December Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Recently, House of Prayer Baptist Church in Bilogorodka, Ukraine, hosted a special musical event for ladies. Because of the war, many women are lonely and fearful for their husbands, sons, brothers, and boyfriends who are away at war. The event began outdoors with hot tea, snacks, and a chance to get acquainted. Then they proceeded indoors for an evening of music presented by the youth. Of course, the Gospel was presented along with an invitation to church. The ladies who came expressed great appreciation. May God bless such outreaches with fruit for the Kingdom of God.

The following video provides some glimpses into that evening…

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/musicalevening

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

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

BIEMs of Light: December 2024

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• We had requested prayer that Igor Fomichov be permitted to exit Ukraine temporarily to assist BIEM with its next container and to speak in churches! Praise God; he’s now here!

• Connected to the praise item above is another cause for praise. 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. This is our 3rd for 2024. May God bless it with swift passage!

• In November, our newer church planter Sergiy Koop had the joy of baptizing 2 new believers!

•  BIEM church planter Anatoly Kirilko declares, “Greetings from Nizhylovychi! We celebrated the Harvest Festival in our church and thanked God for all the blessings He sends even though such a brutal war continues in the country…. We had wonderful fellowship, sermons, much inspiring singing, and lastly a festive dinner. Thank God that He takes care of us in every way.”

Prayer – Pray with us!

• From our Director for Central Asia: “Our 5 Iranian believers were beaten severely. As they were enduring beatings, the others sang hymns and praises to God to encourage the ones being beaten. As they were being beaten and singing, the Iranian police looked at each other and said, “What are we doing? These men aren’t violent. They’re even praying for our country as we beat them.” The police stole the men’s money and documents, then dumped them on the street, telling them to keep their religion to themselves. Their faces are so swollen they could barely speak, but they rejoice to suffer for their Savior who suffered so much more for them. Please pray as they plan Christmas evangelism.

• As Russia’s war against Ukraine continues, church members are among those being taken into the military. Please for their safety but also for their Christian witness to fellow soldiers.

• Our church planters the Kellers have relocated to Armenia, where they face multiple challenges in the cultures, language, and religion. Vitaly says, “Pray also that we can clearly see the area where God wants us to serve. We don’t want to spread ourselves too thin by trying to do everything, but instead focus on what will be most effective.”

• Concerning Belarus, news outlets report fresh repression in advance of elections. If reports are accurate, there has been a wave of searches and arrests, with a sharp increase in citizens arrested on accusations of treason. Please pray that churches are not targeted, especially our Belarusian church planters.

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March Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Although the war in Eastern and Southeastern Ukraine continues to wipe out businesses, homes, and lives, for the March video we want to turn your attention elsewhere, to something more uplifting. Years ago, the mayor of a town in Ukraine visited the church where BIEM’s Anatoly Kosyanchuk preaches. At the conclusion of the service, that mayor approached Anatoly with an unexpected proposal: “If you start another Baptist church on the opposite side of town, I’ll give you the land to build on!” 

In the years following that surprise offer, God has taken the Second Baptist Church in Bilogorodka from a mere idea, to an empty plot of ground, to a construction project, to a thriving congregation. Now the Lord has blessed that growing group of believers with an ordination service—one assistant pastor and four deacons! Two of those deacons are neighbors who live within eyesight of the church. Both were unsaved when the church’s construction began. But through this ministry, God has drawn them and other residents of that neighborhood to Himself!

Our latest issue of our Challenger newsletter features an article about this same special ordination service. But for our March video, we decided to let Pastor Buyko and his new assistant pastor, Roman, tell more about God’s blessing that day. You can view that video here:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/morehands

Thank you for your prayers!

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

BIEMs of Light: September 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Our new missionaries in Ukraine, the Koops, operated a 3-day children’s camp in Druzhba, which they have targeted for a new church. The first day, 65 attended; the 2nd day up to 85, and the third day over 100 participated, including about 20 mothers who were asking, “Where is the church?” When those moms heard that church services will be starting soon, some replied they will come.

• Praise God, attacks from Russia on Ukraine’s Independence Day were not as bad as some feared. Although Russian rockets and missiles hit 58 cities and communities on that day, the next day there was only one. Since then, it seems things have died down.

• In Ukraine, the Slobodians report a wonderful baptism at the new church in Bilogorodka. Nine adults were baptized. Praise God for souls being accepting Christ in this time of war. Previously, the Russian army had come within a few miles of Bilogorodka, which is in the Bucha area.

• Praise God for a fruitful trip Vitaly Bilyak took to the military front in Donbas area with a trailer full of aid. He and those with him helped civilians, wounded ones in a hospital, plus soldier friends for whom he brought much-needed supplies and requested items. Vitaly plans two more such trips in September. Pray for safety. His videos from the front include sounds of artillery and explosions.

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Sources predict that the next week will be an especially dangerous time for the military cities of Desna and Goncharovsk, where BIEM missionaries have planted two churches. Both towns have already suffered attacks by missiles, rockets, and planes. More attacks are expected. Please pray for our missionaries, the churches, and the community, that lives would be spared.

• Pasha Usach conducted a special one-day event for mothers and wives who had lost sons and husbands in the war. Over 50 attended. The event was a huge blessing and provided a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel, so much so that Pavel is planning another such an event. Pray that God will use these outreaches to draw souls to Christ, the source of the greatest comfort.

• Plans are underway to bring the Buyko family to the United States, where they will visit churches for one month. Sophia and the three girls have already received visas; now we are working on getting the special permission needed for Eugene to temporarily exit Ukraine during wartime. Please pray that this permission will be granted, just as it was for Vitaly Yurchenko.

• Some of our contacts are witnessing of Christ to Muslims in Afghanistan. Please pray for God to open eyes and illumine hearts with the Gospel.

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BIEMs of Light: August 2022

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• Praise God, our personnel in Ukraine have received another 40-ft. container of humanitarian aid from us here in the United States! This is the 7th container our dedicated Ukrainians are distributing to needy places. This one went to the city administration of a region that contains several settlements that were occupied by Russian forces, so these goods will reach some of the neediest recipients.

• BIEM president Sam Slobodian heads back to Ukraine on August 2. The main focus of this trip will be humanitarian aid, but praise the Lord, he will also participate in a baptism and an ordination!

• Today BIEM personnel drove another 5 tons of food from Poland into Ukraine, this time for the Kharkiv region. We praise God for thoughtful donors and for those driving and distributing.

• So far, we are receiving reports of young people coming to Christ in BIEM-sponsored camps in Estonia, Ukraine, and Russia. Although the Lord touches hearts in a special way through such camps every summer, we never take that blessing for granted. To God be the glory!

Prayer - Pray with us!

• Despite the war in Ukraine, one of our seminary graduates is deeply burdened for a particular district in a large city in Western Ukraine that has been flooded with refugees. Many of them plan to stay. This brother has recruited others to help start a new church, and they are praying and fasting every Friday for God’s direction and provision for that goal. Please join them in praying.

• A pastor named Aleksander emailed us today from the Intensive Care section of a hospital in central Russia. He has a weak heart, and their summer camps and other ministries may have taxed him too much. Let’s uphold this worthy servant of the Lord with our prayers.

• In Central Asia, the manager of our Christian shelter for hurting women is named Julie. She is a big blessing—talented, yet with a servant’s heart and love for Jesus. She devotes herself to running the shelter and ministering to these women and their children. It’s a big job. Please pray for her.

• In another nation of Central Asia, one church recently baptized 9 former Muslims who had put their faith in Christ. Please pray that more hearts in those regions will soften and consider their need of the Savior.

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