Dear brothers, families and churches.
In my report I want to share with you the news of some events that took place at the Institute, in church, and in the lives of some Christians. October was full of events. Sometimes we are looking forward to something and pray for it, and then we receive far more than we could ever imagine. I’m sure God is still helping those people who are His followers.
In October, I went to Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, Russia. There was an annual meeting of church of Christ ministers in Russia. I’ve acquired many new friends, acquaintances and contacts. I presented our Institute there and had a chance to tell them about our experience with this ministry in Ukraine. There are some churches in that part of Russia that are in need of ministers. I have a plan to send some of our graduates to Russia for their further ministry there. Please pray with us for our students, for their dedication and for the growth of the churches in Europe.
I have some very good news. Lyudmila, a wife of our student Sergey, was baptized. Sergey’s story is very unusual. He contacted me many times via phone calls, inquired some details about the Institute, but every time his plans changed and his admission to school was postponed yet to another school year. And only this year he made a decisive step and entered our program. He moved to Gorlovka together with his family. He has a wife and a 4-month-old son, Ivan. We rent an apartment for them in the same building where we live, and we often invite them to our place to visit with us. Once Sergey came and told us that his wife wants to be baptized, and in a few days she became a part of God’s family.
Other good news is that our students Alexey and Alina got married. It’s a first wedding at BVBIU since we moved to Gorlovka. These young people made a very important and responsible decision, and we showed them our support and hope that their relationships will be as strong as the one Jesus has with His church.
On October 19, we had a youth conference, and the topic was “When to Act Rightly.” We had about 35 people in attendance from different church of Christ congregations. Such meetings always bring encouragement to young people and help them understand that they are not alone in their pursuit of heaven.
Often we have to do things that don’t bring us joy. In October we had to say goodbye to the second-year student, Roman Rotan. It’s not his first expulsion from this school. He promised to become a diligent student, but his attitude and behavior wasn’t Christ like in many situations. I’ve spent a lot of time with him; nevertheless, he made a decision not to be with God and his spiritual family. I ask you to pray for him.
Right now it’s a time of evangelizing campaigns at our Institute. Our students went to different church of Christ congregations (Gorlovka, Kramatorsk, Illovaysk, Konstantinovka), and our secretary Oksana went to teach Bible classes for kids in Dimitrovo. This ministry encourages local churches and preachers, and it is a good practice for our students. Usually during 3-4 days, students spread flyers and invitations to come to church, and they teach Bible classes in the evenings. Sometimes they visit church members who grew colder in their ministry. We know that each one of us has an obligation to evangelize.
My family sends you their greetings, and we are sure that you keep praying for us. Thank you for your support and care about the Institute and the church. You are a part of this work, and we keep doing it together.
God’s blessings,
Your brother and co-worker,
Dennis Sopelnik
To see Dennis’ report with pictures, please click here.