John White - Developing Church Leadership in the Russian Speaking World DCU, Prospect Ilicha 106-A, Donetsk 83059, UKRAINE December 2007 011-38050-567-6550 | jwhite@alumni.princeton.edu | http://www.marucheck.net/jw
On November 25, DCU held a very important Board of Trustees meeting in which we asked our Board to take a more active role in guiding DCU through the difficult times that both the nation and church of Ukraine face. But before I tell you the results of that meeting, let me say a bit about the situation in Ukraine.
Ukraine has long been in the shadow of Russia, being the 'breadbasket of Europe,' an industrial center, and yet second class. In 1932-1933, Stalin took all of the produce away from Ukraine's farming communities, leading to massive starvation. Ukrainian President Yushchenko recently declared a day to remember the millions of starvation victims, yet many Russian loyalists in Eastern Ukraine (where I live) still refuse to admit that it ever happened.
Since Ukraine began to assert its independence from Russia during the Orange Revolution in 2005, Russia has massively increased Ukraine's gas and oil prices. As the political situation has fluctuated between pro-European and pro-Russian sides, Ukraine has experienced both opportunity and tragedy.
On the positive side, some have prospered in this time of change, and Ukraine has won the right to host the European Soccer Championship in 2012 (an economic windfall). But tragically, many people struggle to survive, with perhaps the worst moment coming this past month with about 100 coal miners dying in an accident in Donetsk. This coal mine is one of the richest in Ukraine--and one of the most unsafe. It continues to operate, despite two more accidents happening within weeks.
With these economic and political uncertainties, DCU wants to help Christians play a greater role in transforming society. With most Christians struggling financially, we realize that we need to start offering more than just theological degrees--we need to offer professional degrees as well. So, our Board of Trustees approved a new degree in social ministry/sociology as well as approving possible future degrees in English translation, management, journalism and counseling. We need to help train Christians so that they can both provide for their families and impact more parts of society. And, the Board agreed to have two more meetings in the next three months to work on these ideas.
Finally, if I may take one more moment of your time, please pray for us as DCU as a whole struggles financially. We need about $25,000 to make up for unpaid salaries and higher heating bills before the end of the year. Thank you for standing with me and with all of us at DCU, and have a very Merry Christmas.
If you'd like to help us with our deficit, please make out a check to WorldVenture (1501 W. Mineral Ave., Littleton, CO 80120) for DCU special project #6433-903 (Or, go to: https://worldventure.com/GiveNow.aspx?aliaspath=/Give/Give-Now ). Thank you!
John
