2/13/24
An Inspiring Update from Kremenchuk Evangelical Seminary/Spring of Life Church
The baptism stories highlight how long it takes to see the fruits of their labor and the significance of supporting their work.
It's a beautiful reminder of what God can accomplish through our continued support.
We are grateful to you for your continued support of READ Ministries.
On January 8, 2024, we had a wonderful service where eight people were baptized. Let us share with you the joy and blessings of our ministry.
Facts and stories of the baptism candidates:
Three were locals, and five were Internally Displaced People (IDPs).
Six of these people came to church for the first time during the war to receive food aid.
It is wonderful to see how God works and changes people's lives.
#1 This woman is Anya, a local Ukrainian language teacher, and her husband is a soldier and is now at the front. In the summer, she brought her son to the church camp for the first time. During the camp, they attended meetings for parents, where she found spiritual and psychological support. There, she first understood the Gospel and repented at the end of the week.
#2 This is Vitaliy and Anna. They accepted Christ during our Bible study meetings for IDPs.
They have two children and have been living together for 13 years, unmarried. After accepting Christ, they realized that this did not correspond to the biblical model of marriage, so a few weeks ago, they got married.
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#3 This brother's name is Volodymyr; he is Jewish. When he heard that we were helping people and distributing the Gospel in Ukrainian, he came to our Bible study meeting in 2022. It took him a year and a half to be convinced that Christ is the Messiah and to accept Christ. He is very passionate about living for Christ and helping others.
#4 This is Kateryna, who also heard the Gospel for the first time when we were distributing humanitarian aid. She has attended our Bible study meetings for over a year.
She saw a loving Christ through the church’s efforts to help people and victims of war.
Her husband now lives in Kharkiv, and she and their children live in our city because it is safer here. To be baptized, she also married her husband, with whom she had lived for many years.
Training of Chaplains; 1-Year Certificate Program
In January, we participated in the All-Ukrainian Chaplaincy Conference in Kyiv. Today, the training of volunteer chaplains is a strategically important task of the Baptist Union of Ukraine. Responding to the needs of churches, Kremenchuk Evangelical Seminary, together with Vasyl Povoroznyuk, the new leader of the Chaplaincy Ministry of Ukraine, developed a one-year program of training volunteer chaplains for active pastors, deacons, and ministry leaders who already have a theological education and who want to serve with the military at the front, in hospitals, with families of the dead, but need to necessary knowledge and skills.
Volunteers are expected from Poltava, Cherkasy, Kirovograd, Dnipro, and other regions of central Ukraine. The training that begins on March 11 will consist of four sessions, lasting four days each, and two practical trips, lasting four to five days each, will be held at the front. They will be divided into groups of five and accompanied by an experienced Chaplain mentor.
Missionary Training Center
We continue to train the next generation of leaders. Each week, students from various programs come to the seminary to gain the necessary knowledge and skills. The last two sessions for the students of the School of Disciples and Evangelists were held in different regions of Ukraine. The students had the opportunity to share the Gospel with the lost.
Prayer Requests and Thanks
Please pray for:
- An end to the war and a just peace for Ukraine
- God's protection for al of us
- Staff, faculty, and our students who are finding it increasingly difficult to leave their jobs and families to come for training
- The new Chaplain Ministry program, pray for the volunteers and resources
- An upcoming Marriage Conference in February
- Finances to continue the humanitarian ministry and equipping of Christians
We thank God for each of you for your prayers and your participation in spreading the Kingdom of God in Ukraine.
Thank you for all your encouragement and generous donations, which enable us to continue helping those affected by Russian aggression and enable us to equip Christians for effective ministry and the building up of the Church.
Sincerely,
Ivan Ovcharenko
Rector of the Kremenchuk Evangelical Seminary
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