When someone mentions Mongolia, you may think of Ghengis Khan or the Gobi desert, but not Christian Heavy Metal Rock. When a Christian heavy metal band came to his city, Sheika Shinetulga had to go check it out since he was a rock musician himself. The visiting band presented the gospel, Sheika and some of his bandmates came to the Lord as a result.
Sheika's band, that later became known as Hargui (the path), was one of the very first modern music groups in Mongolia that actually sang in their native language. Sheika's band literally became the new voice of the youth in their country as their culture was coming out from the oppression of a very restrictive socialist government during the mid 1990's.
Fueled by their newfound love for their Savior and a passion to reach other young people in their culture, Sheika and his band members started a church in Ulan Bator (UB), the capital city of Mongolia. They wanted the church to reach the youth of their city through open inviting services that include praise and worship in the rock genre.
During a Youth With A Mission trip to Mongolia in 2000, Mike Proctor a musician and worship leader from Port Orchard WA, got to hear Hargui play. Mike told the band that they really should record their music because their generation was so hungry for music that they could call their own. Sheika and his friends took this to heart and after raising some money flew to Washington State and stayed for 5 weeks at Mike's home studio recording their first album.
It became obvious to Mike that Hargui needed a studio of their own in Mongolia. Mike began getting the equipment resources together to build a studio for them. Mike hooked up with CCI Solutions Senior Product Consultant David McLain for key audio pieces for the project.
In 2005 Mike took a team and the equipment back to Mongolia and built the new studio. Mike also spent time training Hargui's members how to use the audio recording equipment they installed.
Six years later Sheika's ministry and influence is going strong. He still reaches half-way round the world to CCI Solutions for his live sound and studio recording equipment needs. On his recent trip to the U.S. he stopped in at CCI Solutions to pick up some Galaxy HS7 powered monitors and to say hello to David McLain in person.
“Sheika and his team have changed the face of the church in Mongolia”, McClain stated. 'Visitors say, “It’s like living in the Book of Acts over there!' ”