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RUSSIA, UKRAINE, BELARUS

With careful planning and caution, Jonathan has begun traveling again. He conducted five conferences this fall in Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.  Multiple training events are planned throughout 2022. In January, Jonathan will hold 3 events in Africa. Our Regional Directors, Ministry Partners and Women’s Ministry Directors have also been busy this year continuing online training and live training where possible. We have highlighted just a few of these events in pictures.   Thank you for your partnership and prayers! 

 

 

New Regional Director for Russia: 

We are excited to announce that Rev. Sergey Naboychenko will lead the BMI mentorship movement in Russia. We have known him since 2014. Sergey was a former aeronautical engineer who became ordained as a pastor in 2000. He is a gifted teacher who is well qualified and thoroughly trained in the BMI materials. 

Pictured here Sergey and his wife Diana with Jonathan Burnham:

 

Other Updates from the Region:

Call him “Dr. Dr. !” Dr. Vitaly Sorokun, BMI Regional Director for Eastern Europe, received an honorary DMin degree from Irpin Bible Seminary in Ukraine. Vitaly already has an earned doctorate in international law! We are so thankful for his life and how the Lord has blessed him with such a keen mind and a warm heart for God!

 

Additional Pictures of Vitaly’s training this year: 

UKRAINE:

Call him “Dr. Dr. !” Dr. Vitaly Sorokun, BMI Regional Director for Eastern Europe, received an honorary DMin degree from Irpin Bible Seminary in Ukraine. Vitaly already has an earned doctorate in international law! We are so thankful for his life and how the Lord has blessed him with such a keen mind and a warm heart for God!

 

BMI has strong ministry occurring in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. The ministry in this part of the world was begun by David and Sue Burnham in the late 1980’s. In October 1990, an historic meeting took place in the Central Baptist Church of Moscow between David and Sue and Rev. Vasily Logvinenko, formerly the President of the USSR Baptist Union. “Will you help me train the pastors?” questioned Rev. Logvinenko, as he poured out his heart to David. His invitation to BMI to come and train Christian leaders throughout the USSR opened doors for BMI for many decades to come.

From that meeting in Rev. Logvinenko’s office over 30 years ago, BMI has continued to offer ministry training throughout the former Soviet States. BMI is blessed to have as our regional director of Eastern Europe, Dr. Vitaly Sorokun, who has been serving with BMI for over 20 years. Vitaly has a lovely wife named Anna who tutors English in Ukraine. 

Vitaly’s ministry is flourishing. Vitaly continues to pastor New Hope Church (which focuses on international students), teach at the local Kharkov Bible College, run special courses at the main Baptist training seminary near Kiev, and teach part-time as associate professor of international public law at the National Law University of Ukraine.

After much discussion and prayer, Vitaly decided to accept the invitation to become the Director of the Foreign Missions Committee of the Baptist Union of Ukraine (UBU). UBU is the largest evangelical denomination in Ukraine with over 2300 churches and 113,000 members. The Foreign Missions has sent out nearly 30 Ukrainian missionaries who are serving in 14 countries around the world with the unreached and the underprivileged. Vitaly has revitalized UBU’s missions program, creating systems of mobilization and providing care for the missionaries. In many respects, Vitaly serves as a pastor to the missionarie

 

 

 

 

Due to the COVID pandemic, Vitaly has done very little travel since March. He has, however, been constantly holding video meetings and training sessions with our ministry partners in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Each of them has been involved in training leaders either individually or in their seminaries.

 

Vitaly conducted 3 large video training conferences on our curriculum, “Technology and the Family.” These 3 groups were for our key ministry partners in Russia, for the BMI regional directors and ministry partners in South Asia, SE Asia and the Philippines, and for a group of 100 seminary students in Belarus at Minsk Theological Seminary. Vitaly also teaches the BMI curriculum at Irpin Biblical Seminary in Ukraine. 

BMI has developed an ongoing partnership with Minsk Theological Seminary. Our relationship with the school began when one of the professors, Sergey Drodz, attended our first Ukrainian Encountering Christ conference in Kharkov in 2012. Following this training, Vitaly made several trips to Minsk to teach various BMI courses. Sergey Drozd is now the schools’ vice president and our key ministry partner for Belarus. 

 

Perhaps Vitaly’s most important ministry involves the young men he intentionally mentors. Vitaly has beautifully modelled the BMI 3-phased mentorship process. Currently, Vitaly is mentoring 3 young men: Elvis, Yaroslav, and Lincoln.

 

BMI’s women’s director for Eastern Europe is Nadia Morokhovets. Nadia travels throughout Ukraine and Belarus to conduct specially tailored conferences for women.  She has a vivacious and caring personality and is a sought after speaker and leader of women in that part of the world. This year Nadia has not only faced the challenge of Covid-19, but she was also diagnosed with cancer and has been undergoing treatments. We are happy to report that her prognosis looks very good! Early in the year she conducted two women’s ministries training events in Ukraine, and now after her treatments,  she is already beginning to train women again on Zoom! She especially loves to teach Living With Your Emotions by Sue Burnham.  

UKRAINE: Mini graduation for the women on the Living with Your Emotions BMI curriculum written by Sue Burnham. They loved it!

 

First BMI Conference in Siberia!  

Did you know that there are large cities in Siberia?  It’s not just polar bears and ice! 

In November, Jonathan traveled to Novosibirsk, Russia.  Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia.  

Heritage of Ministry

Rev. Vitaly Bak is the leader of the Baptist denomination of Siberia.  He is a fourth generation Christian Leader and both of his grandfathers were put to death during the communist years for their faith in Christ!  Rev. Bak leads a vibrant ministry throughout Eastern Russia, and we are privileged and excited to partner with him!  

 

Novosibirsk Biblical-Theological Seminary

There is a vibrant seminary in Siberia training Christian leaders all throughout the region. Novosibirsk Biblical-Theological Seminary is led by Rev. Eduard Genrikh.  Rev. Genrikh has partnered with BMI and the seminary has just finished a BMI Biblical Training and Mentoring Program cycle of training.  Rev. Genrikh is seen below in the pictures holding 20 year old BMI training manuals.  He remembers as a young Christian Leader attending a BMI conference with David and Jonathan Burnham, and has continued to refer back to these manuals from time to time!  

 

In November, Jonathan also held conferences in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Minsk, Belarus, and visited Warsaw, Poland for strategic planning with the President of the Baptist Union of Poland.  

Photos from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia:

Top Women Leaders Brought together in Minsk, Belarus

At the BMI conference in Minsk the top women’s ministry leaders gathered to discuss strategic planning and the BMI program for women called WMP – Women’s Ministry Program.  The women’s ministry leaders for the entire Baptist Unions of Belarus and Ukraine participated along with other top women leaders from these countries.  We are thankful for these faithful women!  

Dr. Vitaly Sorokun, the BMI Director for Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet States continues to teach the BMI training curriculum at Irpin Biblical Seminary in Kiev and also is heavily involved in Minsk Theological Seminary (Belarus) and Novosibirsk Biblical-Theological Seminary in Siberia.  He is also very invested in ministry in Africa because he is the pastor of New Hope Church in Kharkov, Ukraine, which ministers to foreign students attending universities in Ukraine.  Many of these students are from African countries!  

In case you didn’t know, there is still an ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.  No airline flights are allowed to fly between the two countries, and Vitaly is not able to visit Russia at this time.  Please keep his family and the situation in your prayers!