War Relief Updates - April 18, 2025

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

1. As stated previously, some of our BIEM coworkers in Ukraine have official military chaplain status. This provides them many opportunities to share the Gospel when distributing war relief among soldiers on the front lines. Recently, one of the soldiers who listened attentively and prayed with our volunteers telephoned. His name is Boris, and he serves as an artilleryman in the Donetsk area. Michael Buyko reports that, when Boris called, besides requesting prayer he mentioned that he knows where Bilogorodka is and promised to attend the church at his next opportunity. Please pray for Boris that the Lord will continue to work in his heart.

2. One of the areas where we have distributed war relief is New Odesa, in the Mykolaiv region near the war front. One of our seminary students, Andriy Gorshevikov, writes, “Spring has come. It’s getting warmer. People are working in the fields. We constantly hold meetings with people in Nova Odesa. People come to the service and pray for their loved ones who are on the front lines and whom they haven’t seen for a long time. They pray for those who, for various reasons, remained under occupation. They pray for their relatives who went abroad, and now they rarely see each other, or only by phone.”

The Lord hears the prayers of these people, and from time to time they share good news. Most came to church because of trouble, but some of them truly discovered the living God — and their lives have been changed. Praise God!

3. Few military commanders would welcome grandmas into their ranks. So how could a group of Christian women demonstrate the love of God to their defenders? By perfecting a process for preparing and packing instant soups for the men on the front lines. Although the ladies in this video express thanks to BIEM president Sam Slobodian and our director for Ukraine, Eugene Buyko, their thanks extend to all of you, whose names they do not know. Thank you for your donations to BIEM’s War Relief Fund, which helps these Christian ladies bless others with these instant soups.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/refining

4. On April 13, at about 10:15 a.m., Russia launched a missile attack on the city of Sumy, Ukraine, where 35 civilians were killed and about 100 injured. But overnight on April 12, Russia unleashed scores of explosive drones on Kyiv, where there were also injuries. From the window of their home, BIEM’s director for Ukraine could see the attack and the Ukrainian defenses. Praise God, the family survived what they said was the closest they have come to danger since the war began. The following video consists of 3 short clips filmed from the Buyko window. Clip 1 shows the attack in progress with a flurry of air defenses lighting up the skies. Clip 2 shows the immediate aftermath nearby. Clip 3 shows the scene in the morning along with some words of thanks to the Lord.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/droneattack

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - April 11, 2025

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

1. Although Eugene Buyko was already a missionary pastor with BIEM, in January the government of Ukraine also bestowed on him the title of military chaplain. Since then, Eugene has repeatedly traveled east, to where battles regularly take place. Most people might assume that soldiers need only humanitarian aid. But, as the chaplains say, “There are no unbelievers at the front.” No soldier has ever refused to pray with Eugene. Everyone asks about the Gospel, about God during the war. Yesterday Eugene’s phone rang, and it was one of the soldiers with whom he had prayed. The soldier said, “I just need to talk to you, to pray.” In another situation, Eugene talked with another soldier. He had already spoken with his father, and it turned out that he knew where Eugene’s town of Bilogorodka is, because he lived in a neighboring village. He’d often gone to Bilogorodka to visit friends or go fishing. He, too, exchanged numbers with Eugene. He promised that if he came back from the front, he would visit the church.

2. In addition to the weekly videos we post every Friday, each month we also email subscribers a link for our monthly BIEM video. While our Friday Video Updates focus on our war-relief efforts, the monthly videos are more general in nature. Following is a link to our April video, which features a Christian campground in Derman, Ukraine, which has also been a recipient of BIEM war relief. Here’s the link to the April video:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/birthcamp

This camp has become a distribution point for our war relief efforts as volunteers from the church in nearby Zdolbuniv sort, prepare, and deliver food packages to war widows, needy children, and families in the area. Last week when they delivered a package of food to a young war widow with 4 children she through a flood of tears, shared that they had just run out of food and that morning they were praying to God asking for Him to provide some “kasha” (a form of buckwheat which is a simple and cheap source of nutrition). She stated, “Here we asked God for some kasha, and through you He provided not only kasha, but meat, bread, vegetables, fruit, and other groceries.” Praise God!

3. A couple of weeks ago, our video of the week BIEM missionaries Eugene and Pasha, along with Pastor Sergei Kostin in Vysokopillia, Ukraine. They were expressing gratitude for the war relief aid received from BIEM. Vysokopillia is a formerly occupied territory that was devastated by the Russian attacks. This week’s video features more information from the town and shows examples of the scale of the damage inflicted upon that area. Again, they express heartfelt gratitude for all your aid. Here’s the link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/thanksfromukraine

4. BIEM would like to share the final figures on the Warm Clothing for Soldiers outreach. This winter, donations for the project totaled $114,000. Praise God, this means that—through the churches BIEM has planted or works with—we provided warm clothing and New Testaments for 1,140 soldiers this winter. If we add to that figure the number of soldiers touched last winter, the combined total equals 2,790 soldiers! Please continue to unite with believers everywhere in praying the war will end soon, before Ukraine undergoes another frigid winter of war. (We still have on hand laminated Ukraine war prayer reminders suitable as book markers or for mounting.)

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - April 4, 2025

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

1. Once again this week, Sophia Buyko traveled to Denmark to help needy Ukrainian refugee women. Her daughters Angelica, Solomia, and Ivanka went along. Once again, there was a good turnout of ladies, some of whom heard the Gospel presented for the first time. Most of these needy women are widows who lost their husbands due to the war. These Buyko women were particularly encouraged they saw one lady who had been undergoing cancer treatment during a previous visit. The last time they had seen her, she looked emaciated, and the doctors gave her almost zero chance of survival. The Buykos rejoiced to see this lady who is now cancer free, even though at first they did not recognize her because of how well she now looks. Praise God!

2. BIEM’s missionary pastor Sasha Petrenko has made numerous trips eastward, toward the warfront. On each trip, he and those who travel with him distribute New Testaments and various forms of war relief to both civilians and soldiers. Because of such trips, he and the church have become well known. Recently, a lieutenant colonel phoned. Would Sasha help him to sell a garage? Sasha agreed to help advertise it, so the man went to the church to see him. (This soldier’s wife and son are also familiar with the church since they had sheltered there during a Russian bombardment.) After discussing the garage, the two sat down to coffee, and Sasha steered the conversation in a spiritual direction, toward Christ. However, that lieutenant colonel expressed resentment toward God because his two brothers were dead. “Why did God simply allow their deaths? Why is it that some people like drug addicts and drunkards who don’t value life are alive, but my brothers are already in the ground?” Sasha spoke about God and tried to comfort the man. He reminded him that all of us will die and that it’s vital for each of us to prepare for death now, while we have time to place our faith in Jesus Christ. When Sasha suggested that the soldier pray with him, he agreed! After praying, Sasha handed him a New Testament with a camouflage cover and shared more truths from it. What a blessing that coffee and a conversation had led another soul to Christ!

3. In the Obolon district of Kyiv, Ukraine, Awakening Baptist Church continues to lovingly assist and minister to refugees of the devastated city of Bakhmut. Here, Pastor Nikolai Rozhnyatovsky and his wife Tanya sing “Why, My Lord?” over a video collage of displaced persons receiving aid, spiritual counsel, and new hope, all in the name of Jesus Christ.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/whymylord

4. This weekend Sam Slobodian is giving an update on our war relief efforts in a mission conference in Pennsylvania. Sergei Debelinsky will also be speaking in this conference. Brother Sergei was BIEM’s first church planter in Ukraine over 20 years ago, when he planted a church in the Obolon district of Kyiv. This church has been self-supporting for many years and has grown to be quite large. Today Sergei is the president of the Brotherhood of Independent Baptist Churches of Ukraine with whom BIEM partners in the Kyiv Seminary and many church planting projects. At the conference, Sergei will be sharing how God is using these churches and BIEM to reach souls during this time of war.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - March 21, 2025

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

1. We received a nice thank-you note from Ihor Dudas, a soldier from Bilogorodka who is recovering from a knee operation. He expresses thanks for the crutches the church in Bilogorodka gave him from our container. He describes how these crutches have helped him and requests prayer for a quick recovery so he can rejoin his unit on the battlefront.

2. Our most recent container of war relief went to Fastiv, a large city southwest of Kyiv. Fastiv is a railroad hub serving much of Ukraine. BIEM has planted two churches there, and they are active in distributing the recently received aid. One of their points of distribution is 30 refugee families who have been displaced from Donetsk, Luhansk, and the Kharkiv regions. The refugees have been evacuated to Fastiv. The pastor in Fastiv writes about how extremely grateful these people are for the clothing and other supplies provided by the container.

3. Early in 2024, BIEM shared a story from Sergei Kostin, the pastor of the church in Vysokopillia, Ukraine. In it, he recounted how his home had come under fire by Russian artillery. His granddaughter ended up losing her leg. Here, Pastor Kostin joins BIEM’s Director in Ukraine Eugene Buyko (left) and our missionary Pavel Usach to thank all the American brothers and sisters in Christ who have blessed his village church with a portion of the war relief that arrived via container.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/leftwithnothing

4. The latest issue of our ministry newsletter, The Challenger, has now been printed and is going out in the mail. This issue emphasizes the war relief that BIEM ships in 40-foot containers from the viewpoint of the recipients. Because war relief is so crucial and is serving as such a valuable evangelistic tool for the churches distributing it, we hope you will take the time to read it. If by chance you are not receiving The Challenger but would like to, you can ask to be added to our mailing list by emailing your name and street address to missions@baptistinternational.org. Or simply call us at 317-718-1633.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - March 14, 2024

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

1. Bogdan is a young soldier connected with BIEM through our church planters in Western Ukraine. He’s a strong believer with an excellent testimony. He has a leadership role in his division, which is stationed along the war front in the vicinity of Slavyanskova in the Donetsk area. The commander there has developed a strong confidence in Bogdan, to whom he has given significant responsibilities. Through Bogdan, our Ukrainian missionaries who minister along the front lines have been able to access soldiers to give aid and share the Gospel. This week Bogdan asked for a specific electric station (basically a large power bank), which we were able to provide. Please pray that God would keep Bogdan safe and continue to use him in evangelizing his fellow soldiers.

2. This week Vitaly Bilyak will be leaving on his 22nd trip to the war front. Igor, one of his deacons, will go with him. This trip will once again take Vitaly and Igor to Kherson in the south and then east towards Zaporizhia in the Donbas region. As usual, they will minister to both civilians and soldiers. Please pray for their safety and that God will use them as they demonstrate the love of God, both by preaching the Gospel and supplying food parcels.

3. Here are some words of appreciation from overseas. Many of you donated to help Ukrainian churches in their outreaches to their military. Here, we present a sampling of videos and photos from grateful recipients. BIEM passes their thanks to all of you, who gave to make this ministry outreach possible. May God use this effort to draw souls to Himself!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/morethanks

4. BIEM received a letter from Ukraine, which we have translated for you: “Greetings, dear American brothers and sisters! I want to thank you for the wheelchair that we received from the container that came to Bilogorodka. I phoned the pastor of the Bilogorodka church, Eugene Buyko. He is my childhood friend; we lived on the same street and attended the same church. I called him, and he said there was an opportunity to help because a container had arrived. We have a man who was hit by a car. He’s 42 years old. He was hospitalized. His spine was broken, and it’s difficult for him to walk. It’s hard for him to move in general. 

“We also want to thank you for the clothes, shoes, and all the aid. We sense the concern and love that we receive from you in the form of containers. Thank you very much for sending containers with humanitarian aid to Ukraine.” —Igor Romanovych, pastor at Velyka Snitinka

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - March 7, 2024

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

1. Last winter, we were able to provide 1,650 Ukrainian soldiers with $100 worth of warm clothing and New Testaments. Not just any soldiers but soldiers that were directly connected with members of our churches willing to obtain and dispatch these parcels. As we have previously mentioned, we repeated this project this winter through the same application process used last year. In our February 7 Updates, we shared that this winter we received applications representing 1,076 soldiers and that we needed $16,000 more to meet this need. Praise God, $16,890 has come in! This is a huge answer from God to our prayers! The extra $890 will go to meet the needs of additional applications we received. 

2. For several weeks in a row, a group of 5 - 8 ladies from a local church have been coming to BIEM and donating a day to sort and pack clothing into boxes for our next war-relief shipment. By steadily working together for a few hours, these ladies have been enjoying the time of fellowship while greatly helping us to process donations. If any local ladies are interested in joining them, they typically come on a Wednesday or Thursday. Or, if your family, Sunday school class, or other group would like to give of your time for a worthy ministry project, we have plenty more bags of clothing waiting to get sorted and packed!

3. In February, BIEM’s Vitaly Bilyak made his 21st evangelistic aid trip to the war’s frontlines. BIEM church planter Sergiy Koop joined him. In each place they visited, they preached the Gospel and shared gifts of other practical items. In Part 1 of their video, they visited civilians. In Part 2, they continue the account with visits to soldiers they know with additional aid, such as tourniquets. You can view that narration here:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/trip21-2

4. In February BIEM’s director for Ukraine, Eugene Buyko, and a team from Kyiv drove to within 10 miles of the fighting in Donbas. Near a busy intersection, they set up an outdoor soup kitchen, where they offered free bograch (hot, hearty soup with a lot of meat, carrots, onions, potatoes and peppers) along with coffee, tea, and snacks. Of course, the team also offered New Testaments. Eugene and the team had many opportunities to engage in conversations where they listened to people’s trials and prayed with them. In tears, a woman named Lyudmyla told how her house and possessions had all burned during an air raid. Her 2 sons are in the army at the front. A young man declared his father is a pastor and the songs playing over the speaker at the soup kitchen were just like the songs in his father’s church. In one day, Eugene and the team got to have prayer and share the Gospel with groups of people 50 times. That day, over 200 listened to God’s way of salvation, and not one person refused the invitation to join in prayer. Because that location is so near to the front, the sounds of artillery and explosions were regularly heard. Eugene says, “Now, more than ever, people need God, need prayers, need support. So I ask you to continue to pray for me, so that God will give me the strength to do this work and wisdom.”

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - February 28, 2024

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

1. Many of you will recall one of our videos that told the remarkable story of how the Lord used two elderly ladies to re-establish a church that had been closed and largely destroyed under occupation in their town. You can view this heartwarming video entitled “1+1= 70” at the following link: 

https://vimeo.com/showcase/9315861/video/930408500

We mention this story again because missionary Pavel Usach (who narrates the video) contacted us to ask for prayer for Anna, one of those ladies. Her health has suddenly deteriorated, and she can no longer walk. Please pray for Anna.

2. Recently we rejoiced that Ukraine passed a law exempting clergy from being conscripted to military service. This is good news for our practice of bringing our Ukrainian church planters to the USA to share in churches how God is using our war relief efforts to reach souls and lift the testimony of the church. However, besides being exempted from military service, for men between the ages of 18-60 to leave Ukraine, permission is also needed from a different sector of government. Since we have never had anyone denied, we were sadly surprised to learn this week that such permissions have been abruptly halted. We hope the suspension is temporary. Please pray that this is the case so that the men we have scheduled to come in April would be able to come.

3. In February, BIEM’s Vitaly Bilyak made his 21st evangelistic aid trip to the war’s frontlines. Joining him was BIEM church planter Sergiy Koop. They distributed gifts of food and shared the Gospel indoors and outdoors, wherever possible. These men ministered to both civilians and the military. In this, Part 1 of their video report, we see some of their outreach to civilians. Next week, Part 2 will show their outreach to soldiers. View Part 1 here:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/trip21

4. Since last week’s update, we were blessed by a group of men who really did some heavy lifting! Not only did they deliver a whole auditorium of pews donated by Prairie Creek Baptist Church in Kingman, Indiana, but they helped us to unload them at our BIEM headquarters. These pews will meet the needs of Awakening Baptist church in the Obolon area of the capital city of Kyiv. They have been meeting in their basement for quite some time as the construction of their auditorium is a huge project taking years to complete. Nearing completion, they had no idea how to provide the seating necessary. This is the church that we have been helping reach out to the thousands of refugees from Bakhmut who have settled in their area. As they rejoiced at the news that their seating problem had been solved, they came to view God’s hand in blessing this way as a divine response to their extending themselves to help the very neediest people in their community. Praise God!

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - February 21, 2024

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

1. Container update: On January 31, we mentioned that the transport company for the container we shipped for Ukraine on December 13 would arrive in the first week of February. Although the actual delivery took place a few days later than projected, we are happy to report that it has been delivered and joyfully unloaded by members of the church in Fastiv. From there, items from this shipment will be made freely available to needy ones in the community, and medical items will be provided free of charge for hospitals to use during this time of war. Thank you for praying for the safe delivery of these items, which were donated by friends of BIEM!

2. Pause and think… When was the last time you awoke to the sound of bombs exploding near your family’s home? For most Americans, the answer would be “Never.” For BIEM’s Eugene Buyko, the most recent of many times was on Monday, February 17. After filming a brief portion of the event, he shared the video with us. Please pray especially for God’s protection of our BIEM personnel in Ukraine. And if you would like to hear what Eugene heard near his home, here is a brief sample:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/bombs

3. In a forest located not far from Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, believers have established a church for people who live in that area. Their building is neither big nor fancy; yet, souls are coming to Christ there as they conduct outreaches to both children and adults. Here, the pastor’s daughters bring you greetings and warm thanks!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/forestchurch

4. Praise God for the helping hands of warm-hearted volunteers who continue to bless us with much-needed help. Yesterday a group of ladies from Gospel Grace Baptist Church in Lebanon, Indiana, drove to BIEM (despite the 7-degree temperature and the fresh blanket of snow!) to help sort and pack donated clothing and housewares for a future humanitarian-aid shipment. This group accomplished a lot! However, before leaving they gazed at the large number of boxes and plastic bags of clothing waiting to be sorted and realized much work was waiting to be done. At that point, they discussed the situation and decided to come back another day next week! We sincerely thank both them and the Lord, who sent us such willing volunteers.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - February 14, 2024

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

1. Last week we informed you that BIEM’s Vitaly Bilyak and Sergiy Koop were beginning another missionary trip to Kherson and Donbas. That journey is now complete, and the Lord protected and blessed these travelers. They visited 3 areas—Kherson, Zaporizhia, and Donbas—on a trip of 3,000 km (1,864 miles). They were in 16 meetings: in 9 meetings they personally preached words of hope and the Gospel. Five of those meetings were for soldiers. Along the way, they distributed 150 26-lb. food parcels and 200 loaves of bread to needy ones. In addition, they were able to provide medications, rubber boots, blankets, wet wipes, hygiene kits, fruits, juices, and snacks to various individuals. Thank you for prayers. Please continue praying for the recipients of their preaching and aid, that they might trust God if they don’t already.

2. God also blessed the trip to the warfront area that Eugene Buyko and a dozen other volunteers have just returned from. This trip featured setting up distribution tables and food tables in an area where soldiers must regularly pass. Therefore, the volunteers saw a regular stream of men in uniform going past. This is one of the distributions that featured bograch, the hearty soup with paprika we have featured in previous videos. As soldiers stopped for a complimentary meal, volunteers would ask if they would like to be prayed for. Most times, soldiers replied yes, which provided not only an opportunity for prayer but a chance to share the Gospel as well. In one day alone, this group prayed with and shared the Gospel with over 200 soldiers!

3. In this week’s video updates, 2 members of the Ukrainian military join BIEM’s Sasha Petrenko to show what kinds of clothing, New Testaments, and other items their church has been providing for active-duty servicemen with the gifts you provided. Although these photos and videos represent recipients from just one church, their gratitude is multiplied many times over by churches all over Ukraine.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/warmth

4. Two of our Ukrainian church planters have obtained official chaplaincy status with the Ukrainian military. Some of our men already have solid connections with the military because so many members of their churches are serving in the military. Chaplaincy status would not benefit them. However, for these two particular men, chaplaincy status gives them greater access to the military, thus more opportunities to share the soul-saving Gospel with soldiers.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - February 7, 2024

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

1. Please join us in praising God for a generous donation from Operation Renewed Hope, which is a partner ministry based in North Carolina. Their financial gift has been designated for 2 purposes: first, for the Warm Clothing & Scripture outreach for soldiers in Ukraine. Second, the remainder of the gift will cover the cost of shipping our next container of war relief to Ukraine! As the hymn says, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow!" So, if you would like to donate gently used clothing, shoes, or motion aids such as crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs, we already have the means to ship them to Ukraine, where believers from local churches glorify God by freely sharing with refugees and wounded ones.

2. Concerning the Warm Clothing project, BIEM has received applications representing 1,076 soldiers, whom Christian loved ones wish to bless. The total cost of supplying that number with warm clothes and Scriptures is $107,600. However, $75,000 has already been received, which drops the amount needed to just over $32,000. Yet--praise God--because of a matching-gifts offer that was made before these donations, only $16,000 will fill the remaining need. Please help us to pray in that last $16,000.

3. The youth of the church in Ternopil, Ukraine, have sent us a video to share with you. After receiving funds from BIEM's Warm Clothing Project, the church bought each soldier they personally know the items on those men's "wish list." For the encouragement of you who gave, the youth prepared this video of themselves packing and mailing the gifts, followed by "thank you photos" of recipients after they received the gifts. Thank you for helping to demonstrate Christian love in action!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/christianlove

4. BIEM’s Vitaly Bilyak and Sergiy Koop are now beginning another missionary trip to Kherson and Donbas. As usual, they plan to distribute food aid while also sharing the Gospel. At the same time, BIEM director for Ukraine Eugene Buyko and about a dozen other volunteers in 2 vans are making a similar evangelistic trip to other frontline areas. However, as Russian military forces grind their way westward, such trips are becoming more dangerous. Please pray for God’s protection on all these men and for Him to work in the hearts of those who will hear the way of salvation from them.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - January 31, 2024

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

1. The container of humanitarian aid that we shipped on December 13 for the church in Fastiv, Ukraine, arrived at the Polish port and is now being trucked overland to Ukraine. The shipper expects it to arrive at its destination in the middle of next week. Please pray for a safe and smooth delivery of this container with no mechanical or other problems. Also, please pray for the brethren at River of Life Baptist Church in Fastiv as they must now undertake a daunting volume of mandatory paperwork to confirm its humanitarian status.

2. We have mentioned before how our Ukrainian churches’ distribution of war relief from BIEM has led families to begin attending their services. In fact, many of these newcomers have gone on to place their faith in Christ, for which we praise the Lord! In Lviv, missionary pastor Yura reports that just recently a large family of refugees has begun to attend. Maria is the mother, but her husband was recently killed in battle. In this family there are 15 children! As you can imagine, this family is in dire need. Praise God, and thanks to you, we have been able to help them through our War Relief Fund. More importantly, pray that the Lord will open their eyes to their need of Christ, since none of the family has yet put their trust in Him.

3. In one day, the children’s ministry team from the church in Chervona Sloboda, Ukraine, observed Ecclesiastes 3:4 with the residents of a nearby town. The team sparked smiles and laughter at a local school as they performed during a puppet outreach. However, they also wept with the locals as one of their boys returned home from the war in a coffin. In this video, Vitaly Yurchenko shares glimpses of both events...

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/time-to-weep

4. Once again, praise God, we have been blessed by Widow’s Jar Ministries in Indianapolis. This past Wednesday, we received from them 2 pallets stacked high with medical items and a van full of other sorts of donated aid for refugees in Ukraine. This is the same ministry that provided so many of the medical gowns and other supplies we shipped earlier, and which were featured in a previous video titled, “They See the Church Is Active and Caring.” You can view it here:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/theysee

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - January 24, 2024

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

1. On January 3, we shared with you a praise item that Ukraine had passed a new law that introduced “provisions” to exempt clergy from mandatory military duty. Apparently, though, the practical application of this law has yet to be enacted. In other words, even though the law exists, no one has established procedures for pastors to apply for or obtain this exemption. Please pray that these procedures will be in place in time for our Ukrainian church planters to resume traveling to the United States by March or April. Their being able to share in American churches how God is blessing our war relief efforts is an effective part of our war relief outreach.

2. Russia’s war against Ukraine has been raging for nearly three years. In BIEM’s video for January, missionary Sergiy Koop thanks you for material aid and prayers and adds, “We don’t know what the Lord has in store for us, but we are going to continue to minister to the refugees, to our community, and the military. We need your support and your prayers. And we believe that we, together—and that God through us—will change the world and save many.” In this January video, you will also see two more joyful young people who have been adopted into the family of God and followed Christ in believers’ baptism. Like these two, most of those making salvation decisions at this church are refugees from the war. Thank you for your ongoing support for God’s work overseas. You are helping to make such victories happen! (The baptism was held at the mother church, due to lack of space and no baptistry at the Koops’ rented location.)

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/continuing

3. Because the war against Ukraine has been raging for so long, you might be tempted to shrug off yet another message of gratitude from Ukrainian churches distributing the aid we send them. But please don’t. For all those war-weary ones who daily experience wounded victims, amputees, or the funerals of perished ones, their thankfulness is fresh and genuine. In this week’s video, BIEM missionary Vitaly Bilyak discusses the gift of high-quality tourniquets, which are in great demand. Here, he explains why—and thanks BIEM and you for helping to provide them!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/rescuing

4. We have now received applications representing over 1,000 soldiers from churches who have members willing to distribute $100 of warm clothing and Scriptures directly to the soldiers listed on the applications. These church members doing the footwork are family and personal friends who have direct contact with the named soldiers in the Ukrainian military. So far, we have been able to provide for about half of these. If you would like to help these churches glorify God by providing both material and spiritual support, we could certainly use more donations. (Bonus: In 2025 whatever amount you designate as War Relief, including this Warm Clothing Project, will be matched by a generous friend of BIEM up to $100,000. Your gift will automatically double after it arrives!)

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - January 17, 2024

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

1. Some of our readers may remember a Ukrainian woman named Alona, who appeared in one of our videos last winter. At the time of making the video, Alona was on her way to mail packages of warm clothing, which BIEM had provided. She was mailing the clothing to her uncle and to the son of one of her colleagues at work and was expressing gratitude to BIEM for that opportunity. But now Alona and her family request prayer for the uncle, Andrei, who was serving on the front lines and has disappeared. The family fears he has been either killed or taken prisoner.

2. BIEM’s missionary pastor Igor Fomichov ministers in a church in Desna, Ukraine, which is a town with a military base. That church has many members and friends serving in combat, and Igor shared a sobering story. Two of his members—Roma and Vova (one of their deacons)— were part of a unit of 100 men who were dispatched to the front line. After 2 months of intense fighting, the remains of that unit returned with only 13 survivors out of the 100. The deacon, Vova, was the only one who returned uninjured. The other 12, including Roma, are hospitalized with injuries. Roma has an injured arm that is not responding to treatment and has lost all feeling. Nevertheless, the military is refusing to release Roma and plans to send him back to the front. Please pray about this situation.

3. Our video for this week, “They see the church is active and cares for them,” takes its name from an observation by Michael Buyko, the son of BIEM’s director for Ukraine, Eugene Buyko. In this video update, Michael shows examples of some of the medical supplies provided by BIEM. He also describes how these items not only help people in need but also increase society’s esteem for the church and glorify God. You can watch the video through this link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/theysee

4. Trail Life USA is a faith-based Scout-like organization providing youth mentorship and character development to boys in the United States. One of their groups, led by BIEM friend C.J. Cordell, has gathered clothing for BIEM’s war relief efforts in Ukraine. This weekend they are bringing a large trailer full of clothing to our BIEM headquarters for our next container shipment of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Praise God!

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - January 10, 2024

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

1. The 40-ft. container of war relief that we shipped on December 13 is expected to arrive in the Polish port of Gdynia on January 21st. However, actual arrival dates can shift according to weather conditions and other factors. Please pray for a smooth delivery at the port and for the many details involved in transferring this shipment to a truck, carrying it overland across the border into Ukraine, and then passing Customs.

2. Praise God for friends of BIEM who provided funds for a much-needed van for the ministry in Ternopil. Andrei Eliseev, who oversees the Rehabilitation Center there, says, “We are very thankful for you, for your labors for us, and we’re very thankful for this transportation. It is very needed in our ministry. It serves the church, mainly the Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Center. We have invalids who need help and transportation. We also use the van in our work of providing humanitarian aid for refugees and needy people. Often Brother Vitaly travels to the war front to help civilians there [with humanitarian aid] and the military. We will also use it in camp ministry…. So, we want to thank you and want to ask you to pray that God will bless these efforts.”

3. Just before Christmas, New Life Baptist Church in Ternopil, Ukraine, held a special service. This wasn’t a meeting for born-again church members; it was an outreach to the refugees, the downcast, and other discouraged ones who lived near the church building. During this time, believers shared testimonies and shined the light of the Gospel into these neighbors’ hearts. With assistance from BIEM’s War Relief program, the visitors also received food packets and sweet treats to make their Christmas a little more joyous. As part of their appreciation to you for making such meetings possible, the church provided the following video:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/outreach-to-discouraged

4. Readers of these updates will recall that back in October over 47,000 workers in ports along the U.S. east coast went on strike. The strike was temporarily halted and their contracts extended to January 15, when another strike could potentially begin. We asked you to pray concerning that situation, as it would halt humanitarian aid flowing from the U.S. to refugees in Ukraine. Now it seems a more permanent agreement has been reached, and these ports will remain in operation. Thank you for praying!

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - January 3, 2025

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

1. The Lord has answered our prayers concerning the possibility of our missionary pastors getting drafted into the Ukrainian army. On December 26 the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers amended regulations governing the mobilization of conscripts during wartime, introducing provisions to allow clergy members to be exempt from military service. Praise the Lord! Thank you to each of you who prayed concerning this matter!

2. We previously shared that Eugene Buyko, who pastors the church in Bilogorodka, Ukraine, had reported that his congregation’s war-relief distributions had attracted many visitors to their services and that several had become regular attenders, including 3 refugee families that had been resettled in the area. Praise God, that number of new families attending weekly has grown to 6!

3. In this week’s video update, missionary Sergei Skripnik discusses just a few of the ways that war relief from BIEM is enabling their church in Borschiv—and other churches across Ukraine—to reach out to children, adults, and soldiers with both material aid and the Gospel. In concluding, he shares glimpses of a program their local church held with the assistance of BIEM aid to bring needy children some Christmas joy, but especially to bring them Jesus!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/ukraine-this-winter

4. Like last year, for each accepted application, BIEM plans to provide $100 for local church members to buy warm clothes and Scriptures for loved ones in the Ukrainian military. So far, we have received applications for over 600 soldiers, with more coming in. Please pray that this project will not only warm bodies but also point souls to the Savior. If you would like to help but don’t have many funds to contribute, let me encourage you with the news that a generous donor has created a matching-gift offer for BIEM’s War Relief program. Up to $100,000 in gifts connected to our War Relief will be matched. So, any amount you give for the “Warm Clothing” project will be doubled. Praise the Lord!

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - December 23, 2024

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

Merry Christmas!

War Relief Updates - December 20, 2024

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

1. Over the past few weeks, as Russian forces intensified their attacks on Ukraine, they have heavily targeted Ukraine’s power grid. As a result, many parts of Ukraine are without power for several hours each day. So far, BIEM has spent over $200,000 of war relief funds providing generators for churches we partner with in ministry. As this situation worsens, we hear many expressions of gratitude from churches, stating that this assistance has enabled their ministries to continue. However, purchasing fuel to power these generators is a challenge for these economically challenged congregations. This winter BIEM has provided many of our churches with war relief funds of $1,000 apiece to meet this critical need.

2. This month churches in Bilogorodka, Nizhylovychi, Lviv, and other towns are conducting special services for needy widows and ladies whose husbands are serving in the military. Ladies who attend hear the Gospel and receive a package of groceries and other essentials. This form of war relief does much to lift the testimony of these churches while directing the ladies’ thoughts to God’s Word.

3. In the last quarter of 2024, Ukrainian military medics conducted various training sessions in the area where BIEM missionary Sasha Petrenko ministers. Because Sasha, of course, cares about saving lives as much as saving souls, he reached out to these medics as they trained newer medics and put on demonstrations for civilians. Through Sasha’s collaboration, BIEM was able to provide not just tourniquets but specialized wound kits for rendering emergency aid to soldiers and civilians injured by Russian munitions. A spiritual addition inside each kit is a New Testament and a card with contact information from the church. In this video, Sasha introduces one of the trainers. With your donations of tourniquets, walkers, canes, crutches, and funds for war relief, you’re helping believers as they in turn reach out to their countrymen spiritually and physically. In this brief video, Sasha introduces one of the medics…

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/medics

4. Eugene Buyko, who pastors the church in Bilogorodka, Ukraine, reports that his congregation’s activities in providing war relief in various ways have attracted many visitors to their services. Several have become regular attenders, including 3 refugee families who have been resettled in the area. Praise God!

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - December 13, 2024

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

1. Today, BIEM’s 3rd container of war relief in 2024 departed for Ukraine. Once again, this shipment was made possible by all of you who contributed clothing, walkers, crutches, wheelchairs, medical supplies, and other items for those in need in Ukraine during this time of war. In addition, many, many volunteers came to the BIEM warehouse and donated their time in sorting and packing the clothing in preparation for loading. Yet others came earlier this week and assisted manually in loading the container despite frigid temperatures. To one and all we express a huge “Thank you!”

2. Igor’s car—As we are publishing this update, our missionary Igor Formichov is on his way back to Ukraine. Thank you to all those who prayed for his meetings and for his disabled vehicle, which he left in Poland. Praise God for Ukrainian friends in Poland, who were able to get the vehicle into a shop where it was determined that the vehicle was the victim of bad fuel, which clogged the fuel pump and injectors. Cleaning did make the vehicle operable and hopefully operable enough for Igor to make it back to Ukraine, where he may need to replace the pump and injectors for long-term use. Praise the Lord for a church in South Dakota that has volunteered to pay for the costs of repair thus far.

3. While briefly visiting us in the US, Igor had opportunities to speak in some supporting churches and personally provide updates on the wartime situation in his home country of Ukraine. However, Igor also played an invaluable role in loading the container mentioned in #1 above. Both before and after volunteers came to help load it, Igor spent many hours hand-loading and arranging odd-shaped items of various sizes to use every bit of airspace possible. He started the trip back to Ukraine on the same morning the container was scheduled for pickup. Before leaving, he provided a brief interview in which he not only deeply thanks all of you who give but also explains why such donations provide so much hope for the recipients—a “light in this time of crisis,” as he puts it:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/crisis

4. Praise God for friends of BIEM in Wisconsin who are providing a large supply of disposable diapers (for both adults and children) for Ukraine. This is an extremely welcome contribution to our war relief efforts because such diapers are very expensive in Ukraine. Especially for the elderly, who try to survive on a pitifully meager income which has become even more strained since the war has resulted in shortages of goods and rising costs for everything, especially for food and essentials like diapers. As we now begin collecting goods for our first container of 2025, we can certainly use more such disposable diapers. If you have any you don’t need, please consider donating them to us for war relief.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - December 6, 2024

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

1. Recently we shared with readers the good news that Igor Fomichov had received all the documents he needed for exiting Ukraine to visit here in the US. We mentioned that even with this good news, prayer was still needed since Ukrainian border guards do have the authority to override all of Igor’s documents and not allow him to exit Ukraine. A huge thanks to all who prayed because, as it turned out, Igor encountered 3 huge obstacles on his journey. First, when he arrived at the border, the chief of the border guards decided not to let Igor cross the border! He stated that Igor was lacking a document from his employer authorizing Igor’s departure. Among Igor’s large collection of documents, he had such documents, both from the church (which would be his employer) and from the City Council since Igor serves on the Desna city council. This official refused even to look at Igor’s documents, which is highly unusual, and wanted Igor to sign a document acknowledging that he had been denied exit. There was something about the situation that persuaded Igor that it would be no use arguing with this person. So, he politely refused to sign and departed for another border crossing point, which was 2 1/2 hours away. There, he was permitted to cross the border with no issues since all his documents were in order. Soon, Igor encountered another problem – his vehicle began stalling and running rough. Each time it stalled, he was able to restart the car and continued limping along until he somehow got within about a half mile of his destination in Poland. There, friends were planning to drive him to the airport for his 6 am flight. However, the delays at the border crossing and his car troubles added so many hours to his journey that at this point it was nearly 3 am. Praise God, after leaving his car with his friends in Poland, he did reach the airport in time for his flight. He was relieved to board the plane and thanked God for making it thus far. However, a third obstacle awaited: This time, it was the US Customs that did not let Igor immediately into the US as per normal procedure. Instead, the US Customs workers interrogated Igor for 2 hours and thoroughly searched him and all his bags. They asked endless questions, which ended up requiring several phone calls to Ukraine to prove that Igor was who he said he was. Finally, they let Igor pass and explained that they are on high alert due to Russians posing as Ukrainians seeking to enter the US for nefarious purposes. Having finally passed through the US Customs, Igor had one more flight to get to us here in Indiana. Because of the delay at Customs, he would have certainly missed that final flight – except for the fact that it was delayed for almost 2 hours. Once again, Igor rejoiced in God’s provision in answer to the prayers of His people. When we met Igor at the Indianapolis airport, he was totally exhausted but rejoicing to finally arrive. By the time he reached our BIEM office, he had been on the road for 64 hours.

2. Please pray for the church services where Igor will speak. He will report on how God is blessing BIEM’s war relief efforts in Ukraine, how they are reaching souls, and how they lift the testimony of the church and open hearts to the Gospel. Please pray as well that his vehicle can be repaired in time for him to return home. This promises to be a significant cost, so please pray concerning this need.

3. In this week’s video, BIEM’s Vitaly Bilyak takes you within just a few short miles of the war front in Ukraine on his 20th humanitarian aid & evangelism trip. This personal viewpoint gives a taste of life in the south and east of Ukraine that typical newscasts don’t show and helps you to know better how to pray for people on the front:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/frontline

4. Thanks to the generosity of all you friends, BIEM now has enough donations of clothing, shoes, and medical items to ship another 40-ft container of war relief to Ukraine. We have arranged with a shipper for the container to be delivered to our warehouse door on Monday, December 9, and then picked up on Thursday, December 12, to begin its trip to Ukraine. This will our 3rd container for 2024. May God bless it with swift passage to those who need its contents!

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

Thanksgiving week - November 27, 2024

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

Dear friends, 

Due to a shortened workweek, in place of our usual weekly updates, we at BIEM are going to join you in focusing on God’s material and spiritual blessings. This photograph of young ladies singing praises to the Lord comes from the Harvest holiday (Thanksgiving) held at House of Prayer Baptist Church in Bilogorodka, Ukraine. Despite the war in their land, despite hardships, bombs, drones, and so many shortages, Ukrainian believers held a special day to obey the Biblical admonition,

“In everything give thanks….” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) May God bless them and you!

Happy Thanksgiving from BIEM!

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM