...Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life?... (James 4:14)
Hello dear brothers, families and churches.
The Bible Institute moves to Ternopil.
So it's almost a month since that horrible event when armed insurgents took the building where the Bible Institute and the church were. Until now there are armed people in our building who keep it under their control. My family and I were forced to leave Gorlovka and move to Ternopil. It's situated at the center of Western Ukraine. There are very few churches of Christ in this part of the country. Maybe it was God’s plan to spread the gospel and help churches in this part of the country.
Ternopil is a regional center with the population of more than 250,000 people. The city grows annually. There are many new buildings, parks and a wonderful climate. The people who live here speak Ukrainian and love their country and culture.
During June I was looking for an appropriate place for the Institute. I visited local churches of Christ. Some of them were willing to help us, but they didn’t have enough space. They were offering help to those who had to flee for their lives. I’ve had many meetings with the owners of offices and buildings. Some of them were cautious with me because I’m from Eastern Ukraine; others were afraid that Christians would be meeting on their property. The main religions in this territory are Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox. However the Lord has blessed me with an opportunity to find a small good place in the residential district area for quite a reasonable price. Now the Bible Institute will stay in Ternopil for a year, and we’ll see what happens next. The military action might be over by the end of the summer, but there will be still a lot of arms circulating among the population. There will be acts of terrorism and racketeering. Police will have to do a lot of work to disarm the population. Thank you for your prayers and assurance in the future of the Institute. During the next two months I will be actively looking for new students. It’s very difficult to predict the results since our country is still in the state of stress and shock. Yet the work of God should be continued.
A few words about the graduates of 2014.
Alexey Mitskutis, his wife Alina and their daughter Ulyana moved to Russia. Alexey was offered a preacher’s position at the church of Christ in Ukhta. We pray for his ministry and work in this church to bring fruits, and his actions would recruit new students for the Institute.
Vladimir Didukh moved back to his hometown Ivano-Frankivsk (Western Ukraine). He preaches at the church there, helps brethren in their ministry and participates in spreading humanitarian aid.
Pavel Glinskiy ministers at the church in Krasnoarmeysk and plans on starting a church in his hometown where he has many relatives.
Pavel Tuznichenko ministers in Ivano-Frankivsk, preaches the gospel there and assists in spreading the humanitarian aid.
Vlad Borisenko helps the church in Krasnoarmeysk.
Katya Kadenko moved to Ternopil because of the military actions in her hometown, and she helps the Bible Institute and the church here.
Katya Gayvoronskaya helps her husband in his ministry.
Thank you for your help and support of the Bible Institute’s work. We are grateful for your prayers and ask you to continue praying for peace in Ukraine.
Your brother and coworker for the Lord’s cause,
Dennis Sopelnik
To see Dennis' report with pictures, please click here.