War Relief Updates - August 8, 2025

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

1. Our church planter Sergiy Koop requests prayer for the following situation. Their church’s first baptized convert is a woman named Olga. Her husband Yuri was severely injured during a rocket attack in Donbas. The hospital in Donbas is severely overcrowded, making it likely Yuri will not get the care he needs. However, a military medic named Artyom (you may have seen him in our videos) is on his way to transport Yuri to a hospital in his home city of Ternopil. That hospital is also full; however, since BIEM has given it much-needed medicine and medical supplies, Sergiy is calling the director to request his personal intervention in making room for Yuri. Having Yuri nearby would give his wife and the church opportunities to minister to him. Also, please pray that God will use this situation to open Yuri’s heart to the Gospel, which he has thus far resisted.

2. On August 1, BIEM’s weekly video update was “Sisters in Service.” In it, volunteer aid worker Natalia mentioned battles being fought in the nearby town of Kostiantynivka. As Russian troops attempt to close in on that town, the area has also become the subject of secular newscasts. Also, the following video was not prepared by BIEM nor our believers in Ukraine, we are sharing for those who would like to see more closeup details about the fighting happening around a town next door to where BIEM personnel have been providing war relief:

https://share.google/a9fadxY9AEcRyhZbD

3. BIEM missionary Vitaly Bilyak had official permission to exit Ukraine for a temporary trip to the U.S. However, at the border military recruitment officials had other ideas. Not only was Vitaly not permitted to leave Ukraine, but he was sent to a military recruitment center, given a physical exam, and was informed that he is now in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. His son-in-law, church planter Sergiy Koop, managed to visit Vitaly with some personal supplies. Vitaly is in very good spirits and asks us to pray for 3 things:

a. That God would use him to share the Gospel among the soldiers, which he is doing.

b. That God would encourage, strengthen, and comfort his wife Katya.

c. That the legal efforts the Baptist Brotherhood have launched through lawyers would relieve him of military service, although he says this would indeed be a miracle.

Vitaly and Sergiy created a video message for family, friends, and supporters. Here’s that link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/inthearmy

4. The Story Behind the Story: When Vitaly Bilyak’s son-in-law Sergiy Koop resolved to go personally and deliver helpful items to him at the military training center, friends warned Sergiy not to try. They emphasized the very real danger that he, too, could be conscripted on the spot. Here, Sergiy shares additional details on what that experience was like and how God led him, both to the training camp and home again. We praise God for this outcome!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/thestory

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

August Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

It doesn't matter whether kids live in a big city or a small town or village. Each one is a precious soul, and they are all of great value in the Lord's eyes. For this reason, the BIEM missionaries and volunteers who conducted are happy to organize day-camp opportunities in small, out-of-the way communities where there is often no church at all. Our video for the month of August needs no interpretation. Believers who ministered to children in the village of Glybochok, Ukraine, simply filmed various "slices" from the life of their camp. Some scenes are humorous; others are serious. But in watching you will gain a general idea of why the kids enjoyed this camp so much!

Here’s the link: https://vimeo.com/user37287229/glybochok

Blessings to you!
Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light: August 2025

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• The container of aid we shipped on May 30 for the church in Obolon (north side of Kyiv) has safely arrived. Thanks for praying as the church works through all the necessary paperwork.

• In Central Asia, more Muslims have become former Muslims after accepting Christ! In recent days a Tajik man and an Afghani couple have placed their faith in Jesus. Praise God!

• Recently a lawyer informed BIEM that a couple who had been longtime supporters of BIEM had gone into eternity and willed their house to BIEM as a final donation. The house hasn’t sold yet, but we thank God for such friends of BIEM who aid our various ministries even in their Homegoing!

• At a campground in Western Ukraine, the church in Lviv held special meetings for about 200 women made widows during the war. We thank God for the opportunity to bless and encourage hurting ones while sharing Jesus Christ. It’s a sad reality that Ukraine is becoming a nation of widows.

Prayer – Pray with us!

• In Desna, Ukraine, the church building recently suffered damage when a Russian drone targeted a nearby electrical substation. The blast blew out windows and did other minor damage. Even before this attack, with BIEM’s help the church was already putting on a new roof. Now they have extra work to do at a time when so many construction workers are away, serving in the military. Please uphold this congregation in prayer.

• This month, Sam & Amy Slobodian will be in Ukraine to work in children’s camps, among other ministries. In light of the greatly increased number of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine in recent days, please pray for safety for them and for all the kids and leaders of these summer camps. Of course, please continue praying for life-changing decisions among the children in all our camps!

• The container of aid that we shipped on June 20 for Desna, Ukraine, is still enroute. Pray for its safe arrival and for wisdom for that church when the believers distribute the contents and evangelize.

• BIEM missionaries and volunteer church members continue to organize roadside evangelism and other Gospel outreaches. Please pray for their safety and for the salvation of souls. To see brief videos of various evangelistic activities, please go to BaptistInternational.org and scroll down theHome page to click “View Video Updates.”

  Click here for a printer-friendly version.

July Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

When we BIEM staff members visit churches or create newsletters discussing the desperate needs in Ukraine due to the war, so many of you reply generously. We regularly thank the Lord (and you!) for your war-relief contributions in the form of donated clothing & housewares, wheelchairs and walkers, funds for shipping, and your prayers.

However, as grateful as we are to see all of you demonstrating Christian love in action, our Ukrainian friends and coworkers are, of course, even more grateful. After all, they are the ones who are enduring the air raids, bombed apartment buildings, destroyed businesses, and loss of loved ones. So, whenever practical, we try to spotlight our Ukrainian personnel so they can express appreciation in their own words.

Thus, for our July 2025 video, we decided to highlight one of BIEM’s weekly video updates. In this video, our church planter Sergei Anokhin and Sam Slobodian are standing at the rear of a container loaded with aid bound for Ukraine on June 20. Because Sergei lives in Bucha, the city where Russian troops committed so many atrocities before being driven out, he certainly has firsthand knowledge of the heartbreaks and needs of the local population. You can view the video at this link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/moreaid

Also, although Sergei has already returned to Ukraine, you can view one of the presentations he did in U.S. church services. In it, he shares about Bucha and the beginnings of his own church-planting ministry there:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/sergeianokhin

Thank you again for caring and for sharing of your means for the Lord’s work.

Blessings to you!
Sam & Amy Slobodian

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.

Click here for a printer friendly version.

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.

Click here for a printer friendly version.