Two Weeks In

New students, new blessings, new uncertainties

Greetings, friends of the Ukrainian Bible Institute!

We are now two full weeks into the new school year. It has been a blessing to see our students again, and we are grateful to be meeting for classes in person (for the time being, anyway). I’m excited to share with you about what’s been happening recently in the life of UBI.

A Grand Farewell

Our summer began with a sad but meaningful goodbye to Jay Don and Mary Lee. Jay Don served as the school’s director for nineteen years, and it was not easy to see the two of them go. We were grateful to be able to celebrate the Rogers’ years of ministry with many of their friends here. The staff planned an elegant surprise party to honor them and the legacy they are leaving in Ukraine. They are missed and, Lord willing, we will see them again in the spring when they come to teach.

Busy Summer

Having everyone in town for most of the summer enabled us to get a few projects completed around the school. A few new coats of paint, some new flooring, new office furniture and a little rearranging of offices. As always, we are so thankful for Sergei V. and Sergei C. who did almost all the work themselves.

Speaking personally, I spent most of the summer working on the new classes I’ll be teaching, as well as learning more of the ins and outs of my new position here as director. I have been so grateful for how welcoming and helpful the staff has been during this time of transition. Their support and encouragement has meant so much to me now that I’ve fully stepped into Jay Don’s very big shoes.

New Students

We are excited to welcome six new students this year, which brings our student body total to seventeen. We have ten Level One students, and seven Level Two.

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have been Christians for years, and some only recently became believers. Some are right out of high school, and others haven’t been inside a classroom in forever. But they all come with the same desire: to grow in their knowledge and understanding of God’s Word and to acquire ministry skills for their future. It is a joy getting to know them and watching them grow during their two years with us.

Classes

Each semester at UBI is divided up into three, five-week terms. The three-week core courses include three subjects per day. These weeks are intense. The students are in the classroom from 9am to 4pm, then they have their homework and other ministry obligations afterward.

On either side of these three-week courses are what we call seminar weeks. During these weeks, the students have only one subject per day and are out of class by 1pm.

The first seminar week for our new students was Christian Marriage. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching about God’s beautiful design for marriage, and the students’ positive reactions to the class were a real encouragement. We also streamed this class online and welcomed a few auditors our first week as well.

Last week the first-year students began Bible History I in the morning and Introduction to Greek in the afternoon. In the middle, there’s a preaching class for the men, and a class on children’s ministry for the women. Our Level Two students began the year with Letters of Peter and are currently taking Philippians and Thessalonians and First Corinthians.

COVID-19

We are grateful to be meeting in person, but due to the ever-evolving coronavirus pandemic, we are following strict guidelines and are prepared to move to online studies at a moment’s notice. Ukraine has adopted a color-coded adaptive quarantine. If any particular region of Ukraine jumps into the red zone, all students are required to study from home. Many in the country are expecting for all school to go back online soon due to the rising number of cases in Ukraine. We are praying this doesn’t need to happen.

The worldwide lockdown has also prohibited our regular visiting teachers from being with us this fall. Though we miss having them in person, we are thankful to Ron Fox, Thereasa Winnett, and Gabe Fisher for their willingness to get up extra early in the U.S. and lead their classes online for us here.

Conclusion

Our first semester is moving along well, and we look forward to all God has in store for us over these next few months. We are thankful for you and your ongoing love and support of UBI. Please continue to pray for us. Pray for wisdom, pray for health, and pray that UBI will continue to glorify God in Ukraine and around the world.

Very sincerely and until next time,

Brandon Price