The Great Commission “to go and teach all nations” requires somebody who is ready to leave a comfortable home for the sake of Jesus Christ and the Gospel and head into the unknown, trusting only in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and … in prayer expecting support from other believers.

For quite a while we have been thinking of having an SMS club game night ... Now, finally, we reached the point where we decided to set aside the plan, and devote a two hour meeting to board games. Who would have thought that it could be that much fun!

 Хвала Господові за те, що саме Він створив Свою Церкву на землі і що саме Він є Її Главою. В прийняті важливих рішень Церква може керуватись Його безпосередніми порадами, а Він знає і бачить що треба робити. Саме пошуку цих дорогоцінних вказівок було присвячене наше минуле недільне богослужіння.

Last Sunday our church had the great honor to welcome guests from Russia, from the city of L'gov in the Kursk region. The myth of nationalistic hostility between the two slavic peoples was completely refuted by the feelings of unity and joyful community in Jesus Christ.

 

Youth is the time when we develop our personalities. When young children start to talk they amaze everyone with their new and varied vocabulary following a year or more without words. Likewise a young person amazes when, after acquiring theoretical knowledge, begins to put the learning to use. In the harsh realities of the adult world the process of adaptation is often not as pleasant and exciting as we would like it to be. But afterward the acquired theoretical knowledge, reinforced with practical life experience, develops into the wisdom that we all need.

 

It took three months of preparation, but in a day and a half (the second and third of December) the regional youth conference entitled "Live to the Fullest!" was over. We chose the Christian Service Center in Poltava as the location for the conference. More than 200 young people came to the conference from different churches across the Poltava region and beyond. It wasn't by chance that we chose the topic of fullness of life in Christ. Christians in present day Ukraine are not subjected to abuse, and still many young Christians do not experience the abundant life that Christ spoke about in the Gospel of John 10, 10, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

The division that resulted from the fall of the tower of Babel was a tragedy of global proportions. The language barrier was the "Berlin Wall" between peoples. Different languages - and as a result - different societies, different cultures, different world views. Is it worth it to try to glue it all back together? Is there any point in trying to get back what we lost? Is it worth it to return to the original intention of the creator?

It's a fact - you reap what you sow. Well, dear reader, what has our church sown this year - or earlier - to reap such an abundant crop of weddings? The first fruits of shared love came during the harsh winter frosts (Sasha and Ira Verhovsky) and the last (Matvay and Lera Tsimbal) during the traditional harvest time. When did the sowing happen? What were the conditions that facilitated this ripening of love? There are a lot of questions, but the result is obvious: seven vows, seven unions, seven pairs joining their lives together.

 

  

A few weeks ago we all had occasion to feel really patriotic. The theme in SMS Club was a topic that for Ukrainians is somewhat contentious: "You are important to your country".