UEC Celebrates One Year of Ministry!
Finishing the Task
UEC Faces: Anya Kanifolskaya
A First-Anniversary Surprise
Lena Finds a Home at the UEC
UEC at the End of the Year
The UEC thanks these 2002 monthly donors
We also express our gratitude

Update for September 2002

Artyom's Story
The Hanauer's Come to Ukraine
From the Manager: New Changes
Library Growth and Summer Visitors
Bibles for University Students
What People Say About the UEC
Psalms Conference with John Mark Hicks
During September
We would like to thank the following people

Update for July 2002

A Summer of Changes
The New UEC Face
During June and July…
Let's Start Talking
UEC Spring Guests
A Board Member Reflects on Summer Kyiv Visit
Intern Remembers Lesson of Community
The UEC received almost six hundred items

Update for Spring, 2002

Celebrating Six Months in Our New Home
What is UEC?
Lipscomb Students Serve UEC During Spring Break Visit
HOPE Groups
Relationship Seminar with Candi Wood

Update for January 2002

Update for November 2002
UEC Celebrates One Year of Ministry!
Finishing the Task
UEC Faces: Anya Kanifolskaya
A First-Anniversary Surprise
Lena Finds a Home at the UEC
UEC at the End of the Year
The UEC thanks these 2002 monthly donors
We also express our gratitude

UEC Celebrates One Year of Ministry!

On October 4, 2001, as the paint dried on the walls, the UEC -- with great trepidation -- opened its new facility. We wondered if the neighbors would complain about increased noise, we wondered if the electric meter would support all the appliances, we wondered if the second-floor toilet would flush properly, and truthfully, we wondered if people would come.

A year later we've learned that occasionally one neighbor does complain, the electric meter did have to be replaced, and sometimes the second-floor toilet still doesn't flush properly. And we have learned that people have indeed come to the Center. In October 2002, our busiest month ever, we registered over 4,500 visits, recorded more than 2,300 library transactions, and now have 1,076 registered library patrons. Approximately 170 visitors passed through our doors every day in October. Our two computers and four meeting rooms were busy more than 85% of the time. Our library has grown to over 5,000 items and more than 3,300 items have been tirelessly entered into our ACCESS database. Soon we hope to provide electronic checkout.

But the numbers are only a small way of indicating the ways in which the Center serves unbelievers and local faith communities. Every week the UEC hosts several church small group meetings, 3 Let's Start Talking follow-up groups, HOPE groups, Friday night devotional and movie night, and several leadership training meetings. The UEC also serves hundreds of students every week as they use the computers, study, and relax at the UEC.
In addition to these service opportunities, the UEC saw Katie Boyer, a 2001 Lipscomb University graduate, finish her year of service in May 2002 as the UEC's first intern. And in September 2002, we welcomed Joshua and Maurie Hanauer, 2002 Lipscomb graduates and UEC-Livoberezhna church interns for the next year. We said good-bye to our dedicated project coordinator Bogdan Andryichenko as he began graduate studies at Pepperdine University, and welcomed Sergiy Lyakh as our first manager. We saw the baptisms of several students local churches initially met through the UEC. Artem Danylchenko, who now works for the Center, was one such person. We are doing exactly what we hoped we would be doing in our new home: we are lifting up Jesus' name by meeting education needs in Ukraine.

Finishing the Task

Our primary financial goal for the conclusion of this year and the next is paying off the building project debt. The UEC's home is much larger and much nicer than any of us ever imagined. It also cost more than originally planned. When costs exceeded available funds, the board borrowed money to guarantee completion of the project. But a $27,000 debt remains with us. As this year comes to a close, would you make a year-end contribution to free us from this debt? What a great joy it would be for us to begin 2003 debt-free with more funds available to meet our regular monthly operation expenses (about $1,500 per month). Please send whatever you can to our Nashville address. A response envelope is provided. The UEC staff and board thank you in advance!

Chris Lovingood, director
Monica Moreland, assistand director
Sergiy Lyakh, manager
Joshua and Maurie Hanauer, interns
Artem Danylchenko, library assistant
Polina Dyakova, library assistant
Anya Zubkova, library assistant

UEC Faces: Anya Kanifolskaya
by Joshua and Maurie Hanauer

Many lives have been blessed by the Ukrainian Education Center. One such person whose life has been changed is Anya Kanifolskaya. Anya is a 22 year-old young lady originally from Fastov, a small town outside of Kyiv. She graduated in May from International Christian University-Kyiv with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

Anya was around when the dream for the UEC was born. She became a Christian through other ICU students who were involved with the Nivki and Livoberezhna churches. Currently, she is a small group leader at Livoberezhna and is a great asset to that church.
In addition to being very involved with church, Anya also works for a pharmaceutical company. However, when she was a student, she would visit the UEC everyday. Like many students, she would come to work on her homework or work on the computers. She participated in the HOPE group ministry on Saturdays, and her small group met at the UEC as well. Even though she is no longer a student, Anya can still be found hanging around the UEC. Like many people, she has found many friends there and thinks the place feels like home.

Since we have come to Ukraine, we have learned a lot about other people and how they live. One of the things we have learned is that people need a place to go where they feel safe. Here in Kyiv, where many students come for education, the UEC is that place. It has always been a place where students feel welcome. They can escape the winter cold and drink a hot cup of tea. Anya is no exception. The people she met at the Center have blessed her life. The Center has blessed her life.

A First-Anniversary Surprise
by Joshua Hanauer

The fourth of November was a wonderful evening. About sixty-five people came to the UEC for a surprise appreciation dinner to honor one of the UEC's most ardent and faithful supporters -- David Ralston: a Memphis business person, a Highland Street Church of Christ elder, and president of the UEC's board. David has come to visit Ukraine more times than most of us can count. He has invested time, money and much of his life into the work that goes on in Kyiv and Bila Tserkva. Chris Lovingood began the night with a short speech describing what the occasion was all about. David thought the night was to commemorate the one year anniversary of the Center. He was truly surprised when the spotlight was turned on him. Visiting Kyiv with him were Dr. Gerald Jerkins, Jay Shapley, and Dave Kelly, all of Memphis. Jay and Dave are both elders at Highland Street Church of Christ.

After Chris introduced the event, Monica Moreland presented David with an album full of pictures and notes from people who have been affected by the Center. She also talked about the small groups that meet at the UEC each week. Next was Sergiy Lyakh, the UEC's manager, who spoke about the library and the other resources that the UEC offers to students. After Sergiy, I talked about HOPE groups that serve over one-hundred people each Saturday. The truth is, HOPE would not even exist if it were not for the Center. Finally, Maurie Hanauer took some time to talk about "Friday Night - Movie Night" that the Center hosts each week. Overall, the people who had come (especially David) realized how much the UEC has impacted all of our lives. After the brief talks, David was presented with a painting of a Ukrainian village from the UEC Kyiv staff. Finally, two UEC part-time workers, Polina and Artem, came out with a surprise 17-pound cake expressing our thanks to David for his hard work. It was wonderful to see David smiling and talking with everyone who had come to show their appreciation for his part in turning the UEC dream into reality.

Lena Finds a Home at the UEC
by Monica Moreland

Lena Gayshuk is one of 150 new first-year students who now regularly visit the UEC. She, like many others, was introduced to the UEC through her Bible class at ICU. She came to the UEC to pick up a new NIV Bible which the UEC provided to assist in her studies. She quickly learned the library system and gradually became more involved in other activities. While at the UEC her first time, she learned about Movie Night and HOPE groups, which she began attending immediately. She also attended Student Night at Nivki Church and quickly made friends with several Christians from both Nivki and Livoberezhna churches.

The UEC is the place where Lena can find friends, study, feel at home, and understand the Bible. Lena said, "I like the friendly atmosphere at the UEC. Polina (one of the Christian employees) helped me with the computer. From the beginning, I came to the UEC and found people I could talk with. If we did not have the UEC, I would not know most of the people I know now. The UEC has become my home. I am learning about the Bible through HOPE and a Bible study with Monica and Maurie. I didn't know that a place like this existed. The UEC has the only Christian library I have ever seen."

During the last three weeks, Lena began attending Livoberezhna church. She has joined one of the church family groups which meets at the UEC. The UEC has provided a place for Lena and many others to find a secure way into the Kingdom of God. Through friendships and honest discussions she has gained the support she needs, and many of her questions about the Bible and Christianity are being answered.

Lena has the heart of a servant. She has a great hunger to understand God's Word and is quickly putting her knowledge into practice. She already joins in the ministry, helping to set up HOPE groups and translating for the teen group. We can see the Lord working in wonderful ways to draw Lena to Himself and into our Christian community. Please keep Lena and many other young students in your prayers.

UEC at the End of the Year
by Sergiy Lyakh

In October 2002, the UEC celebrated its first year in the new facility. As we now turn to the UEC's second year, there is much to think about and to review. The UEC now hosts thrice as many people compared to the same time last year; many more visitors use our library, computers, and rooms. The UEC now is used almost at its full capacity. There are several visitors who have found information about local churches and now attend our Sunday assemblies.

As the manager, one of my responsibilities is working on government paperwork for the UEC, much of which is still in progress. Due to the Ukrainian bureaucratic approach in dealing with documents, it takes a very long time to complete paperwork. I am just finishing the necessary papers for our library assistants to work at the UEC, making sure all things are legal and correct and in the best interest of the Center and of the workers.

In addition to processing paperwork, I do my best not only to make our visitors feel comfortable, but also to make it pleasant and fruitful for our workers to work. It takes time and effort to help eight people work as a team. As a step towards improving our human resource management, we have held employment evaluations where all the workers could share what was bothering them and what they particularly liked in the atmosphere of the UEC. Through these evaluations, it became clear both to management and to the library assistants what problems we have and how to solve them. Among other issues, we discussed how to balance time one needs to spend in conversations with our visitors as library patrons and as friends, for many people who use the center are good friends with the people who work with us.

Since so many people use the Center now, we face issues that are new for us. It was necessary for us to renovate the Center a little bit. We changed carpets in two rooms, checked and repaired our electrical system, fixed a problem with our shower-cabin. In the beginning of November, we invited people who wanted to help clean up the facility. A very nice team of nine student volunteers worked for six hours doing some major cleaning. Besides people who volunteer to contribute to the UEC's well-being, there are those who want to cause trouble. We talk with several people who constantly break the UEC's rules, and we pray and hope that we have solved the problem with theft at the UEC. Starting at the end of September, some things disappeared from the Center. After talking with a person who was suspected, the thefts stopped, and we hope those incidents will never happen again.

During this time of Thanksgiving, we thank our Lord for helping us see the great work He does at the Center. We also continue our prayers for all those who helped the idea of the UEC to become a real place.

The UEC thanks these 2002 monthly donors for their operations fund contributions. Thank you for keeping the Center open!

Dan and Roberta Andrews
Mack W. Craig
Hillsboro Church of Christ
Gerald Jerkins
Paul and Valery Prill
David Ralston

We also express our gratitude to all those
who helped our library grow during this fall:

Gary and Diane Cox
Steve and Mildred Eckstein
Guy and Katie Hufstedler
Chris Lovingood
Charles and Julia May
Lena Morozova
Paul and Cindy Nichols
David Ralston
Oleg Skutsenya
Southside Church of Christ

Update for September 2002
Artyom's Story
The Hanauer's Come to Ukraine
From the Manager: New Changes
Library Growth and Summer Visitors
Bibles for University Students
What People Say About the UEC
Psalms Conference with John Mark Hicks
During September
We would like to thank the following people


Artyom's Story
Every September, UEC friends donate English Bibles to distribute to first-year university students. For many, dropping by to pick up a Bible is the reason for their first visit to the center. One year ago, Artyom Danylchenko made such a visit (mentioned in our Spring 2002 newsletter). He picked up his Bible, looked around the library, and actually volunteered to help. He had worked in a public library while an exchange student in Arizona and almost immediately began helping us catalog new items. Artyom also found the center's library helpful, especially the dictionaries. We saw him regularly at Nivki Church of Christ's Saturday Student Night just as he became a regular UEC visitor. Soon, he came to Nivki's Sunday assembly and told someone he didn't like it. But he kept coming to the UEC.

Eventually, he became fascinated by our C. S. Lewis special collection. He participated in a reading group on Mere Christianity led by last year's intern, Katie Boyer. And slowly, faith emerged.

One of the Wednesday night small groups at the center began to invite Artyom to their meeting. He always politely declined; they kept asking and praying. He started helping prepare their meal yet would not come to their meeting. In March, finally, after many prayers, he came to a meeting. And he came the next week and the next week. Faith had finally bloomed.

In early August 2002, in a Dnipro River baptism, Artyom was united with the Lord. As he gave his confession before his baptism, he recounted the role that many played in his coming to Christ. It was a joy to hear that the UEC had served as the place where Artyom came to believe. Artyom described the UEC's role in these words: "UEC has successfully accomplished its mission statement patiently dealing with me as both patron and personality."

Artyom now works for the UEC. He helps maintain the collection and serves as a receptionist. He is being trained to be a Nivki church small group leader and helps every week with the Student Night outreach and other ministries. He is also helping his small group reach out to Anton, one of his friends. Anton has also discovered Lewis and volunteers to help us with technology issues by developing an Explorer-based search function for the library database. And just a few weeks ago, Anton began attending Artyom's small group.

Artyom and Anton are the reason you gave money to help build the UEC. Artyom, Anton, and the others who will go down the same path are the reasons we exist. In some small way, we help meet students' needs. And in that service, we pray God uses the churches who minister at the UEC to bring these students to Christ.

The Hanauer's Come to Ukraine
by Joshua Hanauer

Neither Maurie nor I ever thought we would be missionaries. We both went to college to become teachers. However, we soon found out that God had different plans for our lives. It was not something that happened all at once. We never heard God say, "You both need to live in Kyiv in order to do the work that I have planned for you." But through our years at Lipscomb University we felt a call on our lives to do what we never thought we would be asked to do.

Maurie and I both grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. We went to school together for ten years. We met and started dating our junior year of high school and got married just last December. This past March was our first opportunity to visit Kyiv. We came for one week, and ended that week with a decision to return for a year-long internship.

Though we are just getting settled in Kyiv, we are excited that there is so much for us to do already. Maurie and I will spend quite a bit of our time working at the UEC Our primary responsibilities there will be making contact with students and helping in the ever growing library. Another focus of ours will be relationship building. The UEC is an excellent place to do this. It provides a neutral environment for Christians to interact with non-believers. For example, on Friday nights we will be hosting a Movie Night, where students can come and listen to a short devotional and then watch an American movie with American and Ukrainian Christians. Maurie and I also hope to take advantage of this environment by spending some time here just talking with students who come to use the UEC.

We will also be working with Monica Moreland at the Livoberezhna church. Some of our responsibilities there will include leading HOPE groups, training teachers and leaders, helping counsel students and church members, and Bible studies. I am happy to be assisting a professor at ICU, and Maurie is assisting Monica at Kyiv Mohyla Academy.

We can't wait to see what God teaches us through our year working with the Ukrainian Education Center and its affiliated churches!
You can contact the Hanauers at hanauer@i.com.ua or by phone (dialing from the USA) 011-38-044-517-0066.

From the Manager: New Changes
by Sergiy Lyakh

This fall brings many changes in the life of the UEC. Among the most important ones are new library assistants and great progress in working with our library's database.

When the UEC reopened on August 19th after its summer holidays, two new people began to work as library assistants. This summer we celebrated the graduation of three people who worked at the UEC - Nastya Kulenko, Lili Rudnitskaya, and Inna Chernyahovskaya. They stayed with the UEC until its summer holidays, and then two new people were carefully selected and invited to join the UEC. Those are Artyom Danylchenko and Anya Zubkova. Together with Polina Dyakova, the only employee from the "old team," all the library assistants took part in the training and development of their skills. They all now are studying at ICU, taking no less than five classes each.

Renewed in its workforce, the UEC is now doing its best to reach out to those people who need to be served: ICU and other university students, Nivky and Livoberezhna church small groups, people who want to improve their English skills, and all those who want to educate themselves by reading our books, working on our computers, viewing our videos and listening to CDs.

This summer we continued our work on the UEC library database--the LAMP. With the help of several workers, we have entered more than 3,000 items into the program. When we finish the process of data entry, we will make our service better and faster. Not only will it take less time for the library assistants to check items out and in, but the LAMP will also keep track of all the overdue items, suspended patrons, and of course items on hand. The database will make it possible for our patrons to search our database in order to find out whether the UEC library has the item they are interested in, or if it is out, when it will be back on the shelf.

With all the work of our staff and part time employees and your kind prayers, the UEC is becoming a better place.

Library Growth and Summer Visitors
by Chris Lovingood

This summer, the UEC library grew by over 500 items thanks to the generosity of more than 15 donors (listed on the back page). At this point in our life, the UEC has no funds for library acquisitions so we are totally dependent on the generosity of our supporters. We are now especially in need of texts covering economics, management, advertising, European history, and Christian history. You can help provide these needed materials by sending a monetary donation to the UEC or by mailing an M-bag available through your local post office. If you would like to send an M-bag, we suggest you pack the books in small boxes wrapped in plastic bags to prevent damage during shipping. M-bags take about 3 months to arrive but it's much cheaper than air mail. The following Russian mailing label can be attached to the M-bag tag.

The UEC greeted numerous summer visitors including a group from Hillsboro Church of Christ. Two of our board members, Greg Hardeman and Gary Jerkins, were a part of this team. They stayed at the UEC and donated several items to the library. Judy and Keylin Visockis along with Joe Stephenson, former Kyiv resident, also blessed the center this summer. They worked in the library helping us organize and check the fiction section records and donated a number of titles.

Ken and Victoria Kirby were with us in September for a week. Ken is the developer of the database we'll soon be using for cataloging and maintaining circulation. Thanks to countless hours of labor by Ken and the UEC staff, we are almost ready to introduce automated circulation and record keeping. This automation will enable the library to continue to grow unencumbered. We are very thankful for Ken's dedication to the project and his willingness to see it through to the end.

Bibles for University Students
by Monica Moreland

Every fall semester the Ukrainian Education Center gives English Bibles to International Christian University-Kyiv first-year students. This year Linda Gnewikow of Memphis, Tennessee, donated funds for Bibles for 147 first-year students and about 100 more English Bibles to be used at the UEC for HOPE groups and other outreach. The Highland St. Church of Christ (Memphis) singles group brought the Bibles to Kyiv when they came in July. Thank you to Linda and the Highland singles for your great service and support in spreading the Good News of Jesus in Kyiv.

What People Say About the UEC

"When I came here first, I was impressed. I can get a
lot of information, books, meet different people or just
spend some time with my friends. This is a great place for
studying and preparing for classes. Thanks, guys! You did
a good job."
- Yuri Fed

"Ukrainian Education Center helps me a lot with my studies
in University. It provides good opportunity for me and my
friends from church meet together in UEC. If there were
no UEC, it wouldn't be a good student life. I wish there
were more Centers in Ukraine like UEC."
- Anya Shvachko

"UEC is an excellent place where I can relax and just have a
good time. I can meet many Christians who will always find time
to listen to me and give a good advice. This is also a great place
for Christian groups which meet once a week for worshipping
God and learning how to serve Him."
- Tanya Nima

"The computers at the UEC are a great help in our new
Song Book project. At the Center I can meet with worship
leaders of many churches and several communities, work
together for the Churches of our country."
- Igor Ouglev

Psalms Conference with John Mark Hicks
by Monica Moreland

September 20-22 Livobererzna church hosted a seminar on Psalms with John Mark Hicks of Lipscomb University in Nashville. 100 Ukrainians came from over ten different cities in Ukraine. Christians from Kyiv, Bila Tserkva, Odessa, Donetsk, Bobrovits, Sumy, and several towns between traveled to the seminar. John Mark encouraged the participants to examine Psalms as prayers to the Lord. Many people were touched by the way the Psalmists were completely open with God concerning their pain and suffering. Several people left saying that they had gained hope and trust in God from the weekend.

Following the Psalms Conference on Sunday evening, John Mark Hicks led a discussion on the topic of communion at the Ukrainian Education Center. John Mark recently published the book, Come To The Table, Revisioning The Lord's Supper, giving great new insights into participating in and preparing for communion. Many of our church leaders were delighted to sit with John Mark and learn from his research and experiences with communion. Thank you to Missions Theological Education (MTE) and Rick Oster for sending John Mark our way. We were blessed tremendously by the seminar and discussion on communion.

During September
by Sergiy Lyakh

Beginning September 1, the UEC became unusually busy. More than 2,200 patron visits were made, more than 200 new patrons signed up to use the Resource Center, and more than 1,800 items were checked out. Compared to July 2002, our busiest month ever, the UEC has welcomed in September many more new patrons as well as more regular patrons. Our library becomes more popular; rooms and computers are used more by those who need them. All this service is done only because many brothers and sisters continue supporting the UEC by donating money, books and other materials and by praying constantly. The UEC workers continue to do their best in serving our Lord Jesus Christ by helping our visitors.

We would like to thank the following people--and anyone whom we may have missed--for their contributions to our Resource Center during August and September.

Mr. and Mrs. Dan Andrews
Bogdan Andriychenko
Katie Boyer
Larry Brown
Paul Brown
Marcus Cathey
Mack Craig
Anne Cullum
Brother and Sister Davis
Greg Hardeman
Ken and Vica Kirby
Chris Lovingood
Beth Mangrum
Zoya Melovanova
Monica Moreland
Monty Moreland
Milton Moreland
Paul Prill
Joe Stephenson
Kristen Thompson
Judy Visockis
Katya Zolotukhina

Update for July 2002
A Summer of Changes
The New UEC Face
During June and July…
Let's Start Talking
UEC Spring Guests
A Board Member Reflects on Summer Kyiv Visit
Intern Remembers Lesson of Community
The UEC received almost six hundred items

A Summer of Changes

The UEC continues to grow and reach more people! We now have almost 680 library patrons and have served three Let's Start Talking teams and the outreach efforts of three local churches this summer. In May, though there was more than a week of World War II holidays, the UEC recorded 1,400 patron visits and over 850 library transactions.

But the greatest change for the UEC this summer was saying good bye to Bogdan Andriychenko who served the Center for almost two years by coordinating our building search and renovation project. He hopes to begin graduate studies at Pepperdine this August. A June 1, good-bye party was held for Bogdan at the UEC with David Ralston, board president, in attendance.

Since the renovation project was completed, Bogdan's position slowly crystallized into a new position - UEC manager. Sergey Lyakh, Bogdan's roommate and member of Nivki Church of Christ, was hired in May to serve as the new UEC manager. (See his article on page 2). He had formerly worked as an export-import manager at a Kyiv company; Sergey will manage the UEC on a day-to-day basis. His responsibilities include managing the part-time receptionists, ordering supplies, overseeing Center activities, maintaining the library resources, and supervising upkeep of the facility. With the e-mail assistance of Ken Kirby who continues to help us build our library database and check-out system from across the ocean, Sergey has already made significant in-roads in completely automating the library.

It's been an important last few months for the UEC. We are delighted how our supporters and board continue to stand with us as we minister to the next generation of Ukrainians and to local churches. We are thankful for the board's willingness to fully fund the new manager position even though $29,000 is owed on the facility. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

The New UEC Face
(by Sergiy Lyakh)

Since I am the new person at the UEC, I feel the need to introduce myself. I come from a small town in eastern Ukraine. When my hometown was blessed with a missionary campaign from the Churches of Christ six years ago, I was blessed by becoming a Christian. From then on, God was continuously making me study English, until I passed the entrance exam at ICU-Kyiv in July 1997.

When I moved to Kyiv five years ago to study, I became a member of Nivki Church of Christ. As time moved on, I was taking part in serving the Lord during Sunday assemblies by interpreting, leading prayer times, or being responsible for other issues. I eventually became a leader of a Nivki church small group that meets in my apartment every week.

When my sophomore year at ICU was over, I began working in an advertising company as an import/export manager. During the three years that I was working there, my responsibilities increased from being a subordinate, small-task employee to managing import and export operations of the company.

Since I knew it would be my pleasure to work with people I know in a Christian environment and since I always wanted to do my work in serving others, I applied for the UEC manager position in May 2002 and was hired soon thereafter. My life changed much when I began working at the UEC. Suddenly I became a part of an organization whose main goal is to encourage a living faith in Jesus Christ through meeting education needs in Kyiv. As the UEC provides most of its materials in English, and most of the patrons are Ukrainians, it is very interesting to watch how two cultures mix together and how Christ is the basis of the organization.

It is my prayer and desire to do the best I can in order to contribute to the UEC and all of its patrons, and to spread the good news about Jesus Christ by doing my job well.

During June and July…

Even though many students have left Kyiv for their vacations or do not need to study any longer, 104 new visitors came to use the UEC and signed up to be patrons of our Resource Center. More than 2000 patron visits were made. More than 1300 items were checked out. Computers were usually busy at the rate of 60% or more. More than 550 items were donated to the Resource Center.

Let's Start Talking
(by Monica Moreland)

This summer three churches in Kyiv invited Let's Start Talking teams to help with summer outreach. The Harkivsky, Livoberezna, and Nivki congregations all had lively teams during the months of May and June. The Livoberezna team with the aid of the Harkivsky team held their weekly parties at the UEC every Friday. Church members from Livoberezna church worked together with the LST teams to host the parties at the UEC. Over 50 people attended the parties each time. Half of those attending the parties were very familiar with the UEC through HOPE groups; however, several new faces are now appearing around the UEC because of the LST parties.

Half way through the summer, all of the LST teams met together one night at the UEC for a late dinner and fellowship. They swapped stories and laughed together about cultural experiences. The UEC provided a very comfortable and inviting place for their fellowship.

Nivki church members along with their LST team invited several of their readers to the UEC for a special meal and introduction to the UEC. The UEC will be a great place to follow up with people who are interested in Christianity, but have not yet stepped out in faith. Please keep all of the more than 130 LST readers and hosting churches in your prayers as we begin follow up to the LST summer missions.

UEC Spring Guests
(by Monica Moreland)

During April and May, the UEC had two special guest teachers. Livoberezna church invited Chris Altrock and John Moreland as guest teachers to both Livoberezna church and the UEC.

Chris Altrock arrived on April 30, just in time for a season of celebration in Ukraine. Two weekends in a row Ukraine celebrated holidays, Kyiv Day, the birthday of Kyiv, and Orthodox Easter. While he was here, Chris taught the book of Mark in a series of three lessons at the UEC, with over 30 people attending each time. He also held a preaching seminar and had several one-to-one meetings. The preaching seminar was well attended by both Livoberezna church and the church from Bila Tserkva. We were delighted to sit at the feet of Chris and discuss many Biblical truths with him.

The week following Chris Altrock's departure, on May 16 John Moreland arrived in Ukraine. John is my father, so he came not only to teach and minister, but also to fulfill several fatherly duties. John taught a four-part series on the book of Revelation, taught the Sermon on the Mount to HOPE groups, and preached on Romans 12 each Sunday while he was in Kyiv. He was a busy man. In addition to his teaching and individual meetings, he was a great cook and repairman at the UEC and my apartment. He was an encouragement to all.

The UEC is an ideal place to provide educational events, to host seminars, and to invite guest speakers. The guest speakers and teachers have been edifying and they also provided times for people from several different churches to come together in fellowship.

A Board Member Reflects on Summer Kyiv Visit
(by Paul Prill)

Once again I found it difficult to leave Kyiv. My visit of 13 days seemed all too short to absorb all of the changes taking place both in the city, at the Ukrainian Education Center and in the two congregations of believers at Livoberezna and Nivki. Life in Kyiv seems to get better for people who can find jobs. More stores and more restaurants adorned the streets and the underground walkways than in the previous year. New supermarkets also mean more food choices from more reliable sources. I hope and pray that prosperity will continue to improve and will extend to more and more families throughout Ukraine.

It was not creature comforts which created my difficulty, though. After all, we didn't have hot water in Chris Lovingood's apartment for the last seven days of our stay. To see how God has worked to give an increase always amazes me. Everywhere I looked at both congregations I saw lots of new faces. The congregation at Livoberezna has moved from its worship location of last year to a room in a Jewish school just five minutes from the Metro stop. The attendance has nearly doubled since last year, and the work of the LST team in that congregation along with the arrival in August of Josh and Maury Hanauer, who will work as interns, signals that God has more good things in store for that church.

The same story describes the Nivki church. I met many of the people who had been baptized last year. Some of them I had met last year as they were just beginning to attend church. I was blessed by their presence and by learning that some of them would soon start the leadership training program which Chris leads. My most memorable event was a night spent at the Zhyvova family's apartment. Lena was a Christian when I arrived last year. This year her brother and her parents are both Christians because of her and others teaching and prayers. After dinner, we all displayed our "talents" singing songs that we had learned or playing an instrument or doing a little skit. Then once again we sang chapel songs for about 25-30 minutes. Surely God was in that place. Nivki also had an LST team on site as we were leaving, and I am expecting many more new faces and wonderful surprises next year.

Both of these churches make extensive use of the UEC. Last year during my visit I got to stand next to large piles of sand and dirt and imagine what things would look like when it was done. This year, I got to see the finished product. I was not only impressed with the size and space of each of the rooms, but I was impressed with the nice attention to details, lighting fixtures and decorative tiles in the kitchen. It is a beautiful and inviting space as well as a very usable one. I think during my visits there, I first saw many of the new people who I would later meet at church. My wife, Val, spent two nights there teaching advanced knitting skills to women from age 17 to nearly 70. My wife and I will never forget the night that we spent singing chapel songs with Katie Boyer and Mandy Davis from the United States and three Ukrainian students. At one point, the Americans sang in English and the Ukrainians in Russian. When we were done, Katie observed that this is what heaven would be like, where our differences would disappear, lost in the unity of our common love of God. I couldn't have agreed more. By all accounts, the center is doing exactly what Chris and Monica and the board had hoped, serving as a gathering place, a learning place, a place where non-believers can meet believers and learn about the love of God.

My prayers for Chris and Monica are simple. That God will continue to give them strength and wisdom as they work with and train Ukrainian Christians. That God will continue to raise up people who are willing to work with Let's Start Talking. That God will call more people like Katie Boyer and Josh and Maury Hanauer to give a year of their life as mission interns. And finally that God will call some of you who are reading this newsletter to go and see for yourself what He is doing in Kyiv. My only warning, though, is that once you see it, you may, like me, find it difficult to leave.

Thank you for your interest in and support of the Ukrainian Education Center, and through it all the work being done for the Kingdom of God in Kyiv.

Intern Remembers Lesson of Community
(by Katie Boyer)

One of the first things I remember hearing about the UEC is that it is "a place to serve and be served."

Last year I went to Kyiv for the UEC internship with a great desire to serve. But I have returned to the U.S. this month knowing exactly what it is to be served.

As Francis Schaeffer writes, true friendship is a by-product of people striving toward a common goal. One of the most amazing things about my time in Kyiv was finding friends who adopted the work of "my" internship as part of their lives.

I'll remember Lena Morozova, who diagnosed me with culture shock last summer and then helped cure it by long talks. A co-leader of the small group I was part of, she also helped with the English grammar class I taught last fall at the UEC and then just started showing up at the LST follow-up Faith Groups, too, and became an integral part of the leadership. She helped lead the group of older people that started at Nivki church in the spring and at every church activity always seemed to be the last one left in the kitchen washing the dishes. She works hard at a taxing job, but, though often exhausted, seems to never be too tired to do good for someone.

I'll remember Lena and Anya, two sweet girls who are so close they're usually referred to as a unit. They were baptized last summer and then immediately began training to be leaders in their small group and agreed to the daunting task of leading one of the Faith Groups I coordinated. They were tireless kitchen workers and subtly taught me a lot about cooking, just by virtue of knowing more than I did. When I got up the nerve to ask them to make a time commitment to the John Bible class in the spring, Anya said: "Sure. I was already planning to." Lena said, "Did you think we would let you do it without us?"

I'll remember Oleg for the way he just seemed to be waiting to be sent "on a mission"-to rearrange chairs, buy cabbage, make copies-and then would literally run or bounce off to get the job done, carrying about him at all times the joy of his salvation.
And Sergey, now the UEC's manager, who agreed at the last minute to work with the Bible class and by his friendly presence helped make the class members more comfortable with each other. I'll remember how he always seemed to be genuinely interested in everyone he talked to, even to the point of saying, "You don't look so good," when it was true.

I'll remain surprised that Nastya Talmachova actually delighted in helping me practice Russian pronunciation, and will continue to be grateful for all the times Bogdan took me shopping for electronics and appliances. I'll stay amazed that Artem was spring-loaded for service and was often there to help before I even knew I needed it.

Through all the things that we did together, God taught me what it is to be part of a community of believers. I may be able to put together a list of tasks completed, but what I'll never stop remembering is the volunteer co-workers who came to be my closest friends. Because, truly, it was our internship.
The UEC received almost six hundred items as donations from April through July.

We would like to thank the following people--and anyone whom we may have missed--for their contributions to our Resource Center during the last few months.

Chris Altrock
Bogdan Andriychenko
Russ Baumann
Katie Boyer
Larry Brown
Mike Buckley
Ena Chernyakhovska
Jerry and Sandra Collins
Amanda Corn
Anne Cullum
Amy Gregg
Ken Kirby
Chris Lovingood
Dennis Loyd
Rick Pinczuk
Paul Prill
David Ralston
Slavic Evangelism Ministry
Joe Stephenson
Anton Tayanovskiy
Judy Visockis

Update for Spring, 2002
Celebrating Six Months in Our New Home
What is UEC?
Lipscomb Students Serve UEC During Spring Break Visit
HOPE Groups
Relationship Seminar with Candi Wood

Celebrating Six Months in Our New Home

Since our October 2001 grand opening, the UEC has emerged as a viable, vibrant space in the lives of many people thanks to your generosity. Here are a few examples of how this space in the heart of Kyiv's growing university community is being used for the glory of God:

Over 450 registered library patrons regularly use our Resource Center which includes a large collection of Bible study materials in Russian, Ukrainian, and English. With a constant stream of donations from the USA and acquisitions in Kyiv, the library's total collection now numbers over 5,000.

On Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons, Christians from local churches share the love and truth of Jesus Christ with about 70 people in Bible and English classes.

Every day, university students crowd the UEC to relax between classes, have a cup of tea, watch a movie, study, or use the computers.

Five missionaries who teach in local universities have used the center this semester for class meetings and video viewings.
Each week, several small groups from two local churches meet at the center to pray, worship, study, and fellowship.

We are so grateful that this space and the work local Christians and missionaries do there are blessing so many. We are in awe of how the UEC went from being a dream on paper to the place it is today; we are amazed by how much we have learned and how much has been accomplished in the six months since our opening. With your continued support, we hope to retire the $29,000 debt on the facility so that we can move forward with fully staffing the center and developing the library's collection.

Bogdan Andriychenko, who has served the UEC almost since its inception, will complete his role as project coordinator on May 31, 2002. Though he is finishing his employment with the UEC, every time someone visits one of our websites or walks into the center, the importance of Bogdan's contribution will be more than evident. His tireless efforts in coordinating the building project and in aiding the UEC to become a quality organization will long be remembered. We pray the best for him in his new endeavors.

Continue to pray for us, the churches in Kyiv, and the UEC. Pray that God helps us to point all who come through our doors to the living, resurrected Christ.

What Is the UEC?
(by Chris Lovingood, UEC Director)

Occasionally someone asks me "What is the Ukrainian Education Center?" My most common response: "It is a place." The UEC is a place where local churches minister to Kyiv denizens by meeting education needs. Students find a place to rest between classes, a free cup of tea or coffee, two computers to use, a growing library, and a pleasant atmosphere. And basically, that's all the UEC itself does. But the UEC does create a space in which Christians can meet and serve non-Christians in a relatively neutral environment. And in this space, God works.

For example, in September 2001 we met Artem at Nivki Church of Christ's Student Night. Mild, polite, and affable, Artem impressed many with his kind ways and helpful attitude. He wasn't interested in coming to our Sunday assembly, though, but he did begin spending time at the UEC. He had worked in a U.S. library while an exchange student and volunteered to catalog new additions. As I grew to appreciate his attention to detail, he also became friends with Christian students who spend time at the UEC.

Artem's new friends meet in a Christian small group every Wednesday night at the UEC, and before each meeting, they prepare a simple meal. Several of us noticed that every week Artem would help the group prepare the meal but then would not stay for the meeting. Eventually though, after several invitations, he came to the meeting. And he's been coming ever since. He has also been actively participating in Katie Boyer's Friday afternoon Mere Christianity discussion group held at the UEC. Artem recently began attending Nivki Church's Sunday assembly.

So what is the UEC? It is a place, a place where God draws his lost creation to himself through the community of faith.

Lipscomb Students Serve UEC During Spring Break Visit
(by Katie Boyer, UEC intern)

One of the latest adventures for the UEC was a visit by a team from Lipscomb University during spring break. The team consisted of six LU students, a Nashville banker, and Scott Owings, Lipscomb's missionary-in-residence. The trip was designed as a service opportunity for students, but was also a way to show those interested in missions what an internship with the UEC could look like.

In addition to bringing books and an overwhelming number of Christian music CDs for the UEC library, the group also took part in activities with two local churches, Nivki and Livoberezhna.
At Livoberezhna, Scott preached during Sunday morning services and later taught a session of the School of Christian Ministry, while the students met and spent time with the students at Livoberezhna.

At Nivki, the group planned the program for the student night outreach. The evening included skits, singing, a talk, and "surviving university" gift bags, which were unanimously well received. Later a team of three observed the children's school outreach that several young Nivki Christians coordinate on Sundays, and during the week they held a seminar to share ideas and give two suitcases worth of lesson material, crafts, and games.

Different combinations of team members attended small group meetings from both churches throughout the week. They also spent time with students from local universities during meal times and sightseeing excursions, had a Russian lesson with my Russian tutor, and learned a lot about grocery shopping and meal preparation-a vital part of UEC outreaches-through a series of "hands-on" activities.

The team also helped with my weekly Bible class at the UEC, which is composed of people met through a Let's Start Talking project last summer. Scott, Josh Hanauer, and Melissa Hunter each shared personal testimony about how they have seen God work in their lives. Their testimony furthered the goals of the class: to help the skeptical see that Christianity is intellectually viable and to show that the Bible has claims on all our lives.

The usually quiet crowd of 10 became a bustling group of almost 30 as other people at the UEC came to hear what the Americans would say.

Other members of the Lipscomb group were: Amanda Corn, Keith Davis, Maurie Hanauer, Callie Hancock, and Tiara Stingley.

HOPE Groups
(by Monica Moreland, UEC Assistant Director)

During the last two years, several Ukrainian Christians have joined in evangelistic outreach through studying English and the Bible at the UEC. HOPE, or Helping Others Practice English, has been a wonderful way for Ukrainians to serve their community by teaching both English and Bible. Most of the conversions in the Livoberezhna church last year were a result of people beginning to study the Bible at a HOPE group. One young man, Serhiy Babichuk, was baptized at our New Year's Party in 2001. He invited his good friend, Sasha, to join the HOPE group during January. Within two months, Sasha also made a decision for Christ. Since that time, both Sasha and Serhiy have invited their good friend, Stass, who faithfully attends the advanced HOPE group, a family group, and Livoberezhna church services. Serhiy has joined in the efforts and now is an aid to teaching English in the intermediate group. This semester an average of 50 people attend HOPE groups every week. God is working in amazing ways to reach out to friends and family members of Christians in Ukraine through local churches using the UEC's facility.

Relationship Seminar with Candi Wood
(by Monica Moreland, UEC Assistant Director)

From January 11-17, 2002, Candi Wood, a counselor from Memphis, offered a seminar at the UEC entitled Building Relationships. Livoberezhna church hosted the seminar. The center was filled with people from three different church families and several new people came every night she spoke. Sessions included Conflict Resolution, Setting Proper Boundaries in Relationships, and Depression.

Each time she had very good interaction with the audience, and several people signed up for one-to-one meetings following the lectures and discussions. The Lord spoke through Candi to touch the hearts of many Ukrainians. The UEC has proven to be an ideal place to host classes and seminars.

Update for January 2002

Candi Wood, a marriage and family counselor from Memphis, TN recently came to Kyiv for a seminar on building good relationships. She spoke three times at the UEC during her stay and had several one to one meetings with people who attended her presentations. Friday night, Jan. 11 she spoke about CONFLICT RESOLUTION. 38 people attended. The following Monday, Jan. 14 she shared on PERSONAL AND FAMILY BOUNDARIES with 50 people in attendance. On Thursday, Jan.17, Candi concluded the seminar with a discussion on DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY and 58 people participated. We were pleased with the attendance and participation. Two new support and accountability groups have begun as a result of people finding common goals and needs while attending the seminar.

Candi also was a guest speaker at Kyiv Mohela Academy (KMA) to social work students, while she was in Kyiv. She spoke on basic counseling skills and some ties between social work and counseling in America. many of the students from KMA attend events and groups at the UEC. One of the instructors at KMA is also the director of Bethany Christian Services for Children in Ukraine. Candi and Monica were able to have some good conversations and make connections with Bethany with hopes of having further interaction in the future.

The final weekend of Candi's stay in Kyiv she administered the DISC Profile to the Family Group leaders at Livoberezna church. The discussion concerning different types of people was very helpful in uniting the church leaders and helping them to communicate and serve together effectively.

We were blessed to have Candi with us for 10 days. She planted many good seeds and we now pray and know that the Lord will help each one to grow and mature as we continue in ministry here. Thank you to Candi and all those who enabled her to come to Ukraine.

We continue to thank God for your continued support and interest in the ministry here. Please keep in touch with us. We are always glad to hear from you.

May our Lord bless you though out this week,
Monica Moreland
Assistant Director