Ucraina

Awakening in a time of crises

In 988 Christianity was accepted as the state religion by Volodymyr the Great of the Kievan Rus, eastern Slavic state through forced baptism of the nation. Today Orthodox Christianity of the eastern Christian tradition is still the main religion in Ukraine, which at times has been closely aligned to Ukrainian national identity.

The Evangelical church (about 2% of the population) began its history in Ukraine 170 years ago with the Bible being translated in Russian, making it available to ordinary people. Since its existence, it has suffered persecution – from the Orthodox church and from the Soviet authorities. Distrust, segregation and division today hinder the church, making it difficult to partner with other denominations and inter-denominational missions organisations.

Since the end of 2013 there has been a fresh push of Evangelicals toward evangelism and reacting to the human tragedy caused by the war. Church planting movements are being established and people are open to the gospel.

The first OM team was established in Rivne in western Ukraine in 1994, after the fall of communism. 2000 saw the birth of the legally registered body for OM in Ukraine called the “Ukrainian Christian Missions Fellowship - Hope for Peace”. Today there are 4 ministry teams in the cities of Rivne, Kaharlyk, Vinnitsa and Odessa focusing on a variety of ministries.

OM in Ukraine is passionate about grafting the missionary vision into the body of Christ in pursuit of reaching the least reached (www.om.org/ua)

Ministry Opportunities in Ukraine:

Crisis ministry focuses on reaching out to those affected by war through strategic partnerships. Ministry includes reaching out within the conflict zone and serving many of the more than 3.6 million IDP’s in Ukraine, by showing the love of Christ in a practical manner as well as sharing the gospel message.
New Generations ministry focuses on mobilising and training the church to reach out and disciple unchurched youth with a vision for the least reached.
Church planting ministry focuses on the Roma as the least reached nation in Ukraine and foreign students from least reached nations.
Sports ministry in Ukraine focusses on supporting the church in reaching youth through combat and power sports and help heal and restore hearts in Ukraine.
Innovation (Sustainable Missions) in the city of Kaharlyk works toward community transformation and envisions the future support of other ministries within Ukraine.

How you can get involved:

PRAY:
- Pray for peace in Ukraine and the ministry of OM in Ukraine to those affected by war.
- Pray for the Ukrainian church to not get discouraged with the challenges that the crisis in Ukraine presents, but to rise to the occasion so that we will see many more churches planted and souls won for the Kingdom.
GIVE: Give here: http://www.om.org/give to support the work of OM in Ukraine.
GO: If you feel that God might be calling you to serve Him in the Ukraine, find opportunities here: http://www.om.org/opportunities.

More information about Ukraine

Population: 35,661,826 (world fact book 2024)
State of economy: Poverty in Ukraine has increased by at least 1.8 million people to reach 9 million since the start of the war. Substantial infrastructure damage and extensive electricity disruptions are likely to slow economic growth to 3.2% in 2024 and 2% in 2025
Religious make up: East Orthodox, Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant (less than 2%), Muslim(1%), Jewish(1%) (2013 estimates)
Personality of the culture/people: Ukrainians are very hospitable. As their guest, you will receive red-carpet treatment. The culture is predominantly “Honour/shame” oriented, but “power/fear” is also prevalent. Ukrainian is the largest nationality living in Ukraine, constituting about 73% of the population. Other nationalities include Russians (21%), while Jews, Belorussians, Moldavians, Bulgarians, and Poles make up another 6% of the population.

Spiritual needs: Ironically, because of the crisis in Ukraine and the way the church has reacted to help and support war-affected, Ukraine is experiencing a revival. The challenge is whether the church will be able to serve, disciple, and nurture those who are searching for hope in these troubles times. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.