What is your ministry?
I am working on some projects related to evangelism and apologetics, especially among students. Apart from that, I work as a lector at the Kyiv Bible Institute. I am invited to lecture and hold training at various Bible seminaries nationwide.
When did you trust Christ?
I have been a Christian for about 25 years. I was born in the Soviet Union in a non-Christian family. My father worked for the Communist party. My father and mother did not have a harmonious marriage. Our father left us when I was 3-years-old. My parents got divorced. And when I was seven, a tragedy happened in my mother's family. Her brother, her father, and her mother all died during one year. Searching for peace, my mom started visiting an Orthodox church, and she took us with her to the church. But I was not too fond of it because I did not understand the language. I did not like the liturgy. I wanted to understand the God I believed in. Somehow I always knew that God existed. One day we visited a Christian crusade, and my mom bought a book called "Peace with God" by Billy Graham. About that time, she purchased the Bible in an Orthodox church as well. By reading these books, I realized I was a sinner, and I confessed my sins, accepting Jesus as my Savior. I was about 13-years-old.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
When I came to know and believe in God, I did not attend an evangelical Christian church because I did not even know of any such churches! In those times, we watched Kenneth Copeland's programs broadcasting in Ukraine in the 1990s. We also received some of their brochures by mail. At the end of one of these TV programs, we prayed to find a church congregation of true believers. After several months in 1995, God brought our family to a good evangelical church. I have been attending the church and growing spiritually since then.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
My participation in the Forum has significantly helped and inspired me to work and minister in my expertise to organize and hold several seminars each year to help equip Christian leaders in my country.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
Several years ago, I was also a home group coordinator. I have also been a Sunday school teacher.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
When I was a home group coordinator eight years ago (before I had children), there were 10-15 home groups in our church. Now there are only five. It happened because of a lack of coordination and a lack of care for the home group leaders. So I hope to help restore this work with God's help. When it comes to the ministry with students, as a professor in a secular university, I can be their mentor and bring at least some of them to Christ.
