We’re pleased to have you read the news about the outreach in Ukraine, the countries of the former USSR, Europe and Asia! We appreciate your prayers lifted up for our ministry since they’re vital for building God’s kingdom in different nations.
you were put to death and have made an offering to God of your blood for men of every tribe, and language, and people, and nation…
Revelation 5:9
Ministry in East Asia
Our minister, who serves the non-christian people, is asking you to keep praying for an extension of the visa for their family so they could continue staying in the country. Also, they’re praising God for providing them with another place to live, in which they have already started meeting with Asian students. Recently, a new young man heard the Gospel for the first time at such a meeting. Together with a group of believers, they also traveled to a boarding school located in the countryside. There, they had an opportunity to play, sing, and talk with the children. In this facility, people are allowed to have conversations only about friendship, family, kindness, politeness. Our ministers really enjoyed spending time with the children.
Ministry in Armenia
Since September 27, this country has hit the headlines of the world news. Unfortunately, they became known for the serious military conflict. This difficult situation unites the Armenian people as never before. Our ministers are asking to pray for God’s mercy, for protection, for the repentance of neighboring Muslim nations, and that the churches of Armenia in this tough time could be the light and the salt so the Lord would be glorified through them. Pray that God will help believers take care of the women and children evacuated from the war zone and that they will be able to share the gospel with them. Please pray for the families of those who have lost their relatives and ask the Lord to visit them amidst the pain and grant them the gift of salvation.
Ministry in the Far East
Praise the Lord that brother Yuri Morokhovets was able to visit and encourage brother Sergei Piskalov and the people among whom he serves in September. Please pray for the ministers who would be able to come and encourage those people more often since after such meetings, they get enthusiastic and begin reading the Bible with a great passion. During this period of time, brother Yuri also studied at the Koram Deo – Institute of Counseling, participated in the funeral of a sister from their church, visited the communities of Spassk-Dalniy and Chuguevka where he preached and exhorted believers, and also conducted his usual small groups.
Ministry in Italy
Praise the Lord that in the square of Caserta, the Good News is being proclaimed every week. As brother Yaroslav Dovhyy and his assistants come to the square, they lay out a table with literature, set up a speaker, and then take turns singing and reading biblical texts, and at the end they usually pray together. Italians often come over to them and ask questions so they try include in their program an audio Bible in Italian. They have already gotten to know new people and prayed with them right on the spot, so some of them even expressed their desire to come to church. But unfortunately, the second wave of the epidemic is in full swing now, which makes things complicated because it’s keeping them from holding the services. Until the beginning of October, due to the quarantine, they could not conduct a children’s Bible club. Please keep praying for the ministry in Italy, as well as for the health of brother Yaroslav.
Arab Ministry in Ukraine
As you probably know our minister serves a group of Arab believers in one of the major cities of Ukraine. Our brother is from Syria himself, so he knows the Quran very well. By now, he has developed a course on evangelism to Muslims for the students who study in the mission departments of Bible colleges. It’s good to know that some of his graduates are already serving in other countries. Usually on Fridays, our minister goes downtown and shares the Gospel with people trying to reach them for Christ. After the explosion in Beirut, their small community is trying to collect donations for the affected Christians. They are also praying for sending out their own missionary to Lebanon for a month. Another brother from this community is preparing for an outreach trip to Turkey. Please pray for the development of Arab ministry in other cities of Ukraine.
Baptism of Young People
At the beginning of the September, our employees Arkady Sleza, Ruslana Kovalchuk, Vitaly Bakunets, and Alexander Honchar attended a wonderful occasion of the baptism service that was held by the church Community of the Good Shepherd from Rivne, although it took place in Zalesye in the natural setting. The dreams of three young guys finally came true as they got baptized after their reconciliation with God in camps organized for children and adolescents from boarding schools and low-income families. Four children entered into the covenant with the Lord thanks to the ministry of Christian floor hockey club SKY and one thanks to the leaders of the Christian soccer club Nadia. Praise God for the second birth and their decision to follow Christ that we have all witnessed at the event!
Teaching the Christian Ethics
Thank you very much to all who prayed and are praying for teaching the classes on “Fundamentals of Christian Ethics” in educational institutions of Ukraine. At the end of last school year, we were afraid that due to the interruption of the work of the commission at the Ministry of Education, which approves the program of teaching Christian ethics in schools, students will no longer be able to attend these classes. But thank God, the teaching continues up until now. Please pray that the Christian program will be passed by the Ministry of Education and Science for the next five years.
Support of the Christian Ethics
The all-Ukrainian marathon “Christian Ethics – Press On!”, has started on July 28, 2020, and was planned to be over in early October, namely, one day prior to the Teacher’s Day. However, due to the quarantine conditions, and to be honest, due to our sluggish pace of life, it turned out that in some areas people have just learned about it and are going to take part in it only now. In this regard, it is proposed to extend the marathon until the end of the year. So far, several hundred people have been mobilized, mostly from 5 regions of Ukraine (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Lviv, Rivne, Cherkasy), a competition of children’s drawings of the marathon was held, the awarding of the most active participants with a diploma of the Public Council at the Ministry of Education and Science is being prepared, proposals and drafts for submission to the Ministry of Education are being evaluated. All the appeals of marathon participants are published in the magazine “Word to the Teacher” on its website and Facebook page.
Christian Soccer Club Nadia
Because of the quarantine, CSC Nadiya decided to take some time off from practice and go on vacation, although it has happened earlier than it was planned. The boys really missed each other, as well as the Bible lessons and soccer itself! So the coaches decided to conduct Bible lessons online, and it turned out to be a very productive time!
This summer, the teammates had a joint trip to Zhorany’s lake resort. As they were getting together for corporate devotions there, they had an opportunity to consider the topic of worship and see which one is pleasing to God. Our coach, Oleksandr Honchar, along with the boys had a chance to go on a tour to see the castles of Ukraine.
We’re thankful to God for the continuation of this ministry!Please pray for the boys who show up just to play soccer as their priority, so the Lord would get them to hear the Gospel that is explained at every practice. Please pray for the coaches, so they all would be faithful in this important cause!
Tetyana Arterchuk, Nadiya Dolya