March-April 2008
“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” II Cor.5:18
Dear Pastors and Friends,
Greetings from the Slobodians! It is a blessing to bring you up to date on what is happening at BIEM where all of us are grateful for all of you that support our work through your prayers and gifts.
Early in March Sam had the privilege of participating in the ordination of two Ukrainian young men to the ministry, Igor and Sasha. Both are from the military base ministry in Desna, Ukraine. Igor who has been laying the groundwork for a new church in nearby Goncharovsk will assume new duties as pastor of the Desna church while Vitaly Sychov, the original church planter moves on to begin a new work in Chernivtsi, the main city in that region of Ukraine. Sasha will be starting a missionary work in a nearby Muslim country. The church in Desna is the first church BIEM has planted in this region of Ukraine and it is a great blessing to see new church planting efforts being launched from this place where many young men have been saved and called to full-time ministry.
Some of you remember the church planted in Chervona Sloboda, Ukraine by Vitaly Yurchenko that faced strong opposition by the manager of the town’s alcohol factory and school superintendent. Prayer was requested for this situation which resulted in most of the children who were attending the church to stop coming as their parents faced pressure from these authorities. We are glad to report that God has answered prayer and recently children began to attend again and soon numbered 15 newcomers. This number is now growing and the church is experiencing growth and actually plans to expand their new building to accommodate the influx.
In Bilogorodka, a community near Kiev in Ukraine, a valuable piece of land has been made available by local officials to the building of a new church. It is in an area that is slated for a new development that is projected to have 125,000 residents. This price tag for this kind of property in such a metropolitan area would be between one and two hundred thousand dollars! Praise God for this great opportunity. Please pray for our workers which are now going through the legal process required to secure this parcel and for the plans needed to launch a new work in this growing area.
We have located a property to purchase in a country which is centrally accessible to the Muslim countries where we are currently expanding our efforts for unreached peoples. This place is to serve as a training center for workers in restricted countries where ministry training is severely limited. It will also serve as a base for various outreaches and a center for spiritual refreshment for our workers which come under persecution. This past year, two of our workers in restricted countries have been brought to trial and others have been put under surveillance. Having a “safe house” for the possible evacuation of workers under duress is a necessity in the climate some parts of our ministry operate in. Now that such a property is located we need funds to purchase and equip this place. Since $55,000 of the approximately $200,000 needed has been provided, please pray for the additional $145,000 needed.
Finally, as we are making plans for our camping season, we hope to once again send at least 800 children and youth to camp this summer. We also need funds for this summer’s camping program. It costs an average of $50 to send one child to camp. Every gift of $50 for this need makes a huge and eternal impact in young lives overseas. We thank you for your prayers and support which bring everlasting fruit for the glory of God.The Slobodians