Archive for the ‘Ukraine’ Category
Event at KTS: Public Seminar
Next week our we have special event night when Dr. Scott D. Edgar presents his dissertation findings at KTS Public Seminar on Wednesday February 4, 2009. According to Dr. Edgar, he wants to “encourage mentoring relationships among the students at KTS and in the churches and organizations in which they serve”. Topic of his presentation will be Mentoring – the missing link in Ukrainian Theological Education for Ministry.
I am excited that Dr. Edgar and his wife Becky came to our seminary to teach two intensive courses this month. It’s my delight to welcome old friends of Kyiv Theological Seminary who served here in Ukraine as missionaries in 2000-2002. Dr. Edgar served as full-time faculty and active Academic Dean of KTS at that time.
You can download reproducible poster to print and share with your church this weekend. Poster Seminar Edgar A4 Eng Rus
Please pray for this event and for Dr. Edgar as he presents this important topic to us.
Photo: Winter Motifs
Christianity Today Features Article on Ukrainian Evangelicals
This weekend Christianity Today features an article on Evangelical Church in Ukraine on its main page. Faith and Hope in Ukraine: How Eastern Europe’s most missional evangelical church is rethinking tradition and the Great Commission, by .
The article has its permanent address as well: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/october/25.70.html.
Kyiv Theological Seminary administration and faculty along with other evangelicals of our country contributed to this article. I might comment on the article later since my answers to author’s questions are included as well.
Photo: Summer Motifs
Video: Ukraine – A Young European Country
Since Ukraine will celebrate National Independence Day in just about one week I post this promotional video about Ukraine – A Young European Country. I am proud and thankful to God to be born in this beautiful country on earth and pray for peace and salvation to many and many of my fellow people.
Originally found on YouTube.com
Pastor and Kyiv Seminary Student Baptises New Converts
Ministry of Kyiv Theological Seminary is focused on preparation of “believers for an effective ministry who are able to lead others in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ” (KTS Mission Statement). Among seminary students we have active ministers and ministers to be. Both categories of students are of vital importance for the seminary as we reach out through our graduates and students to the lost world. Our Church Planting undergraduate program attracts not only future but also active pastors.
I am delightful to hear about KTS students who apply to their ministries what they learned in the classroom. In fact, we expect exactly such actions from them: practicing what they learn. This puts responsibility on us as trainers and educators: we want to make sure that what they learn is practical, applicable and contextualized to their ministries.
These hot summer days seminary program directors spend with their students, assisting and extending training and mentoring. I invite you to read this report by Joel and Mary Ellen Ragains about one of KTS students from Eastern Ukraine who follows the call of God in his life. Joel and Mary Ellen RAGAINS – Baptism at Oleg’s Church
Photo Credit: kievkonnect.com
Photo: Summer Motifs
Rick Warren and Evangelical Church in Ukraine
Rick Warren is known worldwide. He is well known in US and recent TIME Magazine features him in its article The Global Ambition of Rick Warren. I found even an article in Encyclopædia Britannica Online on him, not mentioning Wikipedia’s article. But he is known beyond America. He is known in former USSR, several of his books translated into Russian and gained popularity among local evangelical churches as well.
In my church in Kyiv, Ukraine we had men’s group meetings that were based on one of his books: Purpose Driven Life. Few other churches in Ukraine even try to follow Saddleback Church model, adapting it to our local culture. Celebrate Recovery program started in Saddleback Church and makes its steps into Eastern Europe. Kyiv Theological Seminary hosted the Celebrate Recovery Conference on June 23-27, 2008. People from around Ukraine came for the training to experience the program themselves and take it to their churches.
Professors of our seminary require students in church planting program read his books and write book reports. Students then also required analyzing how they can contextualize the principles in their communities. Warren’s books are not the only books we use in our church planting curriculum, many of other authors are required of students to read, but his books definitely in our reading focus.
Rick Warren’s church is one of top influential evangelical churches in America and globally. My heart is burden with this question: will evangelical church in Ukraine have her own national Rick Warren someday? Hopefully, our seminary could do its part by training, equipping and forming next generation of leaders. For the future of evangelical church. To the glory of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
