Dear brethren,
Recently our students had a course on the book of Acts. This book introduces us to some incredible missionary journeys of Apostle Paul and his genuine care for the churches he established. We are trying to imitate biblical examples to a degree. It's vitality important to stay in touch with our Institute's graduates. I devote winter months to visiting our former students or having them over for a visit. Ukraine is not an extremely large country, and you can reach any part of it in 24 hours by train. It's the most common and affordable kind of transportation. The other advantage is our central location which makes our travels very convenient.
Last month I was able to visit congregations in Kiyv as well as attend a winter seminar in the Carpathian Mountains. The place was stunning with mountains covered in snow. Kiyv is a huge city and it has a congregation where our graduate is the preacher. It’s worth noting because it's quite unique that the congregation is transitioning to self-support. The preacher Uriy Romanov is trying to work two jobs. He is a bank employee and keeps working in the church. The congregation is not big and they can't afford to support him financially but he is married and has two little children. We hope that these circumstances will make his spiritual and physical families stronger.
So, the second place I attended was a Christian seminar in the Carpathian Mountains. It's the most beautiful place with lots of snow and, of course, mountains. The place is extremely popular in winter time with skiers and snowboarders. This year there was a seminar for the members of Western Ukraine Churches of Christ. Almost all the congregations in the west of the country were represented with their leaders or active members. It was a very interesting lectureship organized by our former graduates - ministers of Lviv Chruch of Christ with the financial support of our American brethren. It's an excellent platform for meeting new people and recruiting new students.
Our students were back to school since the second week in January. The first year students had Joshua, Judges, Ruth (Instructor - Dennis Sopelnik) and 1and 2 Samuel (Viktor Semikoz) while the second year students had Homiletics 2 (Stanislav Kuropyatnikov), Personal Evangelism (Valentin Tsiopa) and Romans (Andrew Zhuravlev).
It was decided that for the second part of Personal Evangelism course our students will be taken by their Instructor to the public places, distributing tracts and Christian literature and initiating conversations with the public. It was quite interesting. Some students enjoyed this practical application of the course a lot. Previously, after similar evangelical effort we had a visitor who kept coming for weeks.
Our students also continue webinars with Terry Harmon. We are very grateful for his patience and hard work. Usually webinars are additional Bible studies with the opportunity for our students to follow up with the questions that were not discussed during regular school hours due to the lack of time.
If you have any questions or any suggestions please contact me or Terry Harmon, the Coordinator of the Ukrainian extension of Bear Valley Bible Institute. The Church in Ukraine cannot completely support the ministry of our Institute and we are constantly on the lookout for the congregations willing to be involved in the ministry. Please let us know if you can be a part of this exciting missionary work.
Our students, Instructors and their families send their Christian love and deep appreciation of your support and your service to the Lord.
Your brother and coworker in the Vineyard of the Lord,
Dennis Sopelnik