janice Hersey
Born and raised in Maine, the daughter of a UPCI pastor, Janice Hersey felt a call to Russia from childhood. After receiving her Associate in Theology degree from Gateway College of Evangelism, she attended two years of secular college majoring in chemistry and Russian and then left for Russia as an AIM worker in the summer of 2000. She spent several years in St. Petersburg working in the literature production center as well as developing the church youth ministry and Sunday school program. Recognizing her commitment to the Russian-speaking people, she applied for and was granted her missionary appointment in 2002. She serves as the Russian language literature coordinator and secretary for the Regional Literature Commission. She plans to open a new work in Kazan, a city of one million souls about 500 miles southeast of Moscow when she returns from a medical leave.