Mission Vision Ukraine

Vision Ukraine is the MATTHEW 25:34-40 Ministries Mission in Ukraine. The Mission carries out our ministries in Ukraine, Eastern Europe (especially Slavic-speaking peoples), Russian-speaking nations, and to Russian-speaking peoples, even minorities, in other nations across the world. The Mission is anchored by two Headquarters Churches: Light of the Gospel and Light of the World. The Light of the Gospel was established in 1994, and the Light of the World was started in 1997.

Vision Ukraine is headquartered in Kamianske, Ukraine.(Kamenskoe in Russian; was formerly Dnieprodzerzhinsk, Ukraine. The City was a former closed city under the Soviet Union and the home town of Leonid Brezhnev,a former Premier of the Soviet Union.) The City was an industrial center supporting the Soviet space program and weapons of mass destruction production programs. At one time, the City was a major center of Communism. Its various institutes taught skills which were widely used throughout the Soviet Union.One of the significant schools is the Language Institute, important for training translators as well as foreign language teachers and providing language skills to scientists and scholars engaged with the rest of the world. English was one of the primary languages taught at the Language Institute. In the beginning of Vision Ukraine, students from the Language Institute were drawn to the services so they could hear a native English speaker preach. Some became converted and joined the church. Some of these converts from the late 90's are now leaders of the Mission.

A number of other congregations have been planted by Vision Ukraine throughout Ukraine, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, and Romania. Leaders trained in the Light of the Gospel have started other congregations, resulting in a network of churches now cooperating with each other in the HQ region. The Church leaders of the City meet weekly to plan mutual projects and to pray together.

Vision Ukraine has introduced a number of ministries which have been picked up by other churches in Ukraine. Vision Ukraine has been enthusiastic in living Matthew 25:34-40 and in meeting local needs. The following is a partial list of ministries introduced by Vision Ukraine:

• Orphanage support. Initially, this was visiting the orphanage weekly, helping provide supplies that the orphanage could not get from other sources (this has included toilet paper, butter, potatoes, feminine hygiene products, sport shoes, winter jackets, school supplies), holding infants, playing games with children, and helping with homework. From time to time, the Ministry has purchased new industrial stoves and refrigerators. More recently, the churches have provided Summer Camp for the children. (Summer Camp is a Ukrainian tradition that orphans have often missed out on.)
• Daily individual prayer for every orphan.
• Soup kitchens and Bible studies for the elderly. Home delivery of food assistance and visitation for shut-ins (elderly and disabled).
• Soup kitchens and clothing for the homeless.
• Counter Addiction Ministries through Christ to substance abusers. (Most Excellent Way and Restore Life, rehabilitation camps, visitation to First Hospitals, and church recovery programs are provided). Churches have cooperated in some cities to form a comprehensive Gospel Rescue Mission.
• Outreach to disabled people (house bound and lacking fellowship and to disabled veterans).
• Hospital visitations.
• Outreach to parents of disabled children, providing fellowship and times of relief.
• Outreach to refugees from the war zone in Eastern Ukraine.
• Special medical supplies for the poor and elderly and congregational members.
• Outreach to military personnel and to families of military personnel, including military Bible Sticks).

The Ukrainian Ministry Association was initially formed in 1998 when the Ukrainian Family Institute asked Pastor Shaw to teach the Most Excellent Way program to a group of 57 representatives from churches seeking to establish alcohol rehabilitation centers. Pastor Shaw spent a week teaching them how operate a center for both drug abuse and alcoholism from the Russian translation of the Most Excellent Way Program Manual, which had been obtained from Perm, Russia. The Ukrainian translators found that some translation improvements were needed, and Vision Ukraine provided the improved MEW Manual (Russian) back to Russia, to the original workshop participants, and the MEW Headquarters in the US. The next year, another workshop was held, attended by 77 churches. In 2003, Vision Ukraine provided 5000 copies of “Serving As Senders (Russian Edition)” (by Neal Pirolo, Emmaus Road International) to a visit of the Doulos, of Operation Mobilization Ships, to Odessa for free distribution. Many of the visiting pastors to the Doulos connected with Vision Ukraine and became part of the Ministry Association. Since 2014, the Ministry Association has led prayers for Ukraine in the public squares in over 200 cities.

Vision Ukraine has been instrumental in translating a large number of the MATTHEW 25:34-40 Ministries resources into Russian plus other items requested to meet issues in Ukraine. In the process, MATTHEW 25:34-40 has formed partnerships with other ministries and helped them to expand into international fields. Some of our partnerships include the following:

Emmaus Road International:     Serving as Senders; Prepare for Battle

Life Perspectives:                      Abortion Changes You

Most Excellent Way:                  MEW Program Manual

Restoring Relationships:           Restoring Relationships Manual

CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ): The Significant Woman (Pursuing God and His unique Design for Your Life) [Facilitator's Guide & Participant;s Book]

Vision Ukraine started a 2-year Bible College in 2000 to develop church planters and leaders. A practicum of the Bible College was to serve in the Soup Kitchens and in each of the ministries of the churches. Kamianske churches now operate a Mission School, Graduates are sent out to start churches in villages where churches have never existed before. (There are thousands of such small villages in Ukraine alone, and very many more throughout Eastern Europe and Asia.) Because the villages are small, the church planters are trained in skills where they can sustain themselves (with their family) without external financial support.

Vision Ukraine adopted a pastor in India in 1998, leading to the MT25 Mission India in 2002.

Some of the Vision Ukraine shared resources are available on this website under the Russian Language resources.