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

BIEMs of Light: February 2025

Praises – Rejoice with us!

• The 40-ft. container of humanitarian aid that we shipped for the church in Fastiv, Ukraine, is expected to arrive this week! Hallelujah! But now the believers must navigate a daunting amount of paperwork to verify this is, indeed, humanitarian aid and not business.

• Last month we requested your prayers as Sam Slobodian traveled to meet up with our national Russian missionaries. Due to security concerns, they decided to gather in a neutral country. Now we are happy to report that those travels and meetings went smoothly. Thanks for your prayers!

• In January, our Kyiv Theological Seminary held its first session for 2025. Despite the ongoing war, over 40 students attended. Of those, 14 were newly enrolled students! Praise God for sending us more workers for the harvest of souls.

• The Lord gave an unexpected opportunity to missionary Sergiy Koop when the owner of their apartment building invited him to administer the building. Sergiy writes, “This role is interesting because every week I talk with various new people who request help with their apartment issues. I like it because I can be an example of a Christian who does his job well. They ask if it’s true that I’m the pastor of a Baptist church. Because of this, I have opportunities to share the Gospel with them. It always inspires me!”

Prayer – Pray with us!

• 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, because a generous donor has been matching these donations, only $16,000 would fill that need. Please help us to pray in that last $16,000.

• One of BIEM’s church planters in a Muslim country hopes to come to the U.S. for 4 weeks at the end of February to speak in supporting churches and bring updates. Please pray for those plans.

• Later this week, Vitaly Bilyak and Sergiy Koop plan to make another missionary trip to Kherson and Donbas. As usual, the plan is to distribute food aid while also sharing the Gospel. But as Russian forces grind their way westward, such trips are becoming more dangerous. Please pray for God’s blessings.

• The church in Lviv, Ukraine, requests prayer. Thanks to a generous donation by a friend of BIEM, they can now install venting in the ceiling, which is high above the auditorium floor and requires scaffolding to reach. Please pray for the safety of the members doing this work and a job well done to pass inspection. 

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February Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

When the Lord opened the door for BIEM to transition from a shortwave radio ministry to a “boots on the ground” church-planting and evangelism ministry, both we and our partner churches in Eastern Europe realized we needed a school. Our reasoning was that, even though evangelism and church planting are crucial, they needed an institution where men called by God to preach could sit under the teaching of well-educated, experienced preachers to deepen their knowledge of Scripture. Such training would only enhance their ministries. And God opened such a door. Today, students in Kyiv Theological Seminary continue to study God’s Word in fellowship with fellow students who are keen to learn.

However, as various individuals have stated, in Christian churches “Preaching is king, but music is queen.” As another key ingredient of their ministries, pastors in Eastern Europe wanted the Seminary to include courses for musical instruction as well. They recognized the need for well-trained music directors who could guide both choirs and soloists to their best abilities in glorifying God through music. That dream, too, has become a reality.

Additionally, the brethren overseas suggested a study program geared toward Sunday School teachers. Although not as in-depth as what the pastors-in-training receive, the two-year program for Sunday School teachers ensures that these teachers have not only a heart for their students but a solid foundation of Scriptural knowledge as well.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, we wondered whether the war might halt the work of the Seminary. However, despite bombs, electrical shortages, and other challenges, the Seminary continues offering high-quality training to believers who are dedicated to serving God and being among His laborers in today’s spiritual harvest.

In our video for February, Vitaly Yurchenko—who serves as Rector of the Seminary—shares about the January session. Here’s the link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/kts

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

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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