Every year, we hold the New Year’s conference Restarting the Heart. God allowed us to hold over 15 such conferences. We want young people to have a good time during the holidays, so our goal is to gather people around the gospel and Christ and worship our God together.
Despite the difficulties of wartime, this year was no exception, and we are very grateful to the Lord that we were able to hold the planned conference on December 30, 2022 – January 1, 2023. This time became a blessing for many people because they could feel the unity of the Church and enter the new year with corporate prayer.
The conference was held in the Source of Life church building in Zdolbuniv.
Young people from all over Ukraine arrived at this event (Vinnytsia, Odessa, Kryvyi Rih, Rivne, Kyiv, Lviv, Uzhgorod, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khust, Zhytomyr, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Izmail, Dnipro). There were guests from Poland, Germany, and the USA. In total, there were 230 people, and 35 of them are team members.
Most of them were young believers aged 13 to 30. Almost half of the participants came to this conference for the first time, having learned about it from friends.
The Livestream of the conference reached over 2,000 viewers in the first three days.
Links to daily Livestreams of the Conference
The topic of this year’s conference “Marathon” was unpacked through seven sermons:
- The danger of a sprint approach to faith. Why do we need to prepare for the long run?
- Marks of a spiritual marathon and a long race.
- The source of strength in the heavenly marathon.
- Marathon in dedication to Christ and ministry.
- Marathon during the war and evil days (suffering and illness).
- How not to burn out on a long spiritual distance? Why do talented runners are quitters?
- The joy of the finish line and the long-awaited embrace of Christ. Why is the reward so important for a believer?
Such activities are helpful because they help people who are in difficult life circumstances, that might have to do with war, rejection by parents or relatives, loneliness, or struggle with addictions, to receive spiritual encouragement, emotional charge, mental balance, or counseling. However, the purpose of this conference is somewhat broader. It is held annually, that is, regularly, because it makes it possible to have a systematic influence on young people, to shape their outlook, and to contribute to their spiritual growth and cultivation of church leaders, which is extremely important in our time and our society.
Ihor Astakhov
Reviews from conference participants:
I am temporarily responsible for pastoral ministry where I serve 10 km away from the front line. It is very difficult for me to see Christ in these difficult circumstances. This conference inspired me to follow Christ and see His glory!!!
Mykola, Zaporizhzhia
I was at the conference for the first time. I really liked the topic and sermons. I am involved in sports ministry and this is my marathon. God, through the preachers, showed me all the difficulties and obstacles, as well as the blessings in the ministry. He provided all this to build me up as His child. I am grateful to the organizers for the warm atmosphere, and the wonderful glorification.
Vlad, Rivne
Restarting the Heart conference is one of the best events that happened this year. Every topic I heard just resonated with my heart and got me thinking. It was very useful to have free time and get to know new people and see how the sprouts of the gospel germinate in young hearts. We also enjoyed spending the night with a family from this church.
I will definitely look for the opportunity to go to this conference again next year, and I will recommend this conference to others. Thank God for such evangelical conferences!
Ruslan, Ivano-Frankivsk
You can talk a lot about what I heard for myself in the sermons, and how many priceless thoughts I took away with me to think about after the conference, but I am always interested in what God is doing practically in my heart. Sometimes, there are times when we cannot even understand our sins and our motives, and then God simply shows and reveals them to us. And this time, God helped me understand that I was just afraid of coming across as weak in front of people, and this is what God showed me about myself. I know that there will be other situations when God will show me something else in me and I will slip up at some point and get back up again, but I like the way God works. At such conferences, we are uplifted and it is a pleasure to be here, and when we are here it’s something like an oasis for us. But for this purpose, God allows us to have such oases so that we could go back home encouraged and empowered to struggle in our life situations in which we do not like to find ourselves, but that is when the Lord works and helps us apply in life what we have heard.
Anna, Lviv
In general, I should not have been at this conference. It so happened that I was blessed and I was able to go. The theme of the marathon and the example of the marathon runners became a support and comfort for me. As athletes, the finish is important, even when you get tired and the pace drops, but you have to run to the end. And God, through many examples and small moments, reminded me that I must go to the end. And only at the end will you know the result of your following, see the fullness of joy in Him. And in the end, when you meet Him, you will receive the reward that He wants to give us. And the finale is worth it to go through all life situations now. The Lord encouraged us through Andrii Bortniychuk’s sermon that we cannot live God’s life by ourselves, we need the fire of God’s spirit so that it burns in us, so that God’s desires become bright and attractive for us, so that we can realize them. I am happy and thank God for this time. And if you have the opportunity, listen to the sermons of this conference!
Alyona, Rivne
The conference really lived up to its name “Reboot” and although I participated as a preacher, I also got a lot for myself. And most importantly, why I especially value these conferences for myself, regardless of the topic, they bring my focus back to Christ, especially when you lose it in your everyday life. They, like a cold shower, help you to wake up and focus on Christ.
Pavlo, Rivne
Our goal was to reboot our imagination about the Christian life.
Once I talked with a marathon runner, and he told me that during the last 100 km race, only 30% of marathon runners reached the finish line. According to statistics, out of 10 Christian ministers who take up the plow, one reaches the finish line. Our life with Christ is not a sprint, it is a marathon.
The ultramarathon is a road of suffering and incredible joy, on which we need the filling of the Spirit and His guidance to reach the goal… I am happy for the youth who listen carefully and accept the Word. And although we heard an air-raid alert outside, sirens wailing and enemy missiles hitting our country again, Jesus has already defeated the evil of this world… “And the Word of God grew…” and the Kingdom too…
Oleksandr Kalinsky, pastor of the Source of Life Church in Zdolbuniv
Photo by Lesya Yarovа
