(Note: the header photo for this post shows part of the SIXTY gathered for worship in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine!)
The Lord’s Day assembly in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine…
Today was a beautiful sunny, warm Lord’s Day in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine! The morning started early as various calls were made and preparations for the assembly were confirmed.
We knew that there would be a large number present because adding to the average attendance of 30 were 8 Americans visiting with their interpreters.
Adding to this number was our brother Emmanuel who said since his return to the Medical University, after his summer break in Ghana, he was trying to encourage as many as possible to attend. Today he and Nana brought 5 visitors (representing Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, and Zimbabwe).
Adding to the international visitors were several from Ivano-Frankivsk. Luba came in and introduced us to three ladies who live in the same building as she does. Several others from the community were present as they had been invited by members.
The count of those attending to worship the Lord today was 60 present!
The number in attendance was so great that some had to stand up for the assembly’s duration. When was the last time you were in a worshipping assembly and there was “standing room only”?
Brother Howell Ferguson (Jackson, TN) preached on basic leadership principles. He spoke on that topic setting the foundation for brother Joel Campbell (Cincinnati, OH) who is going to begin a series of lessons on church leadership tomorrow afternoon and evening at the same time his wife Joy is going to be teaching the women on practical points for children’s Bible classes.\
Next Sunday’s attendance should also be large because the brethren from Dalraida (Montgomery, AL) will be in worship with us.
Today’s worshipping assembly was truly a blessing.
The Lord’s Day Congregational Fellowship Meal…
Following the assembly the entire congregation was invited to share a meal together. We had arranged and pre-ordered for 45 but that changed when the actual attendance soared to 60. We ended up with 50 going to share food and fellowship. The meal was simple—cabbage slaw, Ukrainian Borsch, and vareniks.
The vareniks are dumplings that are stuffed with carious fillings. We ordered these fillings: meat, potato, cabbage, and cherry. Each person received a sampling of each kind of vareniks. It was a delicious meal and the fellowship was even better.
It was delightful to visit each table and hear the laughter and watch the facial expressions and see the joining of hearts in conversation.
Here were people from the USA, from Ukraine, from Ghana, from Kenya, from Namibia, from Zimbabwe and from Texas all speaking different languages and calling home in amazingly different geographical regions of the earth and yet all were one! It was a genuine delight.
The Starry Lysets Village Day…
Following the congregational fellowship meal we went to Starry Lysets. This village is celebrating its 600th anniversary as a village. The word “starry” means “old” and “lysets” means “fox.” So the village name means “Old Fox.” In many of the village’s stamps you will see the image of a fox head.
This is the location where Dr. Ron Swang (Nashville, TN) built a dental clinic in 2008. Ron spent countless hours of his personal time in the USA collecting and transporting items for the clinic to Searcy, AR where we loaded them into a container and shipped them into Ivano-Frankivsk. Then twice Ron came to Ukraine to set up the clinic. This clinic was the first dental clinic that existed in the villages of western Ukraine! In later years this dental clinic was the anchor for what has developed into a very good medical building in which today the oncologists are administering chemo treatments to cancer patients! Ron has continued to work and supply the clinic as well as assist in the set up of other dental clinics.
It was also in Starry Lysets that we headquartered our efforts during the 2010 flood relief efforts that covered all of the affected areas in western Ukraine as well as Moldova.
In today’s historic celebration of Starry Lysets 600th Village Day the Lord’s Church was recognized for its significant impact in the village’s life.
Our brother Volodya Didukh has been working in Starry Lysets. But there are two strong Orthodox Churches and the psychological sway of orthodoxy makes it very difficult for Volodya to report any visible successes. But he continues working and doing good to all.
The Dalraida group (Montgomery, AL) will be assigned to Starry Lysets on their visit. They have planned evening lectures for adult and classes for teens and children. This will certainly be a challenge. In the meetings that followed our presentation in the Village Day I was able to tell several that my son was coming to conduct lectures and I wanted them to meet him. One of these was the priest at one of the Orthodox Churches. He had come to me and greeted me and thanked us for the good that we had done and the love that we have shown in our deeds. I thanked him and told him that I agreed with him that the love of God should bind all true believers together. He was young and a cordial and winsome person. Hopefully he will accept the fact that God’s love truly binds all true believers together. It is exciting to observe those who are seeking the truth find their way to the truth!
During the Village Day presentations one of the Orthodox Church choirs presented a program. One of the songs spoke of “our true Mother.” The song said that Mary is our first Mother; the Orthodox Church is our second Mother; Ukraine is our third Mother; and the one who birthed us is our fourth Mother. This song illustrates the great control that the cult of Mary has in western Ukraine.
Plans for Monday…
We have a busy schedule ahead of us for tomorrow. We will begin by going to the construction site and looking at what is developing. The wood that will separate the room where the Church can assemble is to be delivered and the wall will begin to take form. The access road is to be marked and the highway police are to make sure all measurements for the road are complete. At this point the only way to access the church’s property is by a driveway that was made by trucks pulling off the main highway into the property. It is unsafe and so if the property appears to be in use the police will fine us for a safety issue. The access road will make it possible for a vehicle to turn safely down the access road and into our property. Since we cannot be “in business” until this road (drive) is constructed we cannot post a sign. Tomorrow we begin the process of getting this safety issue resolved and hopefully all will be satisfactory and things will go quickly.
Following the visit to the construction site we will take some items for distribution to orphanages. Then Joel and Joy begin their classes!
Pray for our efforts as we continue this trip!
John L. Kachelman, Jr.
Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
You must be logged in to post a comment.