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NEWS ARCHIVE
Stories from Spring 2007
UEC Continues Bible
Give-Away
 Thanks
to the help of many of you, the Ukrainian Education Center is now able
to give out free Bibles in Ukrainian, Russian, and Engish to our patrons.
Pictured on the left is Margarita, an ICU first-year
student with her new English Bible.
A
Word From a Patron
 This
year we have seen a large increase in the number of international students
who come to the Ukrainian Education Center. It has been a great blessing
to see that we can serve not just people from Ukraine but from many other
nations in the world as well. Marc Farah (pictured on the right), originally
from Lebanon, is one of these students. He came to Ukraine last year to
study to be a veterinarian at the National Agrarian... [more]
American
Visitors at the UEC
 During
the spring months, the UEC welcomed several visitors from the US.
The Ukrainian Education Center board president David
Ralston came to Kyiv for a visit in early March. He... [more]
Spring
Events
 The
spring was a very busy time at the Ukrainian Education Center. This semester
we had a boom of different groups and individuals using the Center for
both the building of the Body and spreading the good news to others. Every
night at the Center has been very busy with... [more]
Anonymous
Donation
Last summer a munificent donor surprised the UEC with
a large monetary gift. The restricted gift was to be used for significant
facility and library improvements, changes for which we would normally
not have funding. We were able to make several important improvements
including renovating the dilapidated entryway shared with our neighbors
and purchasing software and English... [more]
Ukrainian
Students
 As
the spring comes to Kyiv, parks with blooming chestnut trees and warm
weather replace the bleak and cold winter, and Kyiv university students
approach the deciding season of the school year, the season of...
[more]
Stories from Winter 2007
2006
in Review
 2006
was a time of transition for the UEC. Sergiy Lyakh enrolled in Pepperdine's
business school and Vitaly Samodin took over many of his responsibilities
as our new part-time administrator. Lera Cherednichenko, who manages the
library, married Vitaly this past... [more]
Ministry
at the UEC
 Above
all, the UEC is a place for ministry. We provide meeting rooms to local
churches and missionaries for them to minister to new believers, share
the faith with seekers, and encourage those who are already Christ followers.
We have several partners in ministry. Nivki Church of Christ and Livoberezhna
Church of Christ organize several groups that meet at the... [more]
Kyiv
Supporters
 In
our previous newsletters we mentioned the UEC Friends Club project that
was started in March 2006. The UEC Friends Club was started in order to
encourage some of our working patrons to support the UEC financially.
We advertised the opportunity to help the Center and offered special library
privileges to every supporter when their donations reach $100.
Through the past year God richly... [more]
2006
Statistics
 This
past year God blessed the Ukrainian Education Center library with numerous
donations and generous donors both in the US and in Kyiv. Throughout the
year 606 new library items were donated by 49 different people. Thanks
to Dr. Mack W. Craig's and Dr. Harold Shank's large donations of books,
our history... [more]
Stories from Fall 2006
UEC
Fall Activites
 This
fall the UEC was busied with the activities of different churches and
ministries.
With the beginning of the new school year on September
1, the Center welcomed many students who became our new patrons. Many
of the International Christian University first-year students signed up
for the [more]
Two
New Friends
 With
the beginning of the academic year comes a new outreach season for us.
Outreach now, much more so than in the past, has to compete with many
other activities that students have besides their studies. This year inviting
students to our activities was not that easy. At first we wanted to conduct
an orientation for freshmen but the director of the university was strongly
opposed to the idea. At God's mercy, Grady Bryan invited us to his class
[more]
Thank
You From Kyiv
 We
recently received a thank you letter from one of our regular patrons,
Sasha Avramchuk (pictured on the left). Sasha studies photography at the
Kyiv University of Art and Culture. Not only is he a faithful patron,
but is also a volunteer who helped the UEC in many ways including taking
pictures during the anniversary celebration. [more]
UEC
Life
 With
the UEC's 5th anniversary in view, we started active repairs in our facility.
Two weeks of hard work were spent to repair the entryway in our apartment
building. Another project this fall was installing new carpets in several
rooms at the Center. Even though we did not manage to accomplish everything
we wanted, much has been done to make the UEC a more comfortable place
for our patrons. [more]
A
Patrons' Point of View
 This
fall we are distributing a questionnaire to find out patrons' opinions
about the UEC. One of the questions we asked was "How has the UEC
helped you?" Here are some of the responses we received.
"Once I had very little time to finish a project.
All the computer classes at the university closed in the..." [more]
OUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY!!!
 The
UEC celebrated its fifth birth day on October 26. Our USA board director
David Ralston and two members of the board, Dr. Mack W. Craig and Dr.
Gary Jerkins joined us at the celebration.
Around 50 of our patrons attended the event. Some of them received gift
certificates for various privileges in the use of the library.
We enjoyed some refreshments, a special program, and a nice time of fellowship.
See more pictures.
Stories from Summer 2006
EARLY
FRUIT
 After
the spring semester, you usually don't expect much in the ministry with
students. As birds fly south in the fall, so do students in the spring.
Most take the train the night of their last final and go home. Some of
them return for the summer semester, some don't. For the last couple of
years, many have gone to work in the US on a program called Work and Travel.
They labor the whole summer to earn tuition money for the coming academic
year. [more]
SUMMER
CHANGES
I started working for the UEC two years ago, the Monday after my graduation
from ICU-Kyiv. During these past two years, my life has become closely
entwined with the life of the Center. And as the UEC is facing a time
of change this summer, it is also a time of change for me personally.
[more]
KYIV
FRIENDS
 In
order to create an opportunity for our working patrons to contribute financially
to the services provided by the UEC, the UEC Friends Club was started
in March 2006. Our idea was that when a person's donations reach $100,
they would become a member of the Friends Club and receive special library
privileges. The opportunity to give was advertised at the Center [more]
SUMMER
HEAT
 Summer
generally is not a time of much city activity. Heat in Kyiv drives people
outside and away. Many leave the city or try to go to some parks or lakes.
Families take vacations and either visit their relatives in some village
away from Kyiv, [more]
Stories from Spring 2006
CONGRATULATIONS,
LERA AND VITALY
 Saturday,
May 27, Valeria Cherednichenko, one of the UEC’s full-time staff members,
was married to Vitaly Samodin. The ceremony and party took place in a
rented facility on the outskirts of Kyiv. Both Vitaly and Lera became
Christians through the ministry of Nivki Church of Christ. Both are active
in ministry and after their honeymoon in Crimea, Vitaly will join the
UEC staff as a half-time administrator taking over many of the responsibilities
[more]
A
NEW UEC FACE
 Olya
Skidina has been coming to the UEC basically every day for the last half
year. As Olya says, it was quite an interesting story how she first came
to the Center. It all started when her neighbor decided to learn to play
the piano. Numerous apartment [more]
BY
THE NUMBERS
 The
last several months at the Center were fun - over 100 people came each
day, lots of items were checked out and then returned, computers and rooms
were used constantly. Starting with September 2005, each month has been
substantially busier than the same month one year ago. Usually, the peak
[more]
FRIENDS
CLUB
The UEC will celebrate 5 years of ministry in October. We now have a patron
base of over 3,000 and many alumni, students we have served who are now
working in full-time jobs. As Kyiv's economy continues to improve, we
recognize the importance [more]
UEC
WINTER LIFE
This winter, local church members have busied UEC meeting rooms. Monday
afternoon an English outreach class is hosted. On Monday evenings, a group
meets to study the Psalms and C. S. Lewis's Reflections on the Psalms.
Tuesday afternoons the hall is filled [more]
MISSIONARIES
ENJOY THE UEC
The UEC exists to promote a living faith in Jesus Christ by meeting educational
needs in Ukraine. We fulfill our mission by maintaining the largest circulating
theological library in Kyiv and through informal cooperation with local
churches and missionaries. Grady Bryan is just such a person. While he
served as a missionary and as [more]
MAY
HOLIDAYS
The month of May starts with a series of days off throughout Ukraine.
For about a week, the whole country stops working to celebrate two of
the most popular local holidays.
May 1 (and usually May 2) is Labor Day, [more]
Stories from January through December 2005
THE
DAYS OF C.S. LEWIS
 Every
Friday our staff meets together to pray for the UEC. We have been actively
praying for opportunities to use the Center to promote faith in Christ
more. With the upcoming release of "The Lion, The Witch, and The
Wardrobe," [more]
AWAKENINGS
 I
remember the times when the old Center was a tiny apartment, where we
(I was a student back then) could hang out with our friends, watch movies,
take some books from there to read or have a small group meeting. The
Center has certainly changed [more]
"THANK
YOU!"
We received these three notes from regular UEC visitors. Yulya and
Nataliya work in Kyiv and visit the Center regularly. Yuri is an ICU student
and has been coming to Nivki Church of Christ for more than a year. We
met [more]
EXPANDING
LIBRARY OUTREACH
This summer the UEC made a substantial donation of several hundred items
to the library of the Bila Tserkva Church of Christ. Kostya Kysilenko,
the minister of the church, told us that the church is trying to expand
the library, [more]
NIVKI
CHURCH KEEPS THE UEC BUSY
Nivki Church of Christ has kept the UEC busy this fall by hosting a range
of outreach and ministry events. Wednesday and Friday nights, church members
have gathered at the UEC for prayer, fellowship, enjoying a simple [more]
Z
NOVYM ROKOM! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Christmas traditions in Ukraine are quite different than in the USA. December
25 is a work day; Ukrainian Christmas is celebrated on January 7. The
Soviet Union transformed New Year's Day into a secular Christmas, and
January 1 remains the most important holiday in Ukraine. [more]
OTHER
STORIES
Read here the following small articles: A Record October, New Employee,
UEC Family News, Memorial Gift, and Thank You Library and Financial Donors!
[more]
MAJOR
COMPUTER UPGRADE
When David Ralston came to Kyiv in July, we talked to him about the need
to upgrade our computer center. At the beginning of October, our visitors
are using the benefits of two upgraded computers, flat 17-inch [more]
JANUARY-JUNE
2005 SIX MONTH REPORT
 Thanks
to God's blessings, 2005 thus far has been a great year for the UEC! We
have seen several baptisms from among our patrons, almost 1,000 items
have been added to the library, and 297 new patrons have joined our ranks.
[more]
A
PRODUCTIVE SIX MONTHS
 As
the General Manager, my three main areas of responsibility are the computer
network, facility maintenance, and relationships with government officials,
USA donors and Kyiv patrons. [more]
EXPANDING
THE LIBRARY
 Two
of my primary responsibilities as Library Acquisitions Manager include
processing new materials through our database, the LAMP, and maintaining
and developing the library collection. [more]
STORIES
AND COMMENTS
 We
asked several of our visitors to tell us their story - who they are, what
kind of background they are from, what they like about the Center and
how they use it. It's people [more]
SOME
STATISTICS
 We've
prepared a nice way for you to look at some of our statistics. All these
graphs show data from November 2003 to June 2005. Click on each of the
graphs in order to magnify them and read the data. [more]
THE
STORY CONTINUES
In our last newsletter, we told you the stories of three Ukrainian Education
Center visitors and their journey to God. In this newsletter, we continue
the tale of God's amazing grace [more]
UEC'S
OUTREACH
The Center has almost 9,000 items in the library now, provides 268 hours
of room usage and receives about 720 patron visits per week. We are capable
of working with more people though. Thus, [more]
A
THANK YOU FROM KYIV
UEC manager Sergiy Lyakh recently asked one of our regular patrons to
write a letter and express his thoughts about the UEC. We were somewhat
shocked to receive the letter [more]
OTHER
SPRING 2005 NEWS
Winter/Spring 2005 Activities; Happy Birthday, Dr. Craig!; UEC Family
Update; DVDs Needed!;Thank You Library Donors / Financial Donors [more]
IRA'S
BAPTISM
On March 6th, Ira Ryzhenko was baptized into Christ. Ira is a part of
Nivky church of Christ for over a year now. She is a second-year student
in International Christian [more]
JOURNAL
FROM KIEV, UKRAINE
Jonathan Shaub, Scott Owings and Keith Davis visited Kyiv in the beginning
of December 2004. Here is the letter that Scott and Jonathan wrote after
their visit: [more]
HIGH-SPEED
INTERNET
The UEC’s manager wants to express his joy and thanks to all financial
supporters for making it possible for the Center to [more]
2004
ANNUAL REPORT
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:Administrative, Ministry, Library Development,
Internship
2005 DEVELOPMENT: Building Faith, Education Needs, Partnerships
[more]
THREE
STORIES
Sasha Tolmachov is a second year student at Kyiv International University.
His older sister, Nastya, has been a member of [more]
HIGHLAND
STREET TEENS
Once a year, the Highland Street Teens choir visits the UEC. This January,
after arriving to Kyiv on January 16th, the choir [more]
Stories from January
through October 2004
SUMMER
EXPANSION
In March 2004, we began considering how to expand the Center's library.
The main goal was to increase book shelving [more]
FALL
SCHEDULE
Please pray for church-sponsored events held at the UEC. More than 150
people participate in these activities: [more]
SUMMER
BAPTISM
Sasha Tolmachyov, a first-year university student at Linguistic and Law
University, was baptized into Christ during Nivki Church's [more]
JONATHAN
SHAUB LOOKS BACK
Amongst my friends in Kyiv, it was not uncommon to hear someone say simply,
"I'm going to the Center," or, "I'll leave it [more]
SECOND
BOOK TRADE
The UEC hosted its second Book Trade on September 24-25 and October 1-2.
The idea emerged last spring. Wanting [more]
BIBLES! BIBLES!
BIBLES!
Thanks to a generous gift from Eastern European Missions, the UEC has
been able to give away several hundred Russian [more]
SUMMER
STAFF CHANGES
This summer, three of our part-time workers left the UEC, and to replace
them, we hired Lera Cherednichenko [more]
GENEROUS
SUMMER DONATIONS
The UEC was blessed this summer with a series of very generous donations.
[more]
SOUP GROUP
UPDATE
In our last newsletter, we reported about Zhenya and our weekly Soup Group.
Late this summer, [more]
STATISTICALLY
SPEAKING
So far this year, the UEC has logged 26,063 visits, 15,841 library items
have been checked out, [more]
THANK YOU,
LIBRARY DONORS!
Since the March newsletter, the UEC has received more than 1,100 donated
items from: [more]
HAPPY
ANNIVERSARY, UEC!
October 4th the UEC celebrated its third anniversary. Though in the past
we have had large parties with guests from the USA [more]
JOIN
US FOR OUR SECOND ANNUAL HARVEST OF BOOKS
Each year the UEC requests our friends join us in a Harvest of Books.
Last year’s effort was very successful,
[more]
RENOVATION
PROJECT
Ukrainian Education Center reopened on August 23rd. While the Center was
closed, we put all our efforts into moving [more]
SUMMER
STAFF CHANGES
Though the UEC staff said good-bye to Jonathan Shaub, Anya Zubkova, and
Artem Danyl’chenko this summer, [more]
JONATHAN
SHAUB LEAVES UKRAINE
Jonathan Shaub came to the UEC in July 2003 with the purpose of being
the next UEC’s intern for the years 2003-2004. [more]
GOOD-BYE
ANYA AND OTHER UPDATES
Anya Zubkova, a committed UEC Library Assistant, decided to leave the
Center at the end of May 2004. [more]
UEC'S
MAILING LIST
To make our website more informative, in May 2004 we moved it to different
hosting to make it faster; [more]
HARVEST OF BOOKS CONTINUES
In 2003, UEC intern Jonathan Shaub initiated the Harvest of Books book
drive.[more]
LOOKING
AHEAD IN 2004
2003 was an important year for the UEC. It was our first complete year
with a full-time manager.[more]
Stories from October
through December 2003
DECEMBER 2003 SURVEY
RESULTS
In December 2003, we surveyed 287 patrons through a brief questionnaire.
[more]
SOUP GROUP BRINGS SPIRITUAL WAKE UP
This semester in our weekly "Soup Group" we are continuing to
attempt to provide clear answers [more]
SPRING NEWS AND NOTES
In January, the Highland Street Church of Christ (Memphis) donated a new
computer to the UEC. [more news and notes]
THIS SEMESTER'S SCHEDULE
This semester again finds the UEC a busy place. [more]
UEC'S DONORS
We thank all these - and anyone overlooked - for their financial and/or
library donations thus far in 2004.[more]
A HARVEST OF
BOOKS
My time in Kyiv so far has been an unbelievable experience of growth,
learning, beauty, and immersion into a living, thriving mission of faith.
[more]
THE LAMP GOES
LIVE!
In October 2003 the Library Access Management Program (LAMP)* went live,
becoming the database of record for the UEC library and capping a nearly
four-year development effort. [more]
UEC NEWS
Otter Creek Church and the UEC, New in Christ, UEC Family Update.[more]
BUSY FALL SEMESTER
October was a record-breaking month for the UEC with 4,700 patron visits
and 2,470 items checked out from the library - our highest numbers ever!
[more]
FALL LIBRARY
DONORS
From October through December, we received 411 donated items. We want
to thank all those who gave.[more]
OTHER 2003 ARCHIVES
2002 NEWS
2001 NEWS
2000 NEWS
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