The Church of Christ in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, January 7, 2024
The Lord’s Day dawned with snow falling. It was the Eastern calendar’s “Christmas” so we enjoyed a “white Christmas.” Today was the day we had prepared to announce the transition at the Ivano-Frankivsk congregation. We have often been meeting since arriving late Thursday night. Ivan has been very cooperative and desires harmony to exist. His wish is the congregation continues to grow and spread the gospel in the community. There was a meeting with the men of the congregation Friday morning and Ivan was exceptional in that meeting. He urged all present to continue working together so peace and harmony would prevail. He had all documents gathered and ready to present to us so the transition could be simple. The men of the congregation also joined in saying they wanted peace and unity to continue. I have witnessed a number of preacher transitions and most have not been conductive to the congregation’s welfare. I can honestly say that I have never seen such a smooth transition. Ivan is to be commended for his actions.
At worship today, I welcomed the assembly and introduced Gif and Perry as the new missionaries working in Ivano-Frankivsk. We had a full room gathered together (see the photo). We had asked Ivan to lead singing and he also helped to keep the worship assembly on its regular schedule. Gif presented a very good lesson on the challenges facing the New Year and how God remains the same regardless of what adversities strike us. Perry had asked Ruslan to officiate at Communion and other men led the public prayers. Before the worship began Timothy Skoleba read Psalm 100 and did a very good job. Timothy is the grandson of Ivan and has been training to participate in the public assemblies. Following the worship Ivan told the congregation that he had an announcement to make. He began telling the congregation that he had accomplished his mission and it was time for him to retire. As he recounted the experiences shared all began to feel emotions tugging at them and tears were common. Ivan thanked the Dalraida congregation and other Americans that have been responsible for the congregation existing. He thanked those who donated to the construction of the building and urged congregational members to continue to finish what is lacking. He thanked the members and his family for all they have done. It was personally humbling to hear him thank me for my partnership in the gospel’s efforts. As soon as Ivan finished I led the congregation in prayer thanking God for Ivan and Sveta and the service they had given. We gathered for the group photo and then each hugged the other. It was a wonderful demonstration of unity and brotherhood.
Ivan will continue assisting Gif and Perry in the transition for two more months.
Following the assembly, we shared hot tea, coffee and sweets. Galina (Zelena) had brought several different delicious cakes that she had baked and these were enjoyed by all. Then we went to share a meal of mushroom soup, vareniki, stuffed veggies and hot tea. It was a wonderful time and we finally ended around 3:30-4:00.
We (Gif, Perry, Tanya, Inna and myself) had a lengthy meeting debriefing the day’s developments and planning for tomorrow.
It was a very good day and we all rejoiced in the good attitude that Ivan demonstrated.
John L. Kachelman, Jr., Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
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