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

War Relief Updates - November 22, 2024

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

1. Last winter, your financial gifts blessed 1,650 Ukrainian soldiers with warm clothing and New Testaments. Once again, we are offering you an opportunity to supply $100 worth of warm clothes and God’s Word for soldiers on the line in Ukraine. This time, we aren’t setting a specific dollar amount as a goal, but we will forward whatever amount arrives for churches to use as opportunities to bless others and to share God’s Word.

2. BIEM has received some exciting news. A donor has stepped forward with a matching-funds offer: Every dollar that BIEM receives for our War Relief outreach will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000! This offer includes the Warm Clothing outreach mentioned above, and it extends through the end of 2025. In other words, each gift you give toward War Relief will automatically double until the $100,000 is reached. Praise God!

3.  Through your gifts of humanitarian aid, BIEM missionaries have established relationships with various hospitals and charities. In this short video, BIEM's director for Ukraine, Eugene Buyko, introduces administrators of 2 different organizations in the Kyiv region that you have blessed with aid and the Gospel:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/helping

4.  A couple of weeks ago, we requested prayer that Igor Fomichov would be able to obtain all necessary permissions and documents to be allowed to leave Ukraine for War Relief meetings we have scheduled in churches for the month of December. Another benefit is that his presence would allow Igor to help load our next container of war relief bound for Ukraine. Praise God, today he received these documents! This news comes just in time since he leaves on Monday. Please pray that Igor does not have any issues crossing the border, since the border guards do have the authority to deny exit despite a traveler possessing all necessary documents. Our readers may remember that on a previous trip the border guards did not want to let him exit into Poland. Only because Igor was able to enlist the help of the mayor of Desna in the middle of the night did they let him through.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - November 15, 2024

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

1. In our November 8th updates, we mentioned a serious need for volunteers to help BIEM sort and pack clothing for our upcoming container of war relief. Praise the Lord, we have enjoyed the assistance of a good number of volunteers who have processed a huge amount of clothing within the past few days. Even as I pen these words, two more volunteers are in our warehouse and sorting and folding clothing into boxes for shipment!

2. As the war drags on, Ukraine not only needs more soldiers, but they are also facing a shortage of medics. Therefore, Ukraine has been recruiting and training more medics. One of the places that has been established for a medic-training center is the local library in Smolyn, next to the Goncharovsk military base where brother Sasha Petrenko has planted a church. This turn of events created an opportunity for brother Sasha to get acquainted with this group of people. Through our war relief fund, he was able to provide them with medical supplies and equipment, including tourniquets, which are in high demand.

3. On a Sunday afternoon in Ukraine, our shipping company contacted Pastor Eugene Buyko. They were ready to deliver our long-awaited container. So, although a Sunday delivery was unusual, Brother Buyko wasn’t going to say, No. He and his family stayed to accept the delivery. Normally an arriving container remains on its trailer and is hauled away after unloading. But in this case, BIEM had purchased a used container for the church to keep as an outdoor storage unit. In the following video, the Buyko family shares with you the off-loading process and introduces just one of many refugee families who are benefiting from war relief shipment...

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/container-arrival

4. This week, Widow’s Jar Ministries in Indianapolis provided us with another trailer full of medical supplies and other relief goods to be distributed by our Ukrainian missionaries. These items, along with other donated goods, will be loaded onto our next container to Ukraine, which we plan to ship in early December. BIEM thanks and praises the Lord for opportunities to collaborate with fellow missions like Widow’s Jar Ministries, which has not only blessed our individual missionary families but provided literally tons of humanitarian aid supplies.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - November 8, 2024

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

1. Thank you, everyone who prayed for Pasha Usach’s brother Alexei, who was picked up and taken to a military processing center. After gathering various documents that normally would exempt him from military service (for example, he has a document verifying that he has an invalid child who is dependent on his assistance), he was told that his case would be decided in the next day or two. When Pasha and Alexei arrived with Alexei’s documents, they learned that every person who met with the officials and presented documents that should have exempted them were nevertheless shipped off somewhere to receive 30 days of training before being dispatched to the front—and with no opportunity to go home first. Upon learning this, they decided to simply leave as soon as it was possible to exit without being detected. Obviously, this is a risky move with unknown consequences. However, Alexei and Pasha felt that this was his best option. Therefore, please continue praying for Alexei in this situation.

2. On November 13, 14, and 15 an out-of-town pastor’s wife has volunteered to come and spend those 3 days sorting, folding, and packing clothing donations that are overflowing our warehouse. She doesn't mind working alone, but more hands would speed up the job next Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. If you might like to help for a day or even a few hours, please call our office (317-718-1633) for further information. Thanks for considering it!

3. For the second time, Sofia Buyko and her daughters traveled from Ukraine to Denmark, where they aided and evangelized a community of Ukrainian refugee women. At least one woman who had initially been cold and unreceptive softened and changed her attitude by the end of their presentation. In the following brief video, they share about that experience:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/denmark2

4. In one of our recent publications we wrote that our practice of bringing Ukrainian pastors to the United States to boost our war relief efforts by sharing the need with churches and supporters has been put on hold due to the military escalating efforts to conscript ordained pastors. However, since Igor Fomichov has connections and standing that others do not have, he has volunteered to come since we urgently need to send another container now that our warehouse is overflowing. Lord willing, he will come at the end of this month. Please pray that he can obtain all necessary permissions and be allowed to leave Ukraine for this purpose.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - October 31, 2024

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

1. Alexei, the brother of BIEM missionary Pasha Usach, has been particularly helpful in assisting us with the distribution of war relief supplies to the needy in Ukraine. However, as he was leaving work today, military personnel were waiting on the street. Alexei and others were conscripted on the spot and loaded onto buses, which drove them straight to an inductment center. A doctor declared Alexei healthy and fully capable of serving in the military. However, as a pacifist, Alexei had decided long before this current war that he would never bear arms and has requested a deferral so he can continue assisting in his Christian ministry in the church. Both Pasha and Alexei urgently request prayers about this right now. 

2. For churches in Ukraine to receive free containers of war-relief supplies, they need to register with the government and obtain approval. This is not an easy process. Even as we collect more aid to ship in our next container, the church in Desna, Ukraine, is attempting to navigate the bureaucratic requirements necessary to receive approval for tax-free aid shipments. This, too, is a good matter for prayer.

3. In New Odesa, Ukraine, believers who bake for the needy are helping BIEM’s war-relief program by baking fresh bread for people left in desperate straits because of Russia’s war on Ukraine. In this short video, Brother Andrei shares some of what they do and how it’s beneficial:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/bread

4. Praise God, this week we have received 150 padded auditorium chairs from a church in our area that is upgrading theirs. These chairs have a lot of useful life left in them and will be a great blessing to churches in Ukraine. Even though our containers focus on war relief and humanitarian aid, furnishings for churches can also be classified as humanitarian aid, so we can ship them duty-free to Ukraine.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - October 25, 2024

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

1. We praise the Lord for prompting many individuals and families to give us bags and boxes of lightly used clothing and shoes for Ukraine. With so many homes that have been destroyed in the war, the need for clothing and footwear remains great. We are well on our way to having enough for a new container shipment. However, the amount of recent donations is greater than what our staff can process. In fact, in addition to the large number of recent donations, 2 days ago we unloaded a huge trailerful of clothing we hadn’t known was coming. If your family, Sunday school class, or other group would like to volunteer 2 or 3 hours to sort, fold, and box up clothing for shipment, please contact our office. We could use the help!

2. Tomorrow Vitaly Bilyak leaves for another trip delivering war relief aid and sharing the Gospel along the war front. This trip will concentrate on civilians in Kherson and then further east to Dnipro. Please pray for safety and for him and those volunteers participating in this effort.

3. Awakening Baptist Church in the Obolon district of the Ukrainian capital of Ukraine is continuing its efforts of reaching out to the refugees from Bakhmut who have so many needs, both materially and spiritually. In the short video update “Reaching out to Refugees,” Pastor Nikolai Rozhnyatovsky shares about the church's efforts and the fruits of these labors:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/reaching

4. Igor Fomichov has returned to Ukraine after 5 weeks of speaking in churches here in the United States. We thank the Lord that Igor had an opportunity to help us in that way. Next, we had plans to invite Vitaly Yurchenko to come and speak in other churches. However, this plan has been put on hold because of various risks and hassles the Ukrainian military is exerting even on ordained pastors to join the military. Our longstanding practice of bringing our Ukrainian missionaries to the U.S. to represent BIEM to supporters has been a huge blessing. Now, though, with this changing situation, we request prayer that we will be able to continue such visits in the future and that this hold on Brother Vitaly’s trip be only temporary.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - October 18, 2024

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

1. There is heightened concern among our Ukrainian national missionaries that some will be conscripted for military service in that country. This concern is born out of Ukraine’s increasingly aggressive conscription tactics. For example, recently after a large musical concert in downtown Kyiv there were military officers waiting at every exit to conscript on the spot the large number of male concertgoers as they were exiting the concert. Furthermore, it has become customary for the military to accompany police on traffic stops, during which they examine the I.D. of the traffic offender and in many cases conscript them on the spot. Also, there has been an increase in roadblocks set up to do the same. Therefore, please pray that our church planters will not be compelled to leave their fruitful ministries to serve in the military, which would drastically affect our war-relief distributions.

2. Believers in Bilogorodka, Ukraine, have begun distributing war relief from our container that recently arrived. Already, teams have delivered supplies to war-torn Kherson. Due to new regulations, these distributions require much more documentation than before. If the documentation is not accepted, that would prevent future container shipments from receiving humanitarian-aid status. Therefore, our brethren are being very diligent about this matter even though it requires much more meticulous effort on their part.

3. Ministry always involves movement—across the street, across town, across the country, and oceans—all for the sake of reaching souls and changing lives. We are thankful to the Lord for allowing Igor Fomichov—our missionary from Desna, Ukraine—to travel to the U.S. and speak in supporting churches these past weeks. Before flying home to Ukraine, Igor offered this “moving” update about his church's rehabilitation ministry in the city of Desna:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/missionsmove

4. After a break for the summer, aid distribution to the Bakhmut-area refugees who have been evacuated to the Obolon district of Kyiv resumed last month. There are over 8,000 such refugees. When Sam Slobodian was recently in Kyiv during the Fall session of our seminary, he was able to meet with Pastor Nikolai, who is leading this outreach. Pastor Nikolai recounted how several refugees have been saved through these distributions are now regularly attending their church services. Praise God!

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - October 11, 2024

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

1.  Praise God, our most recent container arrived in the Polish port last weekend and was quickly loaded onto a truck heading for Ukraine. After a quick border crossing, the container has now reached its destination at the church in Bilogorodka. The contents of this container will certainly give Christians open doors for distributing the relief you donated. More importantly, it will give them clear opportunities to share their Christ with needy ones.

2. Once again, BIEM church planter Vitaly Bilyak has traveled with Pastor Alexander to within 3 miles of Ukraine's eastern war front. This time to Pokrovsk. The pair's two main goals were to share the Gospel with people who live in that dangerous area and also to deliver aid in the form of food parcels. During the last 3 days of the trip, they ministered to various soldiers. In this brief video, Vitaly shares some of the sights the two encountered plus "slice of life" moments from this ministry trip.

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/pokrovsk

3. On September 20, we shared a positive report from Chervona Sloboda about a soldier named Sasha. He is one of the soldiers who received warm clothing from this church last winter. On leave, Sasha visited the church to repeat his thanks in person, and he agreed to take more aid back to his unit on the lines. However, the church in Lviv (which blessed 50 soldiers with warm clothing) has lost contact with 2 of those young men, Anton and Alexander. The congregation doesn’t know whether Anton and Alexander are POWs, or perished, but they request prayer for them.

4. This year, as winter draws closer, we are planning to repeat the Warm Clothing for Soldiers program. Please pray that there will be a good response from donors so we can share both the Gospel and warm clothing with soldiers who will need them.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - October 4, 2024

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

1.  The church in Lviv, Ukraine, is requesting prayer concerning Gleb, one of the soldiers for whom they provided warm clothing this past winter through our warm clothing for soldiers project. Gleb’s family was evacuated from Mariupol to Lviv, where several of them have been saved and now attend the church. Gleb—a drone specialist serving at the war front—has been severely wounded. He has been evacuated to a hospital in Lviv. Please pray that he makes a full recovery and, most of all, pray that this church will be able to reach him for Christ.

2. Donations for our War Relief Fund have decreased over time. However, the need has not decreased as refugees continue to flood into the areas of many of our churches. For example, the city of Lviv now has 150,000 registered refugees and an estimated 100,000+ more who have not yet registered. Please consider donating to our war relief efforts so we can enable churches to share the Gospel while aiding refugees, each in their own areas.

3. Some products need to be tried to be appreciated. When a group of believers near Kyiv, Ukraine, first began assembling packets of instant soup ingredients to aid their military, not everyone was initially impressed. However, after soldiers in the field gave the dry soup packets a try, their opinions of the project quickly changed. In this video, Sam Slobodian interprets as some of the kitchen volunteers share reactions to their labor of love…

   https://vimeo.com/user37287229/soupkitchen

4.  In the United States this past week, the labor strike of 45,000 dock workers from New England to Texas held the potential for economic disaster. While this strike effectively halted containerized shipments of products into the U.S., it also blocked outgoing containers bound for foreign shores. Ministries like BIEM cannot ship humanitarian aid or other supplies during such a strike. Happily, this strike was suspended after just 3 days with a temporary settlement. However, we keep our eyes on the situation since dockworkers agreed to only a 3-month suspension, which ends on January 15. As BIEM considers our next aid shipment, timing might be prove crucial, depending on developments with those negotiations. Please pray that no such events will hinder our war-relief efforts.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - September 27, 2024

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

1. Sam Slobodian and Pastor Troy Lohmeyer from St. Paul, Minnesota, are currently in Ukraine for BIEM’s Fall seminary session. The session begins on Monday, and brother Troy will be teaching Eschatology. One of their first stops was in Ternopil to see Vitaly Bilyak, who has just returned from his 19th trip to the war front distributing war relief and sharing the Gospel with civilians and soldiers. Most likely, we will be able to post a video about this trip in next week’s updates. The two were able to provide Vitaly with sufficient funds to cover the expenses of Vitaly’s next trip to the war front, which is already being planned.

2. Through Sofia Buyko’s own mother, who has become a refugee in Denmark, Sofia learned of a group of Ukrainian refugee women in that area who needed both encouragement and the Gospel. She and her daughters resolved to take God’s Word plus aid to these Ukrainian ladies dwelling far beyond Ukraine’s border. They tell about that mission here:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/beyond

3. Our most recent container of war relief is due to arrive in the Polish port today. Praise God, all the paperwork for this shipment’s overland transportation from Poland to the church in Bilogorodka, Ukraine, is completed, so there should be no delay in dispatching this cargo from the Polish port to Ukraine. If all goes as planned, it should arrive to its destination sometime next week.

4. Sasha Petrenko, our church planter at the military base in Goncharovsk, shares some good news regarding Vlad, a young soldier reached through their ministry. After serving in battle from the first days of the war, Vlad has now been transferred from the frontline to Goncharovsk, where he will continue his military service. Sadly, not many survive that long in battle. The numbers of those who remain alive throughout months of active battle are shocking and tragic. Please continue to pray for the war to end, and pray specifically for Vlad now that he is in Goncharovsk, that he will become involved with the church so he can grow in the Lord.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM

War Relief Updates - September 20, 2024

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

1. Next week, Sam Slobodian and a pastor from Minnesota leave for Ukraine for the seminary’s Fall session. While there, they plan to check in on many of our war-relief efforts in various locations. Since students who attend come from all over Ukraine, their presence in the seminary gives us an opportunity to load up these students with specific war-relief items, which they will then courier back to their hometowns. Please pray that no Russian bombings or drone attacks will hinder the seminary session.

2. We previously mentioned that our latest container shipment was due at the Polish port on September 10. The arrival date has now been pushed back to September 27. Once it arrives at the port, the plan is to load it onto a flatbed truck that will haul it to its destination in Bilogorodka, Ukraine.

3. The husband of one of BIEM’s volunteer aid workers has been fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine since the beginning of the war. While her husband is away serving in the armed forces, Anna helps to distribute war relief provided by BIEM. In this role, she aids children, adults, and wounded military in a wide variety of locations. Anna emphasizes that volunteers can’t perform relief work without friends like you. She likes the motto “Together We Have Strength.” Meet her in the following 4-minute video:

https://vimeo.com/user37287229/together

4. Some of our readers may remember that the church in Chervona Sloboda has a Gospel puppet ministry that evangelizes in schools, orphanages, various institutions, and in outdoor meetings. A young man named Sasha came to Christ through this ministry and became a part of the church, where he eventually became one of the puppet actors. Now a soldier in the army, he has been in battles for two years. Just this week he received a leave, which he used to spend some time with the church. Not only was his visit a time of warm and encouraging fellowship, but this was an opportunity to supply him with war relief items that he can share with other soldiers.

In Christ,

Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM