Throughout our time in Ukraine we got invited to speak different places. Some places were cool and some more solemn ;-)
I remember one Baptist Church in Makiivka just East of Donetsk, where the children sat with reverent expressions on their faces – trying their best to look serious and holy. I couldn’t help myself. From the pulpit I told them the Lord had given me a very important message for them, “God wants you to be happy!” You could almost feel a sigh of relief going through the row of kids, but I’m not sure it went over so well with the staunch elder watchdogs of the faith in the congregation.
On another occasion our dear friend and benefactor, Tamara, who had helped us with registration when we first arrived, invited us to visit a church out in the countryside. It was shortly after Christmas 2001, and we made our way through snow and ice east-ward to the small town where the meeting was held in a rented hall. Tamara came along with her video camera as she wanted to record the event.
The pastor was an enthusiastic young man who had been trained by missionaries from South Korea. They had singers and musicians and it was a pretty festive affair. After lots of singing and much emphatic preaching. I was invited to address the enthusiastic audience.
Here’s a brief clip of the event. As always Joy was a brilliant translator. She not only delivered a fluent translation, but she had a special gift for conveying the spirit of the message in a way that resonated with the audience.
At the end of the service, the young pastor made an altar call and invited anyone to ask for prayer. There were a number of specific requests, so we went around the circle praying for people individually.
It was a fun and interesting experience with all the singing and dancing and a receptive flock of new believers (and I got a chance get on the soap box :-) It was nothing like the dull ceremonial rituals you sometimes come across in other churches.
So in reality the 'church' is 'God's children,' but when they translated the word “ecclesia” in the King James Bible they instead used the word “kirk” or “church” possible in a political move to try to tie believers to the established hierarchy.
If you think about it, you really can't "take the people to church", but you can "take the church to a building" :-)
Afterwards we were invited to dinner with some of the congregation. We sat at a long table with lots of people talking and eating until late into the evening answering questions and enjoying more fellowship. It was long after dark before we made it back to Dnipro.
Chapter 20 ~ Renovations and Reflections ( TOC )