November Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Each autumn, something special happens in our churches in Eastern Europe—the Harvest holiday. Harvest is similar to our North American Thanksgiving holiday in that both celebrations express thankfulness for what we have. But in Eastern Europe, Harvest is celebrated, not at home, but in a Sunday church service, where many members of the congregation praise and thank God with sermons, special songs, Christian poems, and typically a meal for all members and visitors.

Of course, in addition to thanking the Lord for that year’s fruits from the ground, churches also praise Him for souls saved and other spiritual blessings.

We at BIEM often receive photos taken at Harvest celebrations of churches we assisted in planting. This year, we received a video from the Baptist church in Lubyanka, a village situated northwest of the capital city of Kyiv. So, for our November video, we invite you to click the following link to pay a quick visit to these brothers and sisters in Christ in Lubyanka. Enjoy your visit! 

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/harvest-lubyanka 

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

October Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Recently, while I was making the rounds of various ministry points in Ukraine, the Lord gave me an opportunity to visit the Christian Rehabilitation Center outside the city of Ternopil. For newer friends who are unfamiliar with this outreach, allow me to say that the Lord gave BIEM’s missionary Vitaly Bilyak a vision to start such a ministry. The church he had planted was still quite young and renting a room for meetings when he proposed purchasing a property to open a rehabilitation ministry. But his church members caught the same vision and agreed. Since its humble beginnings as a small house and farm, this ministry has grown and continues to free men from their addictions to substances and to lead them to new life in Christ!

Here, the men in the program study Scripture together, pray together, and work with their hands to provide much of their own food. In this way, God is redeeming lives that were once ruined. We invite you to click the link to learn more.

For our October video, we invite you to click the following link to hear from Vitaly, who first conceived of this rehabilitation center, and Andrei, who is the minister who oversees it. Here’s the link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/redeeminglives

 Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

September Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Early in August, I asked you to pray for an upcoming trip to Ukraine that Amy and I were planning. Part of our time was to be spent in Bilogorodka, where the last children’s camp of the summer was to be held. In addition, we mentioned that we would be checking in with BIEM church planters and others who have been distributing the humanitarian aid that all you friends have been providing.

Of course, accidents and problems can befall any trip overseas. That is even more true when traveling inside a nation fighting foreign invaders on its soil. But we are happy to report that God blessed in a special way. Because Bilogorodka is in the suburbs of Kyiv, the capital, one would expect to hear air-raid sirens at least once or twice. But you and we prayed for a week of camp with no interruptions, and God granted that desire! For 6 days, children attended camp, learned about the Lord, played fun games, enjoyed nourishing meals, and basically had fun being children without a single siren or explosion in the region. Not until the morning when Amy and I were departing Kyiv to begin the long road home did Russia resume its attacks (and some of those strikes occurred so close that we photographed the smoke from the explosions). As it turned out, this aerial bombardment was one of the largest since Russia began its war on Ukraine. Praise God for His goodness and protection for these kids and camp staffers!

Rather than simply write about this trip, I invite you to view the following video, where we join Eugene Buyko in showing and describing some highlights of this trip. Here’s the link!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/end-summer

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

August Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

As you might already know, Christian summer camps are typically one of BIEM’s largest outreaches every year. For many kids, camp provides their initial exposure to Christians and God’s Word. For these kids, camp is where they learn who God is, how to talk to Him in prayer, what sin is, and the importance of coming to God by grace through faith in Christ. Of course, many kids who attend the camps come from Christian homes, or else they come from non-Christian homes but attended camp in the past and come back, which allows them to grow in faith or to learn more.

By August, the third and final month of summer, most BIEM-sponsored camps in Eastern Europe have already ended. Leaders of those camps have shared news and sometimes photos of kids whose hearts opened to the Lord and embraced Christ as Savior. However, a few camps are still being held in various areas. We pray for God to bless the leaders with continued enthusiasm and physical strength and to open the hearts and minds of the young people who come.

In some cases, camps take place on land that churches purchased and developed specifically to establish a Christian campground. Other camps take place on church property or even public property. As an illustration of this last category, BIEM missionaries Sergei and Vika Skripnik put together a video that provides glimpses of a camp held at a public building called the House of Culture in the town of Glybochok. During Soviet times, Houses of Culture were sometimes used as places to put Christians on trial. Praise God, believers now sometimes use them to glorify Him and to teach His Word to the next generation! We hope you will enjoy the video:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/villagecamp

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

July Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

For our July video, we decided to treat you to a slide show of pictures taken from several of the summer camps that have already taken place this year. Some of the camps are large ones, especially those that take place in or near large cities. But some day camps are held in smaller towns and villages for local children who crave the fun of camp as much as city kids but don’t have the opportunity to travel away from home—especially in Ukraine, where understandably protective parents might not permit their kids to go far from home during this time of war. But whether the camps are large or small, our personnel and volunteers strive to give these kids a fun time and nourishing meals while introducing them to the Gospel and crucial truths from God’s Word. In this slide presentation, we don’t attempt to explain all that’s happening in each picture, but we believe you’ll still grasp at least the essence of what’s going on. So, sit back and enjoy the show. And remember, the camps will continue into August, so please keep both the staffers and campers in your prayers for safety and for God to work in their hearts.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/camplife

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

June Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

For this month’s video, we wanted to share a heartwarming moment recorded by one our missionaries. While between flights in the Istanbul Airport in Turkey, he and his family passed time by relaxing in a crowded airport lounge. There, one daughter spotted an unattended grand piano. Without asking, she simply walked over, sat down at the piano, and began to play Christian hymns. An adult might have hesitated to play Christian hymns in a spot where most listeners were Muslims. Nevertheless, many stopped and listened appreciatively. When this young daughter noticed Ukrainian travelers among the crowd, she switched and played a well-known Ukrainian hymn. Her music brought the Ukrainians to tears, and they expressed heartfelt gratitude for her “wonderful concert.” Praise God!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/makingmelodies

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

May Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

When you plant an acorn and water it, you don’t know for sure how fast it will sprout, how tall the tree will grow, or whether that acorn will grow at all. But what a joy to return years later and discover that the thimble-sized acorn has grown into a healthy tree that is now providing protective shade and new acorns of its own! Similarly, when BIEM missionaries plant a new church, they trust and pray that the Lord will magnify their efforts and establish a thriving, new ministry where unbelievers find Christ and believers grow in grace and knowledge of the Word of God.

In our monthly video for May, we take you back to Borschiv, Ukraine, where some years ago BIEM purchased a large, unfinished house to plant a church in an area where there wasn’t one. The building needed much work, both to finish it and to correct some construction flaws. The property needed a lot of work, too, before it could be used for outreach. However, the Lord has steadily provided the funds and muscles that have been needed. He also has been blessing this ministry with fresh fruit for the Kingdom of God.

As you watch the following video, we invite you to join us in praising God as church planter Sergei Skripnik reviews many of the blessings that the Lord has showered on this church since the purchase of the property.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/farther

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

April Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

In every language on earth, the most glorious truth that believers in Christ can share is the wondrous News of His triumph over death and the grave: “Christ is risen!” On Resurrection Sunday in Eastern Europe, church services typically begin with the pastor or guest preacher repeating those words three times, with the congregation echoing each time, "Truly, He is risen!"

In this month’s video, we set aside thoughts of the war and invite you to gain a glimpse of how a church in Ukraine might commemorate Easter. No two churches will celebrate the resurrection of Christ in exactly the same way. However, as a rule (among Baptistic churches, at any rate) those joyous Sunday services—large or small—include a combination of congregational singing, prayer, preaching the Word, special music, poetry recitation, and an observance of the Lord’s Supper for all who believe.

For our April video, we invite you to enjoy this brief peek at Easter in Ukraine. As you do, perhaps these snippets will remind you afresh that people all around the world speak different languages, eat different foods, follow various cultures and lifestyles… But despite our differences, every person has a soul, and the Number 1 need of every soul is Jesus!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/easterinukraine

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

February Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Despite the death, destruction, and other horrors resulting from Russia’s invasion and continuous attacks on Ukraine, the Lord still gives us causes for encouragement. One ministry that encourages us is the Kyiv Theological Seminary, which recently held its winter session. Although the realities of war have prevented some students from attending and compelled others to leave Ukraine as refugees, 32 students still came to grow in their knowledge of God’s Word and to become more effective servants of the Lord.

At such a time in Ukraine’s history, no one would blame these young people if they had decided to stay home rather than pursue their theological training in the nation’s capital. (The women in the Seminary study to become knowledgeable Sunday school teachers, accomplished musicians, or choir directors.) After all, deadly missile and drone attacks on the capital continue to happen. And yet, these young people are committing their lives to the Lord and continuing to come when it would be easier to stay home. Praise God! Who knows, perhaps this current testing of their mettle will play its own role in developing these young believers for future ministry.

For our February video, while in Kyiv I asked Seminary Rector Vitaly Yurchenko to show us the students’ living quarters and to share about some of their backgrounds. To view this brief (4.5 minutes) video, please click the link below:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/seminary

Thank you for your prayers!

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

January Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

During Vitaly Bilyak’s 14th trip into Ukraine’s war zone with physical and spiritual aid, one type of provision he took was hand warmers. These come in a plastic wrapper with pouches in each package. After removing a pouch from its packaging, the user gives it a fast shake to activate the ingredients inside the pouch. Once shaken, such a warmer quickly heats up due to a natural chemical reaction. Slipped inside a glove or boot, a warmer can provide some personal heat for many hours. A soldier sitting in a frozen trench on the war front can especially appreciate such gifts of warmth.

In a video he made about that trip, Vitaly pauses to read us the words of James 2:15: “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” In our modern world, we have largely lost the significance of helping someone who lacks suitable clothing and suffers from cold and hunger. Yet, the Russian invasion of Ukraine compels us to reconsider and act upon such verses as we reflect God’s compassion and love. Of course, Vitaly and our other aid workers always include the Gospel with the physical assistance, for the Gospel of Christ is everyone’s greatest need.

Also, in this video you will see and hear a young soldier who came to Christ through these war relief distributions. Praise God for using us to save souls!

Thank you again for your prayers and donations to our ongoing war relief outreaches. We certainly look forward to the day when this devastating war will be over. But until then, we intend to bless victims with the Gospel while also showing compassion for their physical needs as well. Thank you for all you do to help!

Here’s the link to Vitaly’s latest video:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/warmed

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

December Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

For our December video, we would like to share about an event that took place back in October in Ukraine. Ten years ago, BIEM missionary Pavel Usach proposed a unique camping event for young adults from churches across Ukraine. It’s called the Bible Quest. To participate, young people from participating churches form teams that intensively study each year’s assigned book of the Bible. The competition takes place in a forest. Each team makes its way to designated Checkpoints, where they must pool their knowledge of the assigned passages to complete creative puzzles or to finish specific tasks. Prizes await the winning team. In addition, praise and worship services foster a godly, edifying atmosphere where the youth not only listen but can also contribute by singing or performing music. This year 270 youth from all over Ukraine and their adult sponsors gathered. Although the Bible Quests are geared to strengthen young believers in their walk with the Lord, God’s Word permeated young hearts, and many young people made decisions for Christ, either accepting Him as Savior or aligning their lives according to God’s will.

Through the following link, you can hear and see Pavel Usach talking about this year’s Bible Quest. We invite you to watch and listen and to praise God for working in the upcoming generation!

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/biblequest

Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

November Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Normally, our monthly ministry video updates are separate from our weekly War Relief videos, which focus on our aid program to Ukraine during the war. However, for our November video, we’re highlighting once again our weekly video from November 2, “The Story of One Box of Groceries.” In it, BIEM church planter Igor Fomichov discusses the importance of BIEM’s war-relief shipments. As an illustration, he recounts the true story of how a simple package of food plus an invitation to the local church dramatically changed two unrelated families. You owe it to yourself to hear this brief, uplifting message and to be amazed at how God can and does use Christian kindness and concern to perform spiritual surgery in the hearts of recipients.

Here’s the video link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/groceries 

And in case you were not aware of our weekly War Relief video updates, you might like to watch others, most of which are less than 5 minutes in length. Here, you can select from all the videos we’ve created since the beginning of the war on Ukraine:

https://vimeo.com/showcase/9315861 

We also post our video updates (and other interesting ministry moments) on our BIEM Facebook Page. Please feel free to visit, Like our page, and stay up to date on the activities of our missionaries.

Thank you for caring and for your prayers for the salvation of souls in Eastern Europe, especially during this tragic time of war. Blessings to you!

Sam & Amy Slobodian

October Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

As many of you know, one of our newest church plants is in the Druzhba district of Ternopil, a large city in western Ukraine. The Ukrainian missionaries who have been called there are Sergiy and Karina Koop. Previously, they had both served in New Life Baptist Church, where Karina’s father, Vitaly Bilyak, is the pastor. Sergiy, who served as New Life’s youth pastor, ended up also leading the church’s outreach to refugees. This experience gave both of them a burden to reach refugees with the Gospel and planted in them a vision to establish a new church in the Druzhba district, which is now home to 30,000 refugees.

This month’s video is one that Sergiy and Karina personally made to introduce people to their ministry. Right now, the greatest needs for this new church are monthly support and $20,000 to finish the construction of a large apartment in the middle of this area. A donor has committed $10,000 in matching funds to this project to encourage others to give toward the $20,000 needed.

Here’s the video link:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/chooselife

Blessings to you!

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian

September Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

For September, our monthly video puts the spotlight on the Kellers, BIEM missionaries who have accumulated much evangelistic experience ministering in Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, and the U.S. Until last year, they were busy sharing the Gospel in Kyiv through various creative outreaches. But then the war came…

The Kellers are still involved in evangelism and ministry to Ukraine, but they are temporarily based in the U.S. In addition to visiting supporting churches and ministering to refugees who have come to the States, their family spent a full month in BIEM’s upstairs guest quarters. Here, they used part of that time to help sort, pack, and organize incoming clothing donations for our next shipment to Ukraine. (They even visited yard sales and persuaded sellers to donate leftover clothing to BIEM as war relief!)

Although we on the home staff of BIEM can and do speak of the great need for war relief, we believe you will appreciate the perspective of the Kellers, coworkers who speak of the needs from firsthand experience.

Like BIEM, international charities have noticed that donations of humanitarian for Ukraine are down from last year. The invasion is no longer shocking news. Yet, Russian missiles and drones continue to bombard homes and businesses. People continue to die even if your evening news doesn’t mention it. The needs are as great as ever. Can you spare a few minutes to watch the Kellers’ update and prayerfully consider how you can help?

https://vimeo.com/861702993

Blessings to you!

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian

August Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Our video for the month of August features our travels in Ukraine, helping in camps as well as some other stops related to war relief. This video report is longer than our usual monthly videos since these travels covered a large amount of territory. 

These camps were conducted during a time when Russia escalated its attacks on Ukraine by launching large numbers of missiles and Iranian Shahed drones all over the country, especially in the area of Kyiv, where we spent most of our time. 

We are sincerely grateful for the petitions of everyone who prayed for our safety and the safety of all the campers and workers. We know that God answered your prayers, and we included some scenes at the end of the August video that will give you a small taste of what it’s like to be in Ukraine during these difficult times.

The best news is that God blessed our summer camping program as many children and youth opened their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ and made life-changing decisions for the glory of God!  Please take the time to view this video and please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine:

https://vimeo.com/855809988?share=copy

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian

July Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

For July, our monthly video comes from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. But this video has nothing to do with the war raging in the east and south of that country. Summer is the time for children’s camps, which offer kids in that land a much-needed escape from the brutal realities of death and destruction. In Christian camps, children can play silly games, laugh, sing songs of praise to the Lord, learn to pray, hear vital truths in Bible lessons, make new friends, and fuel up on nourishing meals prepared by the ladies of the churches.

In this particular case, workers of the large Baptist church called “Temple of Salvation” captured video clips of their recent outreach, which they titled “River of Life Children’s Camp,” and sent a copy to BIEM to share with you friends.

This video needs no translation or commentary. You’ll understand well enough what is happening. We invite you to click on the following link and let your heart be warmed by these scenes from just one of the many church camps now in progress with assistance from BIEM.

https://vimeo.com/844349463

We thank both the Lord and you, our faithful supporters, for the opportunity to sponsor evangelistic children’s camps like this one, which is only one of well over 20 camps scheduled in multiple countries. We hope the delighted faces of these campers will help to reward you for your generosity. Most importantly, based on past experiences, we do not doubt that the Lord will use the camps to speak to hearts and draw young ones to faith in Christ. May He be praised!

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian

June Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Greetings! This month’s video comes from Kherson, the southern part of Ukraine where so much devastation has resulted from the Russians’ demolition of the Kakhovka dam. This part of that country had already suffered due to the Russian occupation and aggression. For local residents, the flooding has heaped misery upon misery.

But even though we would never wish for such a situation, we rejoice that believers connected with churches planted through BIEM respond to these circumstances as opportunities to aid suffering ones in the name of Jesus Christ and a chance to share the Gospel. Via the following link, you can join BIEM missionary Vitaly Bilyak on his recent war-relief trip, this time to the Kherson district.

https://vimeo.com/840874898

This newest video is just one of many concerning our war-relief efforts, all accessible here:

https://vimeo.com/showcase/9315861

The needs are ongoing and HUGE.  If you feel that God would have you to help, please designate your gift “War Relief.” Thank you to everyone for your prayerful support!

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian

March Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Greetings! This month’s video comes from the Muslim lands south of Ukraine and Russia. After our brethren felt impressed to pray for these areas, God provided opportunities for us to expand our church-planting efforts to these Muslim lands. Today we have about two dozen converted Muslims who have been called and trained to reach their countrymen for Christ. This video features Sasha, a BIEM national who also lives and works in this area.

https://vimeo.com/804437560

When the earthquake struck Turkey, Sasha, who was just 3 hours from the epicenter, sprang into action, providing relief to suffering ones there along with a clear Gospel message. Please pray that God will use Sasha mightily as he reaches out to these needy people. Pray, too, that the needed funds would come in for this effort. At least $30,000 is needed for the initial supply of food, tents, clothing, and other necessities.

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian

February Video Update

Dear Pastors and Friends,

Our monthly video for February comes from Russia. Many have asked how our Russian missionaries are doing and how the war is affecting them. The war is not something we can discuss with them, either by phone or e-mail. Some of them are convinced their phone calls and emails are monitored since Putin’s government would consider anyone with ties to the United States as a potential “enemy of the state.” Therefore, our communications are kept to a minimum. However, recently we arranged to meet them in a nearby, somewhat neutral country. These face-to-face meetings were a great blessing. We learned much from them and were able to answer many of their questions for us. This video features Pavel Rumachik from the Moscow area. It is longer than our usual videos, but since opportunities to record videos of them will continue to be limited for the foreseeable future, we decided to share this one in its entirety:

https://vimeo.com/796352392

In our next Slobodian prayer letter, which is due out in a few days, we will share in more detail how the war is affecting our Russian brethren as well as other interesting information concerning them. Therefore, if you receive our bi-monthly Slobodian prayer letters, you will get this information. If you are not receiving this or some of our other publications, you can subscribe at the following link: 

https://www.baptistinternational.org/news/194-z68bw

In Christ,

Sam & Amy Slobodian