To our dear partners,
We are already into our second term this fall, and as always, we are amazed at how fast the time is passing. God has been doing good things through the work of UBI, and those things wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for your direct involvement and support. We praise God for you today as we share with you some of the most recent news from the Ukrainian Bible Institute.
A New School Year
This September UBI returned to a more full-time schedule. Despite being completely online, we began our new school year with 25 students, 13 joining us for the first time. Most of them are in Ukraine, but we do have some Ukrainians joining us from Poland and Germany as well. Some have known about UBI for years, and others have only recently become Christians. One student is on active military duty, taking classes part-time and watching the recordings each evening as he is able. It's a wonderful group God has brought together, and we are so thankful to have them.
Our new students began the year with Survey of the Bible taught by Rob Hindman. After that, they took Bible History I with Alexander Maliuga, Life of Christ with our recent graduate Oleksandr Kolosha, and last week I finished teaching Introduction To Exegesis.
Svetlana, one of our first-year students, had this to share about her first term at UBI:
”It was a little scary to start my studies because I thought, What if I can’t handle it? What if it doesn’t live up to my expectations? But the classes surpassed my expectations. It’s not only a lot of interesting information, but it has also unexpectedly made transformations in my soul. It’s shown me new practices and a completely different level of communication with God.
Spiritual Formation
I shared with you before that our new curriculum would include a weekly class focused on spiritual formation. That time together with the students has been very encouraging. They have been reflecting on their personal relationships with God, sharing about what they are learning in small group discussions, and learning to pray with and for one another.
Vlad, one of our returning students, had this to say about this course so far:
Spiritual Formations is a very useful class for the life of a Christian. It’s helped me understand there are different ways we might approach God and we need to make sure we are following Him with the correct motives. It helps you reconsider your life and deepen your relationship with God by being more open and by communicating with Him more.
Humanitarian Aid Update
UBI's humanitarian aid work continues to be a very important part of the ministries among the Churches of Christ all around Ukraine. We are currently partnering with 23 congregations to get thousands of grocery packages to them each month, which they in turn distribute to those in need. (These 23 locations do not include other points we deliver to, like children's homes and nursing homes.) God is using these partnerships to accomplish significant things.
I encourage you to watch this short Facebook video made by one of our graduates at the Poznyaki Church of Christ which shows many of the moments that go into these delivery efforts. (The Poznyaki congregation is responsible for the purchase and delivery of all the aid that is sent around the country.)
Our attention, however, is not only on helping churches help those around them, but we also want to minister to the ministers. To help the helpers. We want to help create unity and connections between the churches, and we want to create a network for the leaders in these places to seek spiritual and other help. We began this effort at our graduation in May (which I shared about here), and last month we hosted a Zoom meeting where we let everyone share about how they are using the help they are receiving.
In about two weeks, UBI will be hosting an in-person gathering in Kyiv. We have invited our 23 partnering ministers from all over Ukraine to come with their wives and families and maybe another church member or two and join us for two days of connection and spiritual encouragement. We want to support these ministers as they support so many others, and we also want to hear their ideas about ways we can better help the people of Ukraine as this conflict drags on.
A New Baby on Staff
Last week we were thrilled to welcome the birth of Ilya (Elijah in English), the son of Sergei and Kristina Voitsehovskiy. Sergei has worked with UBI for eight years, and both he and Kristina are graduates of the school. We praise God for a healthy baby and rejoice over more and more Christian families in Ukraine!
Until Next Time
We thank you for your continued support of our school. The prayers and the funds help us take the hope we have in Christ to people all over Ukraine and even throughout the world. Our students are learning so much every day through a focused time of Bible study, our ministers in the churches are receiving groceries to feed the communities that surround them, and the churches are growing through the spiritual food that is being shared around the nation.
God bless every one of you.
Until next time,
Brandon Price