Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary Update

As the war in Ukraine lingers, many of our donors have asked a very good question. What is motivating the Ukrainians’ endurance for so long? The answer has many facets, but one measure of their resolve is captured in a story of a typical believing family under Russian occupation. We are grateful to Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary for this compelling story!

As a child growing up in the Dnipro region under the Soviet Union, Nadiia learned what it meant to treasure God’s Word. Her family was persecuted for attending church, and authorities even threatened to take the children away. Each night, her father came home, read the Bible aloud, and the children copied verses from the Gospels and Psalms into notebooks to memorize. Afterward, he hid the Bible in a shed in case their home was searched.

During one of those evenings, eight-year-old Nadiia stopped her father with a question that changed her life: “Did Jesus really die for me too?” As she grasped the answer, she wept — and a lifelong calling to follow and serve Christ began.

Once Ukraine was an independent country, believers were able to practice their faith more openly. Nadiia prayed while walking to and from school, shared the Gospel in the streets, and invited neighbors to evangelistic gatherings in her family’s home. Later, she joined an evangelistic mission team that traveled throughout the former Soviet Union. Many people came to faith, and new churches were planted.

Eventually, Nadiia married, became a mother of three, and — together with her husband — helped begin Way Home Church. What started in their home grew into a flourishing congregation.

Then, in 2014, war came. The threat of Russian control loomed.

Nadiia’s husband joined the Ukrainian Army. About a year later, he was seriously wounded during a military operation and listed as missing in action. After a long search, Nadiia learned he had died from his wounds that same day and was buried in the territory where he fell. Her loss was devastating. In the early years of war, people around her did not know how to talk about grief, trauma, or loss. Nadiia and many others carried their pain quietly. Yet God was preparing her to turn personal sorrow into compassionate ministry.

Today, Nadiia serves as a minister at Way Home Church and as a military and police chaplain. Alongside a team of fellow believers, she visits wounded soldiers in hospitals, offers care and the Gospel, and walks beside military families — especially wives and children grieving fallen defenders.

“I try to use the pain I went through myself,” she says, “to bring healing to those who have had similar experiences.”

Her ministry also reaches vulnerable teenagers whose lives have been disrupted by war, displacement, disability, family instability, power outages, and fear. When winter conditions and missile attacks made regular youth meetings impossible, Nadiia and her team recognized they needed new ways to serve their community.

That is where Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary made a practical difference.

Nadiia enrolled in UETS’s Social Ministry Workshop with members of her ministry team. Through the program, they developed Path to Change, an educational and character-development initiative for teenagers outside the church. The two-month leadership program served 20 young people; 16 came from socially vulnerable backgrounds, including military families, internally displaced families, children with disabilities, and disadvantaged homes. Twelve participants later chose to attend a summer camp as well.

The seminary did more than provide soil for ideas to bloom. Nadiia learned how to strengthen her team, assess the resources already available in her church, and lead more effectively. A UETS lecturer even came to Way Home Church to conduct a leadership seminar. The result is a ministry better equipped to meet urgent needs and share the hope of Christ.

One 12-year-old girl who joined Path to Change and the summer camp has become a particular encouragement. Her initially cautious parents were impressed by the program’s care and organization; now their hearts are opening to the church. Nadiia sees in their talented daughter the potential for a future worship leader.

This is the multiplying impact of theological education: one equipped servant becomes a source of hope for soldiers, grieving families, vulnerable teenagers, churches, and communities.

THE OPPORTUNITY

‍You can help launch more well-trained Christian leaders like Nadiia in Ukraine! Your gift toward scholarships at Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary will enable faithful Ukrainian students to receive the theological and practical training they need to serve Christ amid war, trauma, and profound uncertainty. Through a UETS scholarship, you are not simply funding a student’s education — you are investing in healing, resilient churches, Gospel witness, and the next generation of Christian leaders in Ukraine. ‍

You may make a gift by sending a check to the address below with the partner name UETS scholarships on the memo line or you can donate on our website: www.theoutreachfoundation.org.