by Dan Crosley, Global Expansion Pastor
Fred Knoll and I got back into Indianapolis on Wednesday night from our Ukraine Trip. Our flight from O’Hare was cancelled but driving back from Chicago did not detract from the excellent experience.
This Ukraine trip was for the purpose of participating in an international conference entitled: “The Church Impacting the Society.” As you know the idea for this conference was a direct result of our taking Valik Siniy (President of Tavriski Christian Institute - T.C.I.) and Yuri Mark (Professor of Old Testament at T.C.I.) to Panama last year. They were very inspired by the way David’s Well is impacting the local communities while planting the church. Juan Rodriguez was invited to present one of the lectures at the conference to share both his concepts of ministry and the results in Central America. Unfortunately, Juan was unable to obtain the visa.
More than forty people participated in the Conference from a number of countries including the Republic of Georgia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Ukraine. Everyone except Fred and I spoke Russian. It is interesting to see how God is using the language of the former Soviet Union to facilitate communication of the Gospel in so many countries.
One of the most encouraging aspects of the conference was to listen to the commitment of the participants to impact their communities for Jesus Christ. There were speakers who talked about ministering to people with drug addictions and who need help in developing life skills. Another spoke about micro-enterprise loans so that Christians can begin businesses to produce income for the purpose of sending out missionaries. Another presented information on how the church can impact the community through the media - newspapers, electronic technology, films etc. An attorney talked about uniting churches and helping them to understand their rights under current laws.
Fred Knoll did an excellent job of presenting both the philosophy and development of WRCC Community Works ministry. He gave the Biblical foundations of the ministry and very practical steps necessary to carry on such a ministry. He led in an exercise for them to identify needs in their communities and begin planning a strategy for meeting those needs. Since Juan could not be there, I shared the work of David’s Well in Central America. Participants were amazed at what has been accomplished there. I also spoke about the “Ethical issues of society and their influence on the family and how the church can minister to families.” A Christian Doctor of Psychology came up afterwards proclaiming that God had answered her prayers of earlier that morning in which she had asked for spiritual direction on these issues.
On Sunday afternoon we visited a drug rehabilitation center in a small Ukrainian village. We preached and shared with the believers there. What an encouragement to see this kind of ministry taking place.
We met a couple who have gone as missionaries from Ukraine to India and are working with an orphanage there. They will be returning soon and have also been working on opening a work in Nepal and in Laos. A young man who is completing his studies at T.C.I. is committed to working with Pioneer Bible Translators to help a people group who does not currently have the Bible in their language. Another student couple from T.C.I. are preparing to work with Wycliffe Translators. These brothers and sisters are expressing their gratitude to missionaries who came and shared the Gospel in their countries and how they now feel the burden to take the same message to other lands.
One of the major highlights of our experience was meeting leaders from Central Asian countries that undergoing persecution for their faith. In one country, the people are prohibited from having more than 1 Bible in their home and they may not have any books dealing with Christianity. Pastors have been beaten, jailed, and fined for being witnesses of their faith in Jesus. They each asked us to pray for them and their families. Their request was simple - pray that we will not be overcome with fear. We promised not only to pray for them but to ask our congregation to pray for them as well. For security reasons we cannot publish their names or locations.
Fred and I were greatly encouraged by the fellow believers we met. We Praise God that He is using White River to partner with such dedicated servants in far away lands. We are committed to pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send out more laborers into the whitened fields. Thank you for allowing us the privilege of representing WRCC and participating in such a great experience.