Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People
1. Two days ago, on September 24, Russia launched an aerial strike on the territory of the Army training base in Goncharovsk. The attack included 2 Iskander ballistic missiles and attack drones. One Shahed drone soared right over the church and exploded into a nearby power station. Sadly, lives were lost. Other victims needed emergency medical aid. BIEM’s church planter there, Sasha Petrenko, requests prayer as both believers and unbelievers are shook up. This congregation is well known for repeatedly distributing war relief, but now its very building is seen as form of aid: locals swarm to the church building during attacks because they feel safer there. Sasha personally filmed 39 seconds of the attack, which includes an intercepted drone, for which he utters, “Praise God.” You can view that clip here:
Drones videoed by Sasha Petrenko during Russia’s September 24 attack on Goncharovsk.
2. In September, our 46 students attended our Seminary session in Bilogorodka. This good number is encouraging, especially considering numerous recent aerial attacks. Praise God, although the air-raid sirens blared in nearby Kyiv, our seminary classes in Bilogorodka were undisturbed, and our people did not need to run to the bomb shelter. Also, we were able to fellowship with students from some of the war-torn areas that BIEM has helped with war relief. Soon, we will share more about our war-relief in those districts.
3. Sound plays a huge role in most church services. Sermons are typically spoken and often amplified with microphones and speakers. Uplifting special music depends on sound. Joyful congregational singing likewise is a form of sound. But what’s a church to do if its acoustics are horrible? That was the problem of a congregation in Odesa, Ukraine, that approached BIEM for help. The acoustics in their house of worship made listening to sermons and hearing their fine church orchestra difficult and even unpleasant to the ears. Could BIEM help? Yes! To show how, we present this video, “Sound Matters.” Here’s the link:
https://vimeo.com/user37287229/acoustics
4. Many of you have been praying for our drafted church planter, Vitaly Bilyak. Thank you! Today we were able to talk to Vitaly by FaceTime. He reports that the food in his new location is much better. Plus, in this location the men can shower twice a day instead of twice a week, which is a cause for gladness even though it’s with cold water. Vitaly has earned such a high level of trust from the commander that they are assigning him to pick up wounded soldiers from various areas and drive them to hospitals. On Wednesday, I [Sam Slobodian] was able to meet one of the officials working on reversing Vitaly’s conscription. He was encouraging and thinks that eventually this will happen.
Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM