November 2026 Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Our monthly video for November 2026 focuses on our Seminary in Kyiv, Ukraine. As Rector of BIEM’s Seminary in Ukraine, Vitaly Yurchenko has special reasons to be thankful for a school that can train ministers for preaching and Christian sisters for teaching and musical ministries. In this week’s video, he shares about the founding of the Seminary by Peter Slobodian and its importance for churches in Ukraine today.

Here’s the link: https://vimeo.com/user37287229/grateful-seminary

Blessings to you!
Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light: November 2026

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• On October 20 our most recent shipment of war relief departed BIEM on its way to Ukraine. Once again, God provided volunteers with strong backs to help load it. The winter coats are especially timely as this shipment should arrive before the severest cold of winter.

• BIEM’s Director for Central Asia rejoices to say, “God is working in the hearts of Afghanis. In October we have had 13 refugees come to faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for their discipleship process, growth, and safety.”

• Our missionaries in a predominantly Muslim area in Western Asia have performed multiple baptisms in recent days. (One was in a public place, where some observers shouted “Allahu Akbar” in defense of Islam.) Praise God for each soul that has embraced Jesus as Savior!

• Here’s 1 more item for praise about the aid container mentioned above: Just in time for shipping, we received 5 large boxes of excellent-condition communion sets! These will be wonderful blessings to new churches in Ukraine that cannot afford such items.

Prayer – Pray with us!

• Last month we requested prayer for Sarah, the daughter of our Director for Central Asia. A painful tumor is growing on her knee. On October 26, we received this update: “We just had Sarah’s [medical] consultation. Her tumor is in her tendon on her left knee. We won’t get the biopsy results for 3-5 days, but her doctor said 99% of such tumors are benign, not cancerous. We praise God and await further news.” Please uphold Sarah in prayer.

• BIEM missionary, Dana K., ministers among orphans in Ukraine despite air raid sirens, frequent power outages, and other challenges. She says, “Please pray that despite the difficulties and distractions of everyday life, I would keep my eyes fixed on Christ and remember why He called me here. Sometimes it is easy to become so overwhelmed with simply trying to get through the day that I lose sight of the bigger picture.”

• As winter approaches, we are gearing up for 2 special projects. First, we plan to assist our partner churches in Ukraine with $1,000 apiece as aid for heating in wartime. Second, we want to help the churches we’ve planted with funds for gift bags of candy, etc., as they conduct Christmas outreaches to children. Please pray for funds and God’s blessings.

• Donations to buy a small bus for the family in Lviv that has adopted 10 orphans are now up to $11,392. Praise God for this progress! Please pray concerning the $8,608 still needed.

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War Relief Updates - October 30, 2026

Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People

1. As winter approaches, we at BIEM are gearing up for 2 special projects. First, the Russian bombing of Ukraine’s power grid last winter warns us of what to expect for this year, too. As we did last year, we would like to provide $1,000 apiece to our partnering congregations to assist them in maintaining supplementary means of heating their church buildings. This, in turn, not only provides warm havens as a form of relief but also opportunities for believers to meet and witness to those who come. The 2nd project is to help the churches we’ve planted with funds to create gift bags containing various items, including sweet treats, coloring supplies, and small toys as they conduct Christmas outreaches to children. Donations toward these two projects are needed and would be greatly appreciated.

2. BIEM’s newest addition among our missionaries is Dana (pronounced DAH-nuh) K. Throughout her days in Bible college and missionary training, she has steadfastly pursued her goal of ministering to orphans in Ukraine. Now there, Dana does struggle with realities of wartime, but the war has not changed the goal of her heart. She writes,

“These past few weeks have been incredibly stressful as my sister and I have been trying to settle into life in Ukraine.... There have been so many unexpected challenges, and it seems that as soon as we solve one problem, another one comes up!

“One of the hardest adjustments has been the electricity situation. We have already experienced being without power for almost an entire day, and I cannot fully describe how discouraging and depressing it feels to sit in a cold, dark apartment without electricity, hot water, or access to fresh food. During one of the outages, the food in our refrigerator spoiled, and when we returned home from a ministry project, we couldn’t even take a warm shower. We had to brush our teeth in the dark and go to bed hoping that the electricity would be back by morning. Unfortunately, it didn’t return until late the following evening. Experiences like this have made us realize how challenging the coming winter could be, especially since more outages are expected. Despite all these challenges, I am thankful that the Lord continues to provide and open doors for ministry!”

3. The new Christian campground in Derman is not just for youth activities. Recently, the church in nearby Zdolbuniv reached out once again with a special retreat for widows (and a few widowers) who have lost loved ones to the brutal violence of the war against Ukraine. Here, BIEM’s Pasha Usach shares about that ministry. (Voiceover interpretation by BIEM’s Sam Slobodian.)

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/widows

4. These past few months, we in the BIEM headquarters in Indiana have been blessed with a stream of Ukrainian coworkers here with us. They have taken turns in 3 shifts. The second group left a few days ago, and the third group, Vitaly & Olena Yurchenko, just arrived. Visits by our Ukrainian coworkers create an exceedingly busy time, both in the office and as we travel to speak in churches. Nevertheless, having Ukrainians here and accompanying them to churches is an amazing blessing for the ministry. These meetings definitely boost our War Relief funds, for which we all are grateful. In addition, with their hands-on assistance, we managed to ship out two containers to Ukraine just 3 weeks apart! Praise God!

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

March Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Although the war in Eastern and Southeastern Ukraine continues to wipe out businesses, homes, and lives, for the March video we want to turn your attention elsewhere, to something more uplifting. Years ago, the mayor of a town in Ukraine visited the church where BIEM’s Anatoly Kosyanchuk preaches. At the conclusion of the service, that mayor approached Anatoly with an unexpected proposal: “If you start another Baptist church on the opposite side of town, I’ll give you the land to build on!” 

In the years following that surprise offer, God has taken the Second Baptist Church in Bilogorodka from a mere idea, to an empty plot of ground, to a construction project, to a thriving congregation. Now the Lord has blessed that growing group of believers with an ordination service—one assistant pastor and four deacons! Two of those deacons are neighbors who live within eyesight of the church. Both were unsaved when the church’s construction began. But through this ministry, God has drawn them and other residents of that neighborhood to Himself!

Our latest issue of our Challenger newsletter features an article about this same special ordination service. But for our March video, we decided to let Pastor Buyko and his new assistant pastor, Roman, tell more about God’s blessing that day. You can view that video here:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/morehands

Thank you for your prayers!

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light: September 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Our new missionaries in Ukraine, the Koops, operated a 3-day children’s camp in Druzhba, which they have targeted for a new church. The first day, 65 attended; the 2nd day up to 85, and the third day over 100 participated, including about 20 mothers who were asking, “Where is the church?” When those moms heard that church services will be starting soon, some replied they will come.

• Praise God, attacks from Russia on Ukraine’s Independence Day were not as bad as some feared. Although Russian rockets and missiles hit 58 cities and communities on that day, the next day there was only one. Since then, it seems things have died down.

• In Ukraine, the Slobodians report a wonderful baptism at the new church in Bilogorodka. Nine adults were baptized. Praise God for souls being accepting Christ in this time of war. Previously, the Russian army had come within a few miles of Bilogorodka, which is in the Bucha area.

• Praise God for a fruitful trip Vitaly Bilyak took to the military front in Donbas area with a trailer full of aid. He and those with him helped civilians, wounded ones in a hospital, plus soldier friends for whom he brought much-needed supplies and requested items. Vitaly plans two more such trips in September. Pray for safety. His videos from the front include sounds of artillery and explosions.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Sources predict that the next week will be an especially dangerous time for the military cities of Desna and Goncharovsk, where BIEM missionaries have planted two churches. Both towns have already suffered attacks by missiles, rockets, and planes. More attacks are expected. Please pray for our missionaries, the churches, and the community, that lives would be spared.

• Pasha Usach conducted a special one-day event for mothers and wives who had lost sons and husbands in the war. Over 50 attended. The event was a huge blessing and provided a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel, so much so that Pavel is planning another such an event. Pray that God will use these outreaches to draw souls to Christ, the source of the greatest comfort.

• Plans are underway to bring the Buyko family to the United States, where they will visit churches for one month. Sophia and the three girls have already received visas; now we are working on getting the special permission needed for Eugene to temporarily exit Ukraine during wartime. Please pray that this permission will be granted, just as it was for Vitaly Yurchenko.

• Some of our contacts are witnessing of Christ to Muslims in Afghanistan. Please pray for God to open eyes and illumine hearts with the Gospel.

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BIEMs of Light: August 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Praise God, our personnel in Ukraine have received another 40-ft. container of humanitarian aid from us here in the United States! This is the 7th container our dedicated Ukrainians are distributing to needy places. This one went to the city administration of a region that contains several settlements that were occupied by Russian forces, so these goods will reach some of the neediest recipients.

• BIEM president Sam Slobodian heads back to Ukraine on August 2. The main focus of this trip will be humanitarian aid, but praise the Lord, he will also participate in a baptism and an ordination!

• Today BIEM personnel drove another 5 tons of food from Poland into Ukraine, this time for the Kharkiv region. We praise God for thoughtful donors and for those driving and distributing.

• So far, we are receiving reports of young people coming to Christ in BIEM-sponsored camps in Estonia, Ukraine, and Russia. Although the Lord touches hearts in a special way through such camps every summer, we never take that blessing for granted. To God be the glory!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Despite the war in Ukraine, one of our seminary graduates is deeply burdened for a particular district in a large city in Western Ukraine that has been flooded with refugees. Many of them plan to stay. This brother has recruited others to help start a new church, and they are praying and fasting every Friday for God’s direction and provision for that goal. Please join them in praying.

• A pastor named Aleksander emailed us today from the Intensive Care section of a hospital in central Russia. He has a weak heart, and their summer camps and other ministries may have taxed him too much. Let’s uphold this worthy servant of the Lord with our prayers.

• In Central Asia, the manager of our Christian shelter for hurting women is named Julie. She is a big blessing—talented, yet with a servant’s heart and love for Jesus. She devotes herself to running the shelter and ministering to these women and their children. It’s a big job. Please pray for her.

• In another nation of Central Asia, one church recently baptized 9 former Muslims who had put their faith in Christ. Please pray that more hearts in those regions will soften and consider their need of the Savior.

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