$25,000 Matching Grant Allows You to Double Your Gift
Read the latest on the work in Ukraine.
Thousands of Ukrainian Christians have become refugees, among them, the faculty, staff and students of Ukrainian Bible Institute. UBI Dean, Jay Don Rogers, and his staff are leading a huge relief effort, which includes resettling the preacher training school students and faculty from the war zone of Donetsk to Kiev. For months separatists have been in control of eastern Ukraine and that, according to Vincent Cochetel (Director of the UN refugee agency’s European bureau) has displaced more than a million people. The war refugees have scattered across the country and some have gone to live in Russia. They leave their homes, their work and sometimes their families behind. They arrive at refugee camps and church doorsteps with very little besides great need.
Our brethren in various regions of the country are trying to help to the very best of their ability but the needs go far beyond their resources. They have appealed to all of us for aid and Sunset will do all that we can to help. We are dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance for those who have been displaced by the war in the east and also to meeting the spiritual needs of those who may be more open to the gospel than at any other point in their life.
The relief effort of Sunset and UBI has been given a matching grant of $25,000 from a donor who is challenging others to match his gift. Donations will help to relieve the suffering of our brothers and sisters and aid them in continuing their fruitful ministry of evangelism and leadership training. The pressing need is to raise a minimum of $50,000 to assist in this extraordinary crisis. It is our hope that our brotherhood will respond far beyond this matching amount because of the urgency and magnitude of the need.
SIBI continues to be one of the reception points for monetary donations which will be distributed through our school in Ukraine. Since 1998 SIBI has been offering leadership and ministry training through the Ukrainian Bible Institute in Donetsk. In May of this year, the school had to be closed for the safety of all involved. Since that time, our graduates, faculty and students have been deeply involved in helping churches deal with loss of life, property and meeting the humanitarian and spiritual needs of the many refugees. The Ukrainian Bible Institute is planning to reopen its doors for training in February in the capital city of Kiev. We will need to rent property for teaching as well as for housing of staff and students.
One of our staff members, Natalia Maliuga, recently spoke of the “Donbas Diaspora” that now have gone all over the country carrying with them the message of Jesus and the ministry skills they have acquired through training at UBI. One cannot help but think of the words of Acts 8:4 which tells us that when a persecution arose upon the early church that the Christians were scattered and went everywhere preaching the word. Our brethren are being faithful in their commitment to Christ and have asked for our help.
Will we respond with the kind of faith shown by those who have asked? Please consider joining with us in helping at this critical time.
ALL funds collected will go to Ukraine and be used to assist our brethren with the ongoing humanitarian efforts and to help resettle the Ukrainian Bible Institute in Kiev, away from the fighting.
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