Ukraine Appeal – Meet the Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary
Meet our newest partner in Ukraine: Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary
Located in Kyiv and with a reach well into Central Asia, Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS) has been equipping women and men for leadership in the church, military chaplaincy, counseling ministry, and peacemaking since the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s. When we reached out to Rev. Najla Kassab, President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, about who we might connect with in a personal way and who is making a tremendous difference in Ukraine during the war, she connected us with UETS’ president, Dr. Ivan Rusyn.
In our conversation, I asked him for something he has learned about ministry in a time of war. “I never thought that servant leadership would mean picking up dead bodies and our seminary bus carefully bringing them to the morgue so that families could identify their loved ones.” UETS serves a strategic purpose in the kingdom of God not only in Ukraine but in the larger region known as Eurasia. With students from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Central Asia, UETS has been bringing together students for reconciliation through dialogue and shared ministry among refugees throughout the war. Most faculty and staff have stayed in Kyiv throughout the war, and each has paid a personal price for doing so. This is servant leadership when it’s most difficult.
Ivan and his family live in neighboring Bucha, which is the location of a significant massacre early in the war. Without knowing how long they had to do so, they were able to evacuate. God be praised. Three hours later the window closed with Russian troops releasing some of Russia’s worst prisoners to roam the streets of Bucha. It was a nightmare. “If we had stayed, there is a 99% chance we would not be speaking today,” Ivan told us somberly.
UETS is a beacon of light near the heart of the war. Each month, staff, faculty, and students of the seminary provide humanitarian relief to thousands around Kyiv. The seminary supports local churches in their efforts as well. Since they are located very close to the front lines, they hold worship services for the military and provide military chaplains with a place to rest when not on the front. For many, rest isn’t about sleeping as much as it is about having a place to be quiet from the explosions and violence. So many have died. “Our country will never be the same.”
Meanwhile, the UETS campus has endured months of bombing. Given its strategic importance to the region for providing highly qualified leaders to the church across multiple traditions including the Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical churches, The Outreach Foundation has committed to being a major partner in the rebuilding campaign. Meanwhile, your donated funds are supporting their monthly humanitarian relief efforts, which are seeing waves of people come to know Christ in a personal way. Thank you!
Please continue to support relief efforts through The Outreach Foundation by sending funds to The Outreach Foundation, 381 Riverside Drive, Suite 465, Franklin TN 37064 or by clicking HERE.