Good day, dear brothers, sisters, congregations and families,
It is a great blessing to be a part of the God's plan. Only in the beginning of summer we were unsure of the future because there were no potential students for our Bible Institute program. The ones who had been promising and even applied backed off. We were considering taking some time off and looking into other ways of our Ministry. But the Lord had a different plan and in the end of August we had 4 students for the first year program. Yes, it's very difficult to search for the new recruits in Ukraine.
I wrote some time ago that the European values have a tremendous impact on our traditional culture. People are looking for more comfortable lifestyle and more material gain. And a lot of times we can't meet their expectations. However, there are still people willing to sacrifice a lot to become leaders of the God's people in Ukraine.
So, I'd like to introduce our new students.
Matvei (Matthew) Bogomolov is from Kramatorsk. He is 19 and he is single. He was raised in a Christian family. The men's meeting of their local congregation gave him good references. He would like to serve as a youth minister.
Alexander Radkevich is from the city of Kyiv, 19, single. He is a very active Christian, regularly involved in different activities for the young people. He competes in speed cubing. He takes distant learning courses from the Institute of the Informational Technologies.
Anton Sanzhura is from Kramatorsk, raised by a Christian family. He is 18. He graduated from a school specializing in cyber security. He wants to improve his knowledge of the Word and use it in the youth ministry.
Dennis Sirotenko is from Kharkiv. He has already taken some courses with us. He has a desire to serve people with addictions. He is a veteran, served in the Ukrainian army in 2015 during Russian-Ukranian military conflict. He had been a self-taught student of the Word long before he found the Church of Christ. Currently he serves people with social problems.
Also in the end of August we established youth group meetings on Thursdays. It's an interesting and important project of our congregation. As of right now we have our students and the children of our Christians attending but we want to invite young people from the streets. I hope it will work and will involve our students better.
Now we have first year students' classes in session. They have started with Homiletics I by Stanislav Kuropyatnikov. And we are looking forward to the arrival of Terry Harmon and Jim Sherman. Please pray for their safe travels.
In the end of September, we plan on hosting a grand event for our graduates, instructors and preachers. We want to host a seminar on Growth and Foundations of the Church. About 30 graduates of different years along with their families have registered already. People were missing the fellowship and personal interactions during the long months of quarantine and we'd like to help everyone get together while we can since there are no strict restrictions at the moment.
We deeply appreciate your prayers and your support. Some people are impressed by the level of trust in us and your generosity to us.
May God keep you safe!
Your brother, Dennis Sopelnik