Classes, Seminars, and Upcoming
Student reviews of recent classes, upcoming graduation, and looking to the future
Greetings, our dear partners!
Spring has sprung and all of us who are scattered across eastern and central Europe are finally seeing the sun and are enjoying the rising temperatures. (Here in Slovakia we even got up into the 60's last week!)
Even though the war in Ukraine rages on, we are thankful the major attacks on infrastructure have waned and our students have had no difficulty attending class each day. Throughout this conflict, we are very thankful that our students have remained safe and we are honored they have remained dedicated to their studies and their ministries.
Upcoming Graduation
Lord willing, we will have graduation on May 20th in Kyiv. I will be returning for the first time since my family left last February. I am very excited about being back. This year we will graduate three students. These students would have finished last May had the war not started, but they have stayed with us and have finally been able to finish their courses.
We also plan to make the day as special as possible by inviting all our current students who are able to make the trip, as well as other UBI ministry partners and alumni. We pray it will be a day to enjoy as we praise God for how he has used us during these trying times.
Recent Classes
Over the last couple of months our students have been studying almost non-stop. Every day they join us from Ukraine, Poland, Ireland, and we even have two auditors in Belgium.
I was excited to finally be back in the classroom and teach Hebrews as well as Christian Mentorship. Christian Mentorship introduced our students to principles of how to have intentional, ongoing relationships with disciples that are designed to help Christians learn how to develop on their own (and not just be told what to do).
For Spiritual Gifts, we invited Dima Grishuk to return and teach, and the students were very glad to have him.
Most recently, Ben Williams (from Ada, Oklahoma) joined us again and taught the students the book of Revelation.
Here are reviews that some of our students shared about these courses:
Hebrews
"...For me, this course on Hebrews was a real revelation! The instructor was able to show the structure and logical sequence of the letter so clearly and vividly that its general message and context immediately became clear to me. In fact, many places that I did not fully understand before are now filled with clarity and true meaning for me." (Alexander)
Spiritual Mentorship
"In our course Spiritual Mentorship everything fell right into place because it was presented in such a systematic way. We talked about how to begin conversations, what to say (and how much to say), how to ask good questions, how to end these discussions, what should guide you during conversations and many more things. Some of this might seem insignificant, but they are actually so important. I'm already using the list of sample questions we reviewed in class and can see how effective they are "in the field." (Dimitry)
Spiritual Gifts
"Thank you very much to our teacher Dmitry Grishuk for the class Spiritual Gifts! It has helped me a lot in my evangelism. This class helped me understand how necessary it is to develop spiritual gifts in myself, to set goals, to make a plan to expand and multiply the Kingdom of God! My ministry with the church is a manifestation of my gift, and I thank God I can use it in the service of evangelization to people." (Ruslan)
Revelation
"When we began our course on Revelation, I expected it would be the most difficult course of my life. But in fact, thanks to the teacher, his preparation and additional materials, the course was quite simple and clear, and most important—interesting." (Kostia)
"I want to note right away that Ben is a positive person with a sense of humor. He masterfully presents information to his students. I liked the fact that Jesus Christ shared with John in His revelation that, in the end, evil will finally be defeated. And, by His death, Jesus restored humanity's relationship with God. In the same way, He conquered death by His resurrection and thus gave us eternal life. Amen!" (Yulian)
This week, our students are studying Practical Evangelism, and coming up before graduation are Conflict Resolution and Church Planting.
Helping Children of War
UBI has partnered with Thereasa Winnett for several years. Before the war, she regularly traveled to Kyiv to teach many of our ladies' classes. Last year, UBI published a book she wrote after the war started about helping children who have been affected by war. Along with the book, Thereasa developed a seminar which was first held in Sopot, Poland last fall.
Over the last three weeks, Thereasa was back again visiting three more locations: the Netherlands (where UBI alumnus Sasha Nikolaenko is ministering), Warsaw (where UBI alumnus Yura Taran and current student Sergei Nosov are serving), and Croatia (where Dima Grishuk's family is temporarily based). Natasha Maliuga translated, and two other American women, Jan Crowder and Carmella Lujan, came and held classes for the refugee children.
These seminars were overwhelmingly well received. Those in attendance were so thankful for the information which helped them feel understood and empowered with tools to help their struggling children. We received complement after complement for Thereasa's work and Natasha's wonderful translation.
Looking Forward
As UBI's very modified 2022–2023 school year draws to a close, we are working hard to put together next year's schedule and to take real steps toward building the future of UBI. As we consider how to improve our program as well as how to best do that during this time of war, we are excited about some of the plans coming together. In our next update, I will share some of those with you.
Thank you all so much for your unwavering love and support. Through you and our partnership with you, Ukrainian Bible Institute is doing new things in bigger ways than we've ever done before. Keep praying for the growth of our school, the spiritual growth of our students, and the future of Ukraine.
Sincerely,
Brandon Price