SAN DIEGO, CA (May 19, 2014) — Russell Camp, who helped guide the Covenant’s early missionary work in Ecuador, died Saturday.
Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Bailey Center at Mount Miguel Covenant Village.
“Russ was a humble, gentle, fearless evangelist and church planter,” said Margie Swenson, co-director of missionary personnel. “He was one of the ‘quiet Great Commission’ heroes of our faith, a missionary pioneer with the Quichua population of Ecuador.”
Russ, 85, was born May 29, 1928. He earned a bachelor of theology degree from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and a bachelor of arts from Los Angeles Pacific College. He attended North Park Theological Seminary.
He married Patricia Roberts on June 9, 1950. She survives.
The Annual Meeting called the couple to be missionaries to Ecuador in 1953. After a year of language studies, they served several locations in Ecuador, including the cities of Quito and Cayambe between 1954 to 1961.
They planted a church and Sunday school in Cayambe, while also doing evangelism in outlying villages.
The couple returned to the United States in 1961 to work with the Spanish-speaking Covenant church in La Villa, Texas, for several months. They taught in the public school system in Simi Valley, California, from 1963 to 1974.
Russ and Patricia returned to work in Quito, Ecuador, and did ministry there from 1974 to 1984, when they concluded their missionary service.
In addition to Pat, survivors include sons Robert Camp and John Camp, and daughter Marilyn van Leeuwen. He was preceded in death by his son, Steve Camp.
