John White - Developing Church Leadership in the Russian Speaking World DCU, Prospect Ilicha 106-A, Donetsk 83059, UKRAINE August 2007 011-38050-567-6550 | jwhite@alumni.princeton.edu | http://www.marucheck.net/jw
I'm writing this to you on August 24, Ukrainian Independence Day. I get the impression that I remember this date better than most Ukrainians, having been told, "what did we get independence from?" With one Ukrainian suggesting, "we gained independence from economics, getting a salary, from education, from culture, etc."
After 16 years of independence, these are difficult times in Ukraine. The hopes for democracy and prosperity coming out of the Orange Revolution are but a distant memory. We are now waiting until September 30 when new elections for parliament should take place. President Yushchenko forced these new elections, citing the parliament for violating the constitution. Inflation in Ukraine is the second highest in all of Europe. And that statistic doesn't include prices for things like natural gas and oil, which have more than doubled in recent times.
In Ukraine, the church really did struggle under communism and persecution. But today, the church is struggling with independence. The church has stopped growing. A rift has developed between older, more traditional churches and younger, more progressive ones.
At DCU, our admissions of full-time students have been dropping. Young people prefer getting degrees in economics and business to theology and missions. And, it's understandable considering these unstable times.
So, we at DCU are trying to change with the times to better suit the needs of the church. Our part-time student body grows each year with older students, usually those already heavily involved in ministry. We've started specialized programs for preachers and Sunday school teachers. Our English program draws scores of non-Christians from the city who receive quality teaching and a chance to know Christ. Over the 2007-2008 school year, we will rework and create new full-time programs to try to better equip future leaders of the church.
I would really appreciate your prayers for me and the staff of DCU as we seek God's will in how to best serve His kingdom. Please pray for our president, Sergey Rybikov, academic dean, Taras Dyatlik, and the board of trustees, that they would have wisdom and inspiration from our Father. We are all grateful to God for the amazing independence Ukraine has to worship and share the gospel freely. But, on this day of independence, we want to remember our continuing dependence on our God and Father.
In Him and for Him,
John