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MOSCOW,  January 2015

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On January 28-31, 2015, Dr. Vitaliy Sorokun traveled to Moscow, Russia, on the invitation of the Russian Baptist Union, to participate in a special youth congress. The congress gathered 1,000 participants, including pastors and Christian leaders from all over Russia. The purpose of the congress was to call the young generation of Christians to commit their lives to God’s call and to actively participate in the transformation of their society for the glory of Christ.

Dr. Sorokun conducted a special three hour meeting with the participants of the Sochi Encountering Christ conference. During this meeting he shared about Biblical Training and Mentoring Program. The leaders discussed the details of its potential implementation in Russia and agreed to continue to pray and to dialogue about it.

During the congress days, Dr. Sorokun also taught two large workshops for the youth leaders. The first workshop was about Small Group Ministry. The second one was about Personal Evangelism. Both topics were the actual lessons from “Seven Steps of Christian Living” – the new discipleship course from BMI.

Kharkiv, Ukraine  –  January 2015 

 

  VitalyBTMP2015

On January 14-15, Vitaliy Sorokun conducted the first session of Biblical Training and Mentoring Program (BTMP) with a pilot group of nine international students from India and Africa. These young men and women serve in various leadership roles at New Hope Church in Kharkiv, Ukraine. 

During the time of training, the groups went through the BTMP program document and studied the “Seven Steps of Christian Living” – the new discipleship course by Burnham Ministries, which was first introduced at the BMI Bangkok Summit last September. Each lesson was followed by review questions and lively discussion of various application points.

VitalyBTMP2015

VitalyBTMP2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please read some testimonies from the students:

Prawin (India)

Being a Christian leader is a special and unique calling. When we started the BTMP in church, my heart was drawn to it as I saw it as an opportunity to learn something new. I saw it as a platform through which I will be able enrich my knowledge and understanding of being a Christian leader. True to its goal to equip Christian leaders with practical and reproducible tools, and to encourage Christian leaders to be effective mentors, the program has been very helpful in making me discover a part of me that I thought did not exist.  The detailed study that we did on the Seven Steps of Christian Living has helped me comprehend their significance in a Christian’s life more than ever before.  I’m encouraged to practice the Seven Steps, and in turn, help those I disciple practice them as well. The cycle/circle practically repeats itself. It is a privilege to be part of such an elite group of people, who share an abundant love for Christ. I pray God to guide us through the rest of the program and believe that He will work miracles through each one of us. Praise God!

Jed (Ghana)

BTMP has broadened my spectrum about the focus of a Christian. Before the seminar I thought of the Seven Steps of Christian Living as just any other sermon, but now, I know it to be practical… And also, in areas like discipleship, I have been more enlightened and it’s all thanks to BTMP!!!

Tarisai (Zimbabwe)

The BMTP is an interesting approach to living the Christian life. It is applicable in the sense that it is practical, and any believer can understand it. It has challenged me to be a true follower of JESUS and has pushed me into the perspective of discipling others… Before we never had a scale of how we could measure our growth, or set personal goals, but with the Seven Steps, I have been able to see and focus on my weak points and also work harder on essentials I had been ignoring. I am honored to be part of the group.

Paul (India)

The BTMP classes gave me a well organized pattern that I can use for my personal spiritual growth. Also, these materials gave me the guidelines necessary to disciple others in a ‘biblical way’ which is our key priority.

David (Kenya)

For me BTMP has simplified my understanding of Christian living. There are many things to know about God and His Word, but BTMP makes everything easier. The training is great, and I hope to consistently practice all the Steps, especially the 7th. Also after my studies I will teach it to close friends and also try for it to be taught in my local church. It’s a privilege to have gone through the program.

Stephen (Ghana)

For me the BTMP program has been an eye opener. I realized the role of salvation and a life of repentance in Christian living. The program was taught in simple and easy to understand English. It’s highly practical and can be retaught in discipleship. I now know that each step relies on each other from the first to the last (they are inseparable). And the great commission of every believer is to spread the truth and disciple newly converted believes. The step I enjoyed the most was Serving and Stewardship with our various talents and how to use them to propagate the word of God. 

Elina (Namibia)

The BTMP has been helpful to me in so many ways, especially in realizing which areas which are not my strongest, thus needing more work (i.e Evangelism). I love how very practical the Program is, how we can practice the Seven Steps daily in so many ways. My Favorite step (if I may have) is Discipleship, and I was happy to learn more about it. Step 1 outlined for me the importance of daily Repentance. I love BTMP!!!

 

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Pastors, College Professors, Seminary Presidents from

Seven Countries Will Attend

 

 

 

 

September 2014

BTMP  –  Biblical Training and Mentoring Program

Christian leaders – including pastors, seminary presidents and college professors – from seven countries will fly to Bangkok, Thailand, to attend training sessions and strategic planning with Jonathan Burnham for the BTMP, Biblical Training and Mentoring Program.   This is a new package of training curriculum put together by Jonathan Burnham with the assistance of Vitaliy Sorokun to help Bible colleges, seminaries and churches train Christian leaders.  This unique program will supply students with the training they need to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the regions in which they live.  It will be first taught by the BMI representatives who will then train others, and so on, and so on.  This will provide for the  exponential growth of well-trained, biblically literate leaders and teachers in many different countries around the world.   The BTMP materials include the 48 hours of practical BMI training plus the Encountering Christ curriculum and the new 7 Steps of Christian Living.

This program is already being utilized in different parts of the world at Bible colleges and seminaries as part of their accredited curriculum.  These leaders will expand this and be trained to institute the BTMP into their part of the world.  

This leadership summit will include our National Directors, Vitaliy Sorokun (Ukraine and Soviet States) , Sonam Kabo (Nepal and South Asia) and Joshua Nguyen (Vietnam and Southeast Asia).  The additional leaders who will become BMI Representatives to their region of the world come from the following countries:  Rwanda, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, and Belarus. (Some pictured below.)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Encountering Christ Conference, Year 2, New Testament

Kharvov, Ukraine, October 2013

This year, the Christian leaders returned to Kharkov with their wives for a week.  These leaders came from seven different countries and three continents.  

Conference Opens Doors into Many Countries

 

EC Conference 2013

EC Conference 2013

 

Strategic platform to advance the ministry to the former USSR countries.

This two-year conference was a strategic platform to advance the ministry of BMI to the former countries of the former USSR. Interacting with the pastors allowed us to investigate strategic training opportunities in their regions and to package the existing training materials into a new discipleship program. Our plans are to take this program and to initiate special discipleship movements in Russia through the new partnership with the Baptist Union, Belarus, Armenia and Georgia. We will use this program to train Chinese Christian leaders in Ukraine. The conference and its unique content has also opened doors of opportunity into the Central Asian countries where Christian leaders and churches live under persecution and are in need of practical ministry training.

The majority of the leaders represented Ukraine (including the Vice-President of the Baptist Union, the largest and oldest Protestant denomination of the land. BMI has partnered with the Baptist Union in the former USSR, and our Ministry Center is registered under the Union). The other pastors and teachers were from Vladivostok (Russia’s Far East, a city on the shore of the Sea of Japan near the border with China and North Korea), Minsk (Belarus), Tbilisi (Georgia), Yerevan (Armenia), as well as two leaders from China and Nigeria, both living in Ukraine and associated with our Ministry Center international outreach.

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Jonathan (with Vitaly Sorokun interpreting) taught the 2nd year of the EC material, and Faith (with Anna Sorokun interpreting) taught the women from the BMI Women’s Ministry material and her own material on Internet Safety called Home Invasion.  On the final day of the conference, there was a special marriage emphasis with a renewal of marriage vows.  

 

View Video Testimony from a pastor from Belarus

 

“Spiritual truths neatly focused on Christ.” 

Comments from the leaders: 

 “My heart is filled with pleasure because of the abundance of spiritual truths so neatly and beautifully focused on Christ. He taught us in a bright, simple, vivid and practical way. I am going to to use these truths as I prepare my sermons, council people and teach theology, because this material is universal, biblical and very practical from the theologial perspective as it was centered on Christ. This is the focus which is lacking today in lives of many Christians. I am going to reread Jonathan’s book with a pencil in my hand.  

“My wife and I were one of the first couples whom Jonathan really wedded on the last day of the conference. We got married when we were still in the world. Back then, I did not make any commitments to Olesya, because nobody asked for any commitments. It was our first vow in the 20 years of our marriage!”

Special Additions:   BMI Board Member, Kerry Olin and his wife Kathy joined the conference as well as David Snyder, from BMI partner Sustainable Medical Missions.

Click on picture to view larger:

 

 

 

Belarus Encountering Christ at Minsk Bible College

Pastor Sergey Drozd from the city of Minsk, the capital of Belarus, who attended Encountering Christ Conference in Kharkov last October, taught Encountering Christ (Old Testament) at Minsk Bible College as part of Christology course. There are nine students in his program. They come from different churches in Belarus and some of them are leaders of small groups.

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Quotes about the course:

“I received a double blessing from teaching this course. First of all I renewed and made deeper my knowledge of the subject.  My thinking became even more Christ-centered! Secondly, I think I could make a real impact on these young Christians, some of whom are in the beginning stages of leadership in their churches. They can and will make mistakes in their ministry. Nevertheless, they must not make the critical mistake – to make Christ an entry ticket to Christianity. Christ is Christianity’s major and all-defining center.”
~ Sergey Drozd (Instructor)

Students Quotes:

“It was interesting for me to see Christ in all these stories… There are hints at Christ throughout the Bible; therefore it is important to have a Christological view on Scripture.”
~ Maxim

“Christ-centered view on all Scripture! It is important NOT to study the Bible with a self-centered perspective.”
~ Vasily

“The most important thought for me was that I can clearly see Christ in the text of Scripture, even though this text may first seem a mere historical narrative.”
~ Nadezhda

“To see Christ in the Old Testament and to be nourished with these images! Though I have thought that Christ is the center of everything, and especially of my life, I can once again be convicted and instructed that the right view on everything is through Christ.”
~ Philip

“Christ is the center of theology. He must be the center of my life.”
~ Victoria

“I’ve been walking through a spiritual desert recently as my relationships with Christ have not been steady. These classes helped me redirect my focus back to Christ, to learn to live a Christ-centered life, to worship Christ daily.”
~ Nikolai