Mary Slobodian: 1931-2014
On July 22, Mary Slobodian, wife of BIEM founder, Peter Slobodian, passed into eternity. She went to join her husband, Peter, with the Lord, peacefully at her residence in Gladstone, Missouri. She was 83 and is survived by 3 children, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. Funeral services are as follows:
Matthews Mortuary
690 East 56th Street
Brownsburg, Indiana 46112
Phone: (317) 852-4296
Viewing at Noon on Saturday, July 26
Funeral Service at 1 PM Saturday, July 26
Interment at Lincoln Memory Gardens, Zionsville, IN
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. -Psalm 116:15
Special Prayer Needs for Ukraine
Special Prayer Needs for Ukraine
Special prayer needs Ukrainian believers asked us to convey.(Updated 3/19/2014)
- Please pray for civil peace in that nation. Citizens in the West and in the East of Ukraine need to return to a state of living together peacefully and participating in one unified society.
- As people see the failures of human political leaders, pray they would realize the need to put their hope in the Lord. This is a prayer for a revival that would turn Ukrainian people to God.
- Pray that exterior powers would refrain from interfering with the internal affairs of the nation during this difficult time.
- In light of the many changes in government offices, please pray for the country’s internal structure to be rebuilt and stabilized.
- Another concern is the number of people who are carrying weapons. Criminal elements were operating during the unrest, taking advantage of the distractions. Pray for law and order to prevail.
- Pray that this situation would result in opportunities for God’s people to evangelize. This would require being able to draw people’s focus off of politics—not easy to do these days.
- Please pray that whatever government or leaders God allows to remain or come into power, that Ukraine would continue to have freedom to preach the Gospel and do missionary work.
Thank-you for joining us in praying for the people and the nation of Ukraine!
Kiev Seminary Sees Good Enrollment for Fall
Our seminary in Kiev, Ukraine, has seen a good enrollment of new students this fall, including 4from the country of Belarus. We praise the Lord for this ministry and for every student it trains!
Evangelistic Campaign being Planned in Peru
In Peru, new church-planter Jaime Ovalle requests prayer for an evangelistic campaign beingplanned for November. Pray for power in preaching and for the salvation of souls!
Young Orthodox Priest Causes Problems at Bible Meetings
In Komarivka, Ukraine, a young Orthodox priest has begun attending the Baptist churchservices and is causing problems. He accuses the locals of teaching heresy and refuses to stop coming until he converts them all to Orthodoxy. The missionary doesn’t want to throw him out physically, but requests prayer that God will open this young man’s eyes the same as He did to young Saul.
Young Believer Brutally Attacked for Christ
In one of the restricted lands where our missionaries work, a young woman was brutally attacked a week after her baptism. She had to flee her hometown. Please pray for her health, safety, and adjustment to the new area. A male new believer, Ali, has been threatened by family members. Please pray for these and others taking their first steps on the Christian path in these hostile lands.
Islamic police question neighbors of BIEM national pastor to accuse him
One of our active former Muslims in Central Asia is Pastor Eagle. He has seen good spiritual fruit with souls turning to Christ. However, the local police are questioning all the neighbors about him in their efforts to find any accusation against him. Pray for him and his wife. Meanwhile, Pastor River has 5 groups to which he ministers. They baptized 10 people this past summer! Read the full report in November's BIEM’s of Light
BIEM makes initial delivery of Bibles to Arab Christians
BIEM is excited to have made an initial delivery of Bibles and related materials to former Muslims in order to assist them in evangelizing a particularly restrictive nation. (Forgive the vagueness; we’re being elusive for a reason.) May the Lord use His Word to save souls! Read the full report in November's BIEM’s of Light
Central Asian Pastor chased through street by angry Imam
A Pastor in Central Asia reports that on the way town they met the village Imam in the street. He grabbed a club, and five other men with clubs chased them through the village. Laughing, River said, “They wanted to beat us to death; they ran really fast, but we praise God, we ran even faster. They did not catch us.” This Imam is the same one who was very angry at his daughter for being arrested with believers a while back. River said his rage stems from the fact that his entire family has left Islam and trusted Christ and been baptized. He is the only one left in the family to repent. Please pray for this man to recognize Jesus as the Son of God and repent. Read the full report in September's BIEM’s of Light
Goal: 30,000 Bibles by years end
Please pray for God’s blessings and empowerment on our project to distribute 30,000 copies of His Word before the end of this year. People need to know what Christ has done for them! Read the full report in September's BIEM’s of Light
Container of supplies is released by customs
Since last month, the 40-ft. shipping container of supplies for which we requested prayer has been released by customs. Distribution has begun. Thank you to everyone who gave and prayed. Read the full report in September's BIEM’s of Light
400+ salvation decisions made by children and teens in summer camps
Although we haven’t yet received all the statistics from each camp, enough reports have arrived that we can rejoice about 400+ salvation decisions made by children and teens in various camps where BIEM ministers. Praise the Lord for these new names “written down in glory”! Read the full report in September's BIEM’s of Light
BIEM sends thousands of New Testaments for Muslims in Russia
Pastors in the Moscow area have written to thank BIEM for the gift of thousands of New Testaments in the Uzbek, Turkmen, and Kyrgyz languages. Muslims from all of these nations (which were once part of the USSR) have settled in Moscow for work. Praise God for willing workers, for whom these New Testaments in native languages are vital tools. Read the full report in August's BIEM's of Light
Russian Church baptizes 12, 6 of whom were delivered from drugs and alcohol through rehab center
Thanks to a donation from a supporting church, the property which houses the rehab center in Ternopil, Ukraine is fully paid for. Meanwhile, the church in Nahabino, Russia baptized 12 last week, 6 of them men delivered from drugs and alcohol through their rehab center. We praise God for this and trust that He will continue redeeming lives once ruined by various addictions. Read the full report in July's BIEM's of Light
16 graduates complete their studies at Kiev Theological Seminary
In May, 16 graduates completed their studies at Kiev Theological Seminary. These students came from Russia, Georgia, Belarus, and of course Ukraine. This item is also a prayer request for the graduates as they return home and go into various ministries. Taken from June's BIEM's of Light
God opens another field for BIEM in Latin America
Many friends of BIEM don’t realize that our founder, Ukrainian-born Peter Slobodian, received Christ and began serving the Lord in Argentina. He and his wife Mary occasionally returned to Latin America to visit friends and to evangelize in Spanish.
Now BIEM has accepted an opportunity to boost church planting in Latin America, the continent of our roots. The “beachhead” for this evangelistic thrust is Peru. In that country, there are two fundamental Bible schools for national believers. The students receive a solid foundation of Bible knowledge and training in church-planting. However, after graduation these men face an uphill struggle. Despite ministerial training, they must work secular jobs simply to survive.
Enter BIEM. We have experience providing limited-time support to approved nationals to help them plant churches. What we don’t have is a Bible school in South America. Conversely, there are quality schools, but not a program to assist graduates. In this win-win scenario, the schools already there will provide the education, plus recommendations concerning graduates, and then BIEM would financially aid such men for two years while they focus on evangelism and church-planting.
This model is reminiscent of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” When the goal is spiritual fruit for God’s glory, it’s unimportant who planted or watered (or who taught, and who financed). We merely want to see souls saved to the glory of God.
Why limit the support to two years? This time period was recommended to lessen the risk of nationals becoming dependent on American dollars. Another advantage is that U.S. churches who want to take on such a project don’t need to pledge support forever. In 24 months, their commitment is done. Even if the church planter ends up working part-time after the initial two years, in the worst-case scenario his church is two years farther along than it would have been.
The first candidate, Segundo Rodriquez, has already been accepted and is busy on his field in Peru. The second man that we aim to help was saved out of drug addiction. He has already started a church in his mother-in-law’s home, which is in a drug-ridden area of Urubamba. (At the moment, he drives a taxi to earn a living and can’t concentrate on church-planting.) The third and fourth men hope to work as a team in the Peruvian interior.
Of course, accountability is crucial. These church planters will be answerable to a team of five advisors (three Americans and two Peruvians) who teach at the schools in Trujillo and Urubamba. In addition, BIEM board member Pastor Andy Counterman will oversee this program as part of his regular ministry trips to Latin America.
The pluses are abundant: trained workers, endorsements, favorable economics, a system of accountability and oversight, local advisors, and good stewardship. If this program functions as well as we hope, then we can expand it into other Latin countries.
We praise God for another way to serve God and to grease the wheels for world evangelism!
[box type="info"] The church planters in South America will receive different amounts of funding, depending on whether they are single or married, and living in the jungle, a town, or a city. One-time gifts for this initiative can be designated “BIEM South America.” Just 10 churches giving $70/month for two years starts a church. Can you help? (Of course, gifts from individuals are also welcome.)[/box]
Giving God the Glory, The life of Peter Slobodian now available
The year 2011 marks BIEM's 30th anniversary. What better time to publish the life story of our founder, Dr. Peter Slobodian? Giving God the Glory is the fascinating true story of how the Lord plucked one man from a poor Ukrainian family and an obscure background to touch souls on multiple continents with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you love the Lord and marvel at His works, then this is the book for you. Order your copy today!
BIEM's Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center Waiting List Grows
BIEM's Drug & Alcohol Rehab Center is currently at capacity with men whose lives have been hurt by addictions. The Rehab Center now has a waiting list that is continually growing with more and more men who want to change their lives for the better. This is not done on their own power, but through the power of Christ in their lives. Instead of the hopelessness of their addiction, hope is giving through a personal relationship with Christ. Current recovered addicts are making bunk beds with their own tools to accommodate as many men as possible. There is also a need for a similar women's Rehab Center. Will you consider giving to these needy ministries?