news

August Newsletter

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST

Testimonies Change Lives at Camp

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST

Only a week ago I had thought that something was wrong with me. I had sat among 100 children while they listened to the gospel message and felt no presence of God and no compassion for their souls. God had reminded me that His work does not depend on my feelings when over half the camp came forward to accept the Lord.

But tonight, tonight was different. Something about this camp had already been very powerful. I looked out over the old communist theater filled with teens sitting on old bright blue wooden benches. The acoustics were horrible. Birds were flying around in the rafters, and I could see the grey clouds above through small holes in the tin roof.

The small yellow stage below was decorated with images of Moses’ journey with the Israelites, and there in the center stood two men giving their testimonies. The room was almost vibrating with the silent power of the Holy Spirit.

One of the men, M, was the father of three children. His oldest boy is one of my teens. The other, S, was a young Russian who had come from Alaska to visit some friends and better understand his cultural roots. Both had been seriously involved in drugs and alcohol. M had turned the Lord several years ago and has become an amazing brother in the Lord.

S committed his life to the Lord at the beginning of the summer, during our open-air evangelistic outreaches and was now helping out at the camp. His father had sent him to Ukraine in hopes that it would help put him back on the right path, but God had already been preparing his heart for the saving power of Christ. Now we could see him every morning sitting with an open Bible between him and another counselor, who was diligently teaching him God’s truth.

As they spoke to the teens , they showed powerful videos of what drugs, alcohol, and selfish living will lead to. I felt as though I could almost hear the teens’ hearts and minds being torn open, and flooded with a clear understanding of God’s truth. Sometimes it was hard to remember to breathe.

We really didn’t have to preach the Gospel that night. The teens were poised on the edge of their seats, ready to come forward, even before the speaker stepped onto the stage. The singing had been powerful, the testimonies had been powerful, their Bible lessons had been powerful, and they were ready.

When the altar call was given, no one needed to ask them twice. Over half the camp came forward, including some of my own teens from the church. I looked at the faces of my other teens who already knew the Lord, and they were shining with joy. I looked at my teens standing on the stage ready to receive Christ and tears were streaming down their faces. And I was in awe.

We serve a living God! He has done great things through the prayers of His people this summer.

Overcoming Addiction

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:41:00 EST

Sasha Podlovkin was an IV drug user for over 14 years. Vita, his future wife, was also using drugs at the same time, although her addiction lasted around 12 years. They both sold drugs to support their habit, and were even competitors in the opium trade. Both Sasha and Vita heard about Christ at the drug detox center in Lutsk, Ukraine. Many of Fimiam Church’s formerly drug-addicted members regularly visit the detox center to share what the Lord has done for them. They also give an invitation to go to our men’s or women’s rehab center. Sasha and Vita went to rehab at separate times, repented and trusted in Christ, then married.

Sasha had a burning desire to go back to his hometown near the Polish border and share with people what the Lord had done for him. With simple faith and trust, and Fimiam leadership’s blessing, he went back with his wife to their hometown to share the gospel and plant a church. In addition to preaching and teaching, Sasha and Vita have started a rehab center for women. For two years, they ran the center from a small apartment in the city. The temptations of being in the city are vast, so they prayed for a larger center in a village, far away from easy access to drugs.

The Lord provided $8,000 to buy a house with about an acre of land. They had many repairs to make, but now it is able to be lived in (after the addition of a bathroom and kitchen and heat).

Knowing the expense it takes to run a center, Sasha and Vita prayed for the Lord to provide a way to self-sustain their ministry. With some help, they were able to construct a small heated greenhouse. The ladies going through rehab learn to work hard as they grow vegetables and wheat to sell at market. The Lord has really blessed their efforts, and continues to bring new ladies who are seeking the Lord’s help to overcome their addiction. Sasha’s prayer now is to start a rehab center for men. Would you pray along with Sasha and Vita and their church that the Lord will provide funding for this effort?

To help start this men's rehab center, send a donation to SEND International, Fimiam Church Project-S. Podlovkin, PO Box 513, Farmington, MI, 48332.

Creative Hands

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 04:38:00 EST

My friends in ministry and I continue to serve disabled children/young adults through the Bible study and craft ministry. I am continually stretched to find new projects that use materials available here. We have been utilizing shrunken sweaters to make things from woolen felt, plastic bottles to make colorful containers, etc. The possibilities are endless! Outside of classes, my ministry colleagues continue to make and sell their own craft items, making a bit of profit for themselves and for the Creative Hands ministry. The Lord has really blessed these ladies with talent, drive, and a lot of creativity. They can hardly keep up with the orders they receive, as they work in a small room next to my kitchen. Several times a week they come over for hours, and we talk and sew and encourage one another. We try to set aside at least one evening a week for a book study – “The Gospel for Real Life.” I really enjoy our fellowship and the opportunity to serve and encourage these sisters in Christ!

Hundreds Hear Gospel During VBS

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:36:00 EST

The two weeks of VBS camps have come to completion in the neighbourhoods surrounding Sumy Grace Church. Twelve camps were held the first two weeks of June in the evenings. Six ministry teams from Grace Church held these three hour tent camps in six locations the first week, and six new locations the second week. Between 210-250 children attended each week, and many parents and grandparents stood and watched the games, bible songs, crafts and bible lessons. The teams were able to share the gospel very clearly with those who attended. It was a great testimony to the community and impact for the church. Praise the Lord! Please pray for the contacts that were made and follow up.

This coming weekend is the 18th anniversary celebration for Grace Church, and there will be a street outreach over the weekend and a kids outreach on the church site during the coming week. Please pray for the those who attend, that their hearts would be open to Christ. Pray for all of the logistics involved, and for the various activities.

12 VBS Camps in 2 Weeks

Tue, 31 May 2011 08:37:00 EST

On May 30, two weeks of 12 five-day camps launched in the neighbourhoods surrounding Sumy Grace Church in Sumy, Ukraine. Six teams will serve at those camps, all while preparing for the rest of the summer’s ministry. It is a huge challenge but also a huge opportunity.

Here is a snapshot of what is happening around the region:

More than 20 VBS camps (one across the border in Russia)
Three resident camps at Grace Camp (10 day kids camp, 10 day Jr. high camp, 5 day special needs camp)
Women’s conference
Church leaders conference

Over half of the 200+ children who come to the resident camps are subsidized (many fully) as they are from low income or almost no income (child living with a grandparent, orphanage, etc.) situations. Many come from non-church homes and this is an opportunity to touch their lives with the gospel, and to give them a good summer experience in a positive setting.

Please pray for these ministries, that many children would come to know Christ and many people would be discipled and grow in their faith.

Counseling in Prison

Fri, 20 May 2011 11:42:00 EST

Recently, SEND missionary David King received a letter from Valentin, one of his former students at Kiev Theological Seminary:

Peace to you, brother David,

Lately, I had a conversation with the prison superior about counseling with the prisoners. According to the Grace church decision I will be in charge of them. The decision was unanimous. They will provide me with the proper separate room, not in the prison church premises, so that all volunteers could have the opportunity to share and talk.

According to their statistics there are about 37 person tend towards committing suicide and there are many others who need counseling and help. I tend to talk with volunteers rather than those who were sent by administration. But I trust God will provide and settle as it should be. I am going to start in a week.

Praise God for Valentin and our sovereign God’s hand in a Biblical Counseling ministry in a Ukrainian prison. This is the prison Valentin took David to preach the gospel and three prisoners came to faith in Christ a few years ago while the Kings lived in Ukraine.

Construction Continues at Grace Camp

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:10:00 EST

It has been three months since a four-person crew began working on the interior of the conference center at Grace Camp. They were given the task of finishing the interior walls and ceilings on both the first and second floor. Upstairs, there was drywall mudding, painting, wall papering, trim and tiling in the bathrooms. Downstairs there was plastering, drywall mudding, painting, wallpapering and trim to be completed. It was a huge job, and to add to the challenge we continued to hold conferences and meetings there on the weekends in the midst of renovations.

Praise the Lord! He has done more than we could ask or think!   Today they are wrapping up their portion of the work – a month sooner than expected. Follow this link to see photos of the progress.

This building is very important as part of the overall ministry of the camp to the north-eastern region of Ukraine. It is one of only Christian-owned camps located in this part of the country. The camp has provided ministry facilities for churches to use for the majority of the year. With this building, now the camp can be used year-round to impact lives for Christ. We still have a bit to go to complete the interior, but the end is in sight.

Thank you for praying for this ministry, and also partnering with it. Please continue to pray:
a)      That God would use these camp facilities for His glory and impact lives for eternity
b)      For the remaining funds that are needed to complete the project.

God has raised the funds for this project from around the world. We are humbled by how the body of Christ has partnered with the ministry here. Partnering in prayer, sending finances, sending teams to minister both as work teams and as part of the ministry programs. Praise the Lord!

If you would like to give toward or participate in this ministry, check out the project description.

Sending Missionaries from Ukraine

Sat, 9 Apr 2011 01:28:00 EST

As the evangelical church in Ukraine grows in its desire and ability to send missionaries to other nations, Igor Bandura, a newly elected vice president with Ukraine’s Baptist Union, has started a Union-wide missions committee. SEND missionaries Chad Weibe and Steve Wooden both serve on the steering committee, which is developing a plan to identify, train and send missionaries from the Baptist Union’s 2,800 churches to Russia and Central Asia. SEND Ukraine believes that this is one of our most important ministries, and we are excited to partner with Ukraine’s largest union of evangelical churches to see God glorified and missionaries sent from Ukraine to the ends of the earth.

The Grace of God at Seminary

Tue, 5 Apr 2011 03:44:00 EST

Every professor lives for the “aha” moment in the classroom when the light bulb in the student’s mind turns on. Just two weeks ago Andy finished a course on Reformation / Post-Reformation church history and it happened again . . . several of the students had those “aha” moments. One of the great discussions during the reformation period is the provision of God’s grace to the sinner. God’s grace is sufficient, and complete, to accomplish our salvation – “aha.” Several students expressed to Andy that they gained a deeper sense of this important doctrine and their walk with God had changed.

Since Christmas we’ve seen the grace of God tangibly change the lives of our students. Sergei, from southern Ukraine, is a young pastor who sensed God’s leading to leave his church and move to the neighboring oblast (state) of Ternopol. He’s moving his family of six, which is no small task in itself, this month to another city in order to work with a new church plant. This region of the country has a very low number of believers and Sergei is ready to proclaim the good news of Christ to those who do not know the grace of God.

Vitaly is a new student who just transferred into Kyiv Seminary. He pastors a church of 70 just outside of Kyiv and has been looking for a program to complete his studies. Vitaly is an accomplished teacher and has entered the Pastoral Leadership program to deepen his understanding of God’s Word. Vitaly has a passion for evangelism and knows full well that God’s grace changes lives. He is currently a guest teacher at our church’s Bible Institute for lay leaders, teaching a course on personal evangelism.

A Night in Paris; Women's Outreach

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:00:00 EST

On March 8, schools, banks and government buildings close as Ukraine celebrates International Women’s Day. The holiday — somewhat like Mother’s Day, but for all women — presents an excellent opportunity for outreach, as the whole nation honors its ladies. To that end, Revival Church in Kyiv hosted A Night In Paris. This evangelistic outreach drew about 50 ladies to the church, where the overriding theme was love — Paris as the city of love, and Jesus as the only source of true love.

“There were a lot of people I’d never seen at our church, and a lot of mothers with their daughters,” said SEND missionary Holly Rist. “The ladies at my table were so delighted with the French theme. It was the perfect combination — the gospel was presented, but it wasn’t a hard sell. If it was someone’s first exposure to a Baptist church, which can seem threatening here, it was a very positive exposure.”

Teaching the Next Generation

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:10:00 EST

The little church we attend in Kiev continues to grow. Recently three young men were ordained as deacons--a first for this church. We had some guest speakers who preached about the role and responsibilities of deacons and one preached on dedicating ourselves to the Lord for His service from Romans 12:1 (“Present your bodies a living sacrifice...”).

I was seated by a young family that has been attending just a few months. Several in the church have begun highlighting significant verses in their Bibles and I watched this father pull out his marker and highlight this verse--perhaps the first time he has ever really thought about these words or maybe even read them. I have thought about those words many times through the years and probably heard dozens of sermons on them, and it was special to me to see them impacting a new generation--those words, and many others.

I preach there about once a month and lately I’ve been focusing on four words which (as a famous preacher once pointed out) pretty much sum up the Gospel: God, sin, Christ, faith. If you understand these four things, you understand the most important things in all of life. Without this understanding joy is impossible.

Out at the Camp

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 04:20:00 EST

Even during the winter, camp activities are in full swing at Sumy Grace Camp in Sumy, Ukraine. Here a just a few of the highlights.

Pastors Conferences: This past fall the regional leadership decided to have quarterly Friday/Saturday conferences for the pastors and deacons. The conference has multiple facets – training, planning, fellowship and missions. It is exciting to be part of this, as over the years we have seen a change in mindset with many leaders, and a growing desire to see God work through their local churches. We are especially excited with the growing emphasis on missions. The churches have always had missions focus, but it is usually more on the village next door, or possibly somewhere else in the region. This is understandable, when our region is less than 1% evangelical, and the many villages and towns have no Christian witness whatsoever. God is beginning to expand the vision, and while doing so it is also impacting the local church members and their impact on their surrounding area.

Sumy Regional Bible College: We moved the college sessions out to the Grace Camp Conference Center because we couldn’t facilitate the number of students who are coming to study in Sumy. What a great problem! In November and December, they met twice for their two day sessions, 15-18 students each time. John is part of the teaching rotation, and taught half of his “Life of Christ” course in December.

Shashleek at midnite @ -6 Celcius: 45 youth came out to the camp for the Sumy Grace Church Youth New Years Eve All Night Celebration. John, Lanae and Alicia spent the night out there, and the girls enjoyed themselves immensely. John enjoyed himself too, as he had the challenge of preparing enough shashleek (Ukrainian bbq – like shishkabob) for the whole crew and cooking it outside while the program went on inside. Everything went well, and we all went home January 1, tired but happy.

Conference focuses on New Covenant life

Wed, 9 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST

Two Talbot School of Theology—Kyiv Extension students recently organized a conference in Ternopil, a city in western Ukraine. The students, both of whom also serve as pastors, invited believers from the entire Ternopil region to attend the conference, titled "Life Under the New Covenant: Theological Foundations and Practical Application."

SEND missionary Eric Oldenburg and former SEND missionary Dr. Mark Saucy, the program director of the TST-KE, spoke at the event. It was incredible to see how God put Mark and Eric both on the same spiritual and theological track, even though they developed their messages on opposite sides of the globe.

Even more incredible was the opportunity to interact with the 60-plus believers who attended the conference and were stimulated to think more deeply about what it means to truly be in Christ, under a covenant of Spirit and life rather than under a covenant of Law and death.

Eric and Mark both preached in the Sunday morning services the day after the conference. That evening, they and the two pastors/students boarded the night train, making it back to Kyiv just in time for the TST-KE session that began Monday. The joy and excitement of the weekend's ministry was the stimulus that got them through the long week of studying.

Class cultivates careful thought

Tue, 8 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST

As the spring semester kicked off, professors at Kiev Theological Seminary in Ukraine turned in grades for their fall classes. SEND missionary Eric Oldenburg had the privilege of teaching "Introduction to Philosophy" to the seminary's third-year, modular students. The group is fairly evenly split between youth ministry, pastoral leadership, Christian education and chaplaincy students, and, on the whole, they performed fairly well in the class.

A few students entered the class with the impression that philosophy is the wasteful study of worldly wisdom. This led to good discussion, as students hashed out why it's important to think deeply and critically about the fundamental questions of life. This, plus a convincing book by J.P. Moreland, helped everyone come away prepared to think more sharply for the sake of the Kingdom.

Two students excelled in the course, and Eric is encouraging them to pursue some form of apologetics in their future ministries.

HOPE House

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 02:05:00 EST

What does the word “HOPE” mean to you? We all have HOPES and dreams and I would venture to say most of us come from families who can help us fulfill those HOPES and dreams. However, here in Ukraine there are thousands of children living in orphanages who have little HOPE. Not only do these children come from very difficult backgrounds--drugs, abuse, alcohol, abandonment, and more--but automatically being labeled an “orphan” puts them in a lower class. They are considered to have a lower education, only finishing the 9th grade and, because of lack of money and opportunity, many will never go to college, may live on the streets, or get into trouble.

At HOPE House, girls who are 14 years and up are given the opportunity to find new HOPE. This year there are nine new girls and I’ve had the opportunity to get to know these girls as well as build deeper relationships with the four who remain. I teach them English once a week and my teammate Susanna and I lead a basic Bible study with them. These girls are not believers and thus our focus with them are topics such as “Who is God,” “What is the Bible,” etc. Some of the girls ask a lot of questions and are very eager to learn. Others are still adjusting to this new Christian environment. Here, these girls have an opportunity to change their lives, if they choose to use the HOPE they’ve been given. I’m excited to be a part of this.

One girl, Kelly*, repented this past week. I asked her what it means to her to live at HOPE House. She said that it is very important and special to her. Before she was living with her sister, basically in an unhealthy environment, and working. There was not much HOPE for the future. However, while she was working at a store, she met Linda*, agirl from HOPE House.

Kelly immediately noticed that Linda was different and she connected with her. She knew of Linda’s difficult home life and felt sorry for her. However, she also noticed the joy that Linda had. Linda herself came from a difficult family situation, but had become friends with some girls from HOPE House who were believers. She would often visit the house and this fall she herself moved in. Linda had already attended church for awhile and was a believer.

Linda connected Kelly with HOPE House and even though they were already beyond their limit of beds available, they also took Kelly. She has a bed in the living room, but is very happy to be living at HOPE House. Pray for her as she grows in her new faith and HOPE she has in Christ.

*Not her real name

A Slavic Christmas to you

Thu, 6 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST

The period from the 7th until the 14th of January is Saint Christmas week. During this week people go from one house to another, singing songs and wishing good wishes to health, prosperity, etc. and just having a good time. All those wishes are usually said in rhymes and with the spreading of seeds, such as wheat or other grains to show a wish of prosperity for the house.

Most usually are dressed in folksy or carnival type costumes. Such activity is called "Kolyaduvannya" and "Schedruvannya". The songs are called "kolyadky" and "schedrivky". When somebody is singing these songs and greeting you, as a rule you should give them sweets or food or drinks or whatever you have as a token of appreciation. It is believed that everything that the people have sung in their Kolyadka and Schedrivka will come true.

Odessa team reaches out to the Red Window

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 06:00:00 EST

After years of prayer, research, thought, talk and trips, the SEND Ukraine Odessa team is taking the next step in the Red Window ministry by expanding into Balta. The city of Balta has a population of about 22,000, and is a regional center. The overall region of Balta is mostly rural and has a population of about 52,000.

The Red Window is one of the least-churched areas of Ukraine, and Balta has very little evangelical presence. The small, pastorless Baptist church there draws only about three people on a Sunday.

In October, David and Barbara Schultz became the first Odessa team members to relocate to Balta. Pray that God will guide as they take this step. The team also prays for wisdom about when missionary Brittany Wittala should join the Schultzes. Two seminary graduates also will move to Balta as interns in December.

First Intro to Missions Class at TCI

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:50:00 EST

As SEND Ukraine focuses on mobilizing Ukrainians for cross-cultural missions, we are seeking partnerships with like-minded people and institutions. In that spirit, Jay Francis recently became the first SEND theological educator to teach “Introduction to World Missions” at Tavriski Christian Institute in Kherson.

TCI has more than 100 students dispersed between four programs, all of which include practical ministry focus and a missions emphasis. TCI has extension campuses in Georgia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. These extensions demonstrate that TCI’s leaders are as serious about practice as they are about theory.

Jay’s class of 43 students included believers from Belarus, Georgia and Greece. Some were recent graduates who were so excited about the course that they returned to campus to take it. SEND Ukraine hopes to send more teachers to Tavriski Christian Institute, and we hope and pray that more opportunities of this kind arise.

Family Weekend Blesses Many

Thu, 2 Dec 2010 04:05:00 EST

Traveling to Ukraine is always an adventure, and our return trip proved to be full of surprises as well. Part of the excitement though was to unpack our bags only to repack them and join our church for a Family Weekend. This was an incredible time to reconnect with so many people from the church, become acquainted with new people, and realize just how much Ukrainian we had forgotten.

Throughout the weekend, we looked at the significance of covenant within the marriage. Over 30 families attended and it really was a precious time. We saw several couples who for the first time before God promised to love and cherish one another in a covenant relationship as they renewed their marriage vows. We are confident that this will make an impact on those families who participated.

We also had an evening to share with the group about God’s amazing power to bring healing to broken hearts. This was a time when we were able to be open with what our family has been through, and see that God really does cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him. At the end of the weekend, Yura, a man that we have been praying for, came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior. He shared with us how our testimony had impacted his life and decision for Christ. Like we said – what an answer to prayer!