DIAKONIA SCHOOL

October 6 and 7, 2009.  Diakonia school evening classes took place in the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Kyiv.  Lay-people, that are getting ready to serve as deacons in the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, studied topic of Evangelism. Professor John Vogt, the Rector of the Ukrainian Lutheran Theological Seminary of Saint Sophia, was presenting the subject. As always classes went well, with an active participation of students which were discussing ways of sharing the Gospel, so that more people in Ukraine could be saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING

October 6, 2009. ULC Budget Committee meeting took place in Kiev. The meeting, that was attended by representatives of all the three Eparchies of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, was led by Deacon Vasyl Andreychuk from Kremenets. Professor John Vogt and Bishop Vyacheslav Horpynchuk took part in the meeting as well. Brothers have discussed principles of the budget rules of the ULC for the future and established priorities for the next year.  They have thanked the Lord for the support in the past and asked His blessings and help for the year 2010 that promises to be very difficult financially for the church because of the world economic crisis.

FRATERNAL VISIT FROM THE ELS

The official delegation of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod has visited the Ukrainian Lutheran Church: Rev. Steven Petersen, the Administrator for the World Outreach of the ELS; Rev. Paul Fries, the Chairman of the Board for the World Outreach and Brother Keith Wiederhoeft, the Treasurer of the ELS. Brothers from the ELS have visited all the three Eparchies (Districts) of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, met Ukrainian Lutheran Pastors and laymen, participated in three Pastoral Conferences in Ternopil, Kyiv and Mykolaiv and at the Synodical Council meeting in Kyiv.  Pastor Petersen and Fries have preached on the Holy Cross day in the Resurrection Lutheran Church and Nativity Lutheran Church in Kyiv accordingly. The visit from the brothers from the ELS has been an encouragement for their brothers in Ukraine. May the  Lord continue to bless the fellowship founded on on the pure Gospel!

A NEW BOOK TO BE RELEASED SOON

Professor Kurt Marquart's book The Church and Her Fellowship, Ministry and Governance is going to be released for Ukrainian readers in October.  The book has been transaled into Ukranian and will be an excellent tool both for theologians and laymen. Dr. Marquart, who has been taken by the Lord to His heavenly home 3 years ago, has been a beloved teacher to many Ukrainian Lutherans as wel as he has been very instrumental in Ukrainian Lutheran Church revival after she was physically exterminated by Communists in 1939 and 1944.

NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL YEAR

As a new academic year at secular schools in Ukraine begins, Ukrainian Lutheran Church congregations continue to teach children at their Sunday Schools. Volunteer teachers - mature Christians of different ages share the Gospel with children, ages 3 to 14. The Lord, through the Lutheran Heritage Foundation (http://www.lhfmissions.org/), provided our church with 3 types of books for children of different ages. My First Catechism (in the Ukrainian language) is the most recent publication of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation for Sunday Schools in the ULC.To make teaching more interesting, attractive and applicable, craft materials are used by our talented teachers. Sunday School Education is vital for Ukrainian kids since all the day schools are filled with atheism and evolution. For some of the children our Sunday School time is the only time in a week they can hear of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray this week for the Sunday Schools of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church.

Picture: Kids from the youngest group of the Sunday School in the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Kyiv.

ALL-UKRAINIAN CHURCH COUNCIL

Ukrainian Lutheran Church is a member of the All-Ukrainian Church Council (AUCC).  This Council does not promote joint prayers, worships etc. The main task of this Council is to promote freedom of confession and defend churches' rights in Ukraine. 

On September 3, 2009 a meeting of the AUCC Secretariate. Ihor Rudzik, the Ukranian Lutheran Church Secretary took part in the meeting. Church-state relations were reviewed and were evaluated well.   Two Ukrainian government decisions make life of churches easier now: 1) foreign missionaries can stay without any additional trouble as long as their religious visas (P-visas) last and 2) natural gas prices for churches are at the level of prices for common citizens. In Ukraine profit companies pay for natural gas more than common citizens.  Till recently churches had to pay the same price as commerical companies, although churches are non-profit organizations and their "incomes" are usually offerings and donations of common people. Natural gas is the main source of heating energy in Ukraine, where winter can start in November and last till April.

The above mentioned decisions were made after the AUCC members, including Bishop Horpynchuk, had a meeting with Mrs. Yulia Tymoshenko, the Prime-Minister of Ukraine, in August 2009.

BACK TO SCHOOLS

Ukrainian kids are back to their schools. Ukrainian Lutheran Church has no Christian day schools - all the children have to study in secular schools, colleges and universities. It's a challenging job, since many teachers and professors are atheists and sometimes they mock believers in Christ. We use any opportunity to spread the Gospel and encourage our children to be faithful to the Lord.

Last Sunday our pastors were blessing children in their congregations as the new academic year was beginning on September 1. Our confessional  Lutheran pastors were preaching Christ crucified and encouraging children to be faithful to their Lord, be obedient to parents and teachers, and to spread the Gospel.

On September 1, Bishop Horpynchuk was invited to participate at two events in Kyiv: to be the parents' speaker at one of the central schools in Kyiv and to bless students of the Wisconsin International Univeristy in Ukraine (WIUA). The Bishop shared the Gospel at both places and presented a collection of Lutheran books (sermons and People's Bible Commentaries in Ukrainian) published by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation to the WIUA.

UKRAINIAN LUTHERAN CHURCH OFFICE MOVED

Ukrainian Lutheran Church Office has been moved to a new location. Now you can reach us at:

Ukrainian Lutheran Church
Honchara 41-a, kv. 3
01034
Kyiv, Ukraine

Our phone and fax number is +380-44-2340804.

Please write and call. We still need some time to organize our working space to invite you to be our guests and share a cup of coffee with us!