Praying for Our Sister Churches in the Ukraine
SHREVEPORT, LA. – Back in August of 1991, the Southwestern Union became excited about the opening doors in the USSR and the chance of evangelistic meetings in Moscow and the Ukraine. The Arkansas-Louisiana Conference joined with the five Southwestern Union conferences to become sister churches with the six Ukraine Union Conferences. Southwestern Union churches were matched with similar-sized churches in the Ukraine, contacts were made and communication was started. Sabbath, Sept. 14,1991, was a high day as the Ukraine Sister Church program was officially launched in all the churches within the Southwestern Union. The day was noted as a day of intercessory prayer for our sister churches who were also launching approximately 250 evangelistic crusades in all of their churches on that same Sabbath.
Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) agreed to ship “Christmas” boxes of supplies being donated to the Ukrainian churches. The boxes included communion sets and baptismal robes, Sabbath School teaching materials, Revelation Seminar lessons for evangelism, Russian or Ukraine Bibles and Steps to Christ books in Russian, as well as, small gifts wrapped for Christmas, seasonal greeting cards and pictures of the sister church which sent the supplies.
During the 30 years since this beginning, many evangelistic meetings have been held by our preachers, conference presidents, evangelists and lay leaders who have traveled to Ukraine. Much has been done, churches have been built, and obviously, the devil is riled up about the revival that has taken place. Our Sister churches are in peril and need our intercessory prayers now—more than ever. If your church was matched to one of the sister churches in the Ukraine Union, please remember these people in your corporate and private prayers. ADRA is still working over there, and we can still help in this struggle. The work is not over yet! You can still be a part of it.
Arkansas-Louisiana had 81 churches paired with 36 churches in the Central Ukraine Union. Oklahoma had 73 churches paired with 35 churches in the Eastern Ukraine Union.
The Southwest Region had 84 churches paired with 54 churches in the West Ukraine Conference. Texas had 188 churches paired with 95 churches in Chernivtsi and Podolsk. Texico had 63 churches paired with 27 churches in the Southern Ukraine Conference.
Pray for your brothers and sisters who have been loved and helped in the past and who are being thrown into the caldron that is a part of the ‘time of the end.’ Jesus is coming, and He is looking for those who are not lukewarm. He stands at the door and knocks; He is there to help you and to help them make it through to the end. May God bless you in this struggle!
By Sylvia Downs
Communication Administrative Asst.
