To Resurrect an Idea

Thoughts from
Jim Teague
FPCE director of communications.

Dear Friends –

When we think about the toll war takes on a country or a city, we usually (rightly) think in terms of loss of life, injury, and the trauma inflicted on the soldiers and citizenry. We might extend those thoughts to the damage done to housing, industry, or infrastructure. Until recently, however, I had never thought much about the damage war does to the sharing of ideas.

Last week, the First Pres Missions Council was blessed to host Valentyn Syniy, President of Tavriski Christian Institute (TCI), his wife, Liubov Synia, and Vasilyj Zyk, pastor, as they spent time with us discussing their plans for equipping and empowering the next generation of Christian leaders in war-torn Ukraine. Also joining us were TCI Development Director Scott Weber, and Christopher Hays, President of Scholar Leaders.

As part of his presentation, Valentyn briefly recounted the March 10, 2022, occupation of the original TCI campus in Kherson. Initially, the soldiers looted the buildings, removing the valuables. Then, they repurposed the site as a military base, housing troops and establishing a field hospital. For a time, Valentyn hoped the buildings might survive, but on the night of August 28 three out of the five buildings on the campus were destroyed. Among them was the library building, which also housed a chapel. All the staff who survived are now refugees in other parts of Ukraine, still teaching in makeshift rental classrooms, but still sharing the love of Christ through creative means with huge humanitarian efforts.

TCI holds a special place in Christian education in Ukraine. It was the first evangelical (protestant) Christian institution licensed by the government to train pastors for church planting. Losing their campus not only meant having to relocate, but also meant that their licensing was in danger.

Seminaries are required by the government to have at least 2,000 square meters of educational space. In addition, they must also have a library of no less than 30,000 books to be considered for licensing. Before leaving the TCI facilities in Kherson, Russian troops burned the books and other learning materials on the site, considering them to be Western propaganda.

But God has made a way.

TCI’s Scott Weber had recently learned that his alma mater, a Bible college in Missouri, was closing its doors and selling its property. Scott approached the school’s president and, through much discussion and many “God sightings” has arranged for approximately 25,000 books to be placed on pallets, trucked to Michigan, where they will eventually be loaded into a shipping container bound for Ukraine. In addition, Scholar Leaders, whose mission is “Cultivating theological leaders for the global church,” has agreed to fund the logistical costs of the books’ transfer, which are substantial.

Now, in normal times, 25,000 seminary books written in English would not have been of any help to a Ukrainian seminary. But in 2022, following the Russian invasion, Ukraine designated English as one of its official languages, which, in turn, makes the donated books not only satisfactory, but highly valued for the training of pastors.

Scott, Chris, and Valentyn shared several stories about how all the various parts of this project have come together through miraculous means. While there is still great need for funding for the building of the new campus near Kyiv, Valentyn and Liubov have already seen so much goodness of God at work that their faith and confidence are greatly strengthened.

“Satan destroyed our campus, but God is resurrecting it,” Valentyn said.

Here at FPCE, we are in the midst of our own challenges. We are praying for our Elders as they wrestle with major decisions about our policies. The search for a Children’s Ministry pastor or director continues. We look forward, prayerfully, to the call of a new permanent senior pastor. We can be heartened by God’s faithfulness to the church in Ukraine and the wonderful ways God is meeting their needs in unpredictable ways.

Be blessed and encouraged!

Jim Teague
FPCE director of communications