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Churches
in Ukraine
There
are 23 church congregations in Ukraine at varying stages of organization.
The churches cover a vast area in the country.
Missionaries and national pastors spend many hours traveling
by train or car between local churches.
Click on any of the listed churches to read specific information on that church.
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Berdichev Church
 Pastor Oleg Brzhezitskiy and his wife Svetlana lead this church, which was started in 2004. They have a strong burden for family ministries, providing marriage enrichment and counseling services, as well as ministering to those whose lives have been impacted by drugs and alcohol.
Berdichev is located in southern Zhitomirskaya Oblast, about 120 miles southwest of Kyiv. The church meets in the apartment of a relative of the pastor until a building is purchased. ( BACK TO LIST )
Berdyansk Church ( SEE PROJECT )
 Berdyansk is a city of 140,000 in southeastern Ukraine on the Sea of Azov. Pastor Pyotr (Petya) Lyusov and his wife Natasha lead the congregation. They have two small children, Misha and Veronica. The church was first organized in 1997 and currently owns a portion of the first floor of a modern apartment building where services are held. Petya is very outgoing and musical and the worship services are very lively.
Pastor Petya and the Berdyansk Church are very active in city-wide evangelism crusades in cooperation with other evangelical churches, and use the Evangelism Tent to hold multi-night services.
In 2003 property was purchased for eventual construction of a new worship center. It consists of over 1 acre and is in a good location with excellent access. Preliminary plans have been drawn up, and approvals are being sought from the city government.
The church is also seeking to purchase property for a drug/alcohol rehabilitation center, expected to cost $10,000 before remodeling. (PHOTO GALLERY) (BACK TO LIST)
Berezna Volya Church
 Berezna Volya is a small village located in northwest Ukraine near Poland and Belarus. The leader of this work is Lubov Zimich. She is director of the local school. No current ministry building exists. Worship services and other gatherings of the church family are held at the school.
A major ministry in the village is a Medical Clinic which was renovated in 2001. Sveta Kleschar, President of the Ukraine NCM Foundation and Pastor of the Ortos Church in Kyiv, was helpful in establishing this work through the delivery of humanitarian aid after severe storms caused major damage to the villages in this area.
Plans are in process to construct a single-story worship center of brick and wood adjacent to the Medical Point. (BACK TO LIST)
Gorodkivka Church
 Gorodkivka is a village of about 10,000 in south central Ukraine about 200 miles southwest of Kyiv. The church here is one of the three churches started by Natalya Ivanovna during her two-year mission to Ukraine in 2002-2004, as an outreach of the Vapnyarka Church. About 60 currently attend. In addition to worship services, Sunday school and home bible studies are also held.
Pastor Pasha Kupchik, aided by co-worker Vitya share the pastoral roles at Vapnyarka and Gorodkivka. Recently the village council donated a two-story brick building, which was previously part of a medical facility, for church use. The church family has made part of the building useable already. (PHOTO GALLERY) (BACK TO LIST)
Kalinivka Church
 In 2004, through the Economic Development efforts directed by Nazarene Doug Tibbs of Eagle, Idaho, a lumber dry kiln was purchased and started up in Kalinivka. The men who operate the dry kiln have gone through the drug and alcohol rehabilitation program established by the Vinnitsa Church. They not only want to work to make a living, but want to work to serve the Lord. They therefore have begun to establish a ministry in this town of 30,000 in Vinnitskaya Oblast. Zhenya is the leader, and they are holding home bible studies and have plans to organize the church by the end of 2004.(BACK TO LIST)
Khmelnitski Church
 Khmelnitski is the capital of Khmelnitskaya Oblast, located in western central Ukraine. This city of 250,000 boasts the largest outdoor bazaar in the country. Work was started in the fall of 2002 in this city as a result of outreach by the Vinnitsa Church through its drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs. Pastor Valera and his wife Zhana lead the work. Worship services are currently taking place in a rented facility, with about 35 regular attenders. There are also evening home bible studies.
Eagle, Idaho Church of the Nazarene is involved in a “ Sister Church” relationship with Khmelnitski. The goal of their involvement is to help raise the funds and establish in Khmelnitski a worship center, drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and business project, all to be operational by October 2006. This involves the commitment of several teams from Eagle, Northwest Nazarene University, and additional teams to complete the project.
Pastor Valera and the Ukraine mission staff are in the process of obtaining land at a central location in the city so that building plans and permits will be ready for the 2005 construction season. (BACK TO LIST)
Kozyatin Church
 Kozyatin is a railroad center of 40,000 located about 120 miles southwest of Kyiv in Vinnistskaya Oblast. The church was started in 2004 and is led by Sergei Onofrichuk with his wife Olga. Worship services are currently being held in a rented facility.
Property was recently purchased consisting of an existing home and a partially-constructed addition. (PHOTO GALLERY) (BACK TO LIST)
Kropivnya Church ( SEE PROJECT )
 Kropivnya is a village located in the Chernobyl-impacted area, one hour by car northwest of Kyiv. The work was started by Nazarenes from Kyiv who provided medical outreach and showed the Jesus Film. Ministries now include Youth and Children's Camps, VBS, and school programs. Worship services are presently held in the local school auditorium.
Kropivnya Church is an outreach of Kyiv First Church. Valentina Strizhanyuk is currently taking pastoral training and is leading the church with help from Kyiv.
A partially constructed building was purchased in 2003, and will be completed with funds and labor provided by local Nazarenes and Work & Witness teams. The building for will serve the Kropivnya community, with facilities for worship, classrooms, office, humanitarian aid distribution and kitchen use. (PHOTO GALLERY) (BACK TO LIST)
Kyiv
First Church / Kyiv Ministry Center ( SEE
PROJECT )
 Kyiv First Church was founded in 1992 and is led by Pastor Vladimir Masyuk. It is located at Studentska Street #3 in Kyiv and was once a five-family apartment house. The building was constructed in 1911 and is registered as a historical structure. With the help of many Work & Witness teams, it been transformed into a wonderful facility. The renovation of the original two-story building has been completed, including the addition of a full basement and the conversion of the former attic area into housing and fellowship space.
The Kyiv First congregation began meeting in 1992, starting in the apartment of one of the original members. In 1994 the church started using a rented hall in factory where motorcycles were produced. Until heat was added to the current building, the congregation met for seven years without any heat in very cold Ukrainian winters.
There are two services held each Sunday. The first one at 11:00a.m. is a traditional service led by Pastor Vladimir. There is a lot of singing in each service and a praise team leads that portion. The second service is at 3:00p.m. and is youth oriented. Pastor Sergei Dziba leads this service. It is lively and informal and the youth love it that way.
This building also serves as the Kyiv Ministry Center (KMC) and hosts the administrative activities of the Church of the Nazarene and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries for the nation of Ukraine. The basement of the ministry center is the storage area for NCM. Five ocean containers of donated materials (generally used clothing and medical supplies) can be stored at any one time in this basement.
When the building was purchased, due to the laws at the time, it was not possible to buy the land the building sits on. Now the law has been changed and the city of Kyiv is insisting the land be purchased and has priced it at $250,000. This is a huge challenge for the Ukraine District and Kyiv First Church.
Because of the increasing volume of humanitarian aid coming into Ukraine in ocean-going shipping containers, 18-24 containers annually, there is a need to create more storage space at Kyiv Ministry Center. The plan is to build a new structure at the rear of the property for storage of humanitarian aid, and a garage for two mission vehicles. The building would have a full basement, first floor and attic, and would be constructed from masonry. (PHOTO GALLERY I) (PHOTO GALLERY II) (BACK TO LIST)
Kyiv ORTOS
Church
 ORTOS Church is located in North Kiev. It meets in a center that promotes the well being of people suffering from handicaps. The church was started as the result of receiving 1,000 yards of donated used fabric to the handicapped people who meet at this center. They used the material to make T-shirts and this allowed them to earn important revenue, some of which was reinvested in more material. Bibles were also distributed at the same time and as a result of this open door, Pastor Svetlana Kleshchar started a Bible study and the Church was organized in 1995.
The continued use of the handicapped center by the church is uncertain, so the church needs to find a building to purchase and renovate. It is estimated that property of suitable size in the Obolon District of Kyiv where they are currently located would be about $300,000. Please pray for a workable solution to this serious challenge. (BACK TO LIST)
Lyubeshiv Church ( SEE PROJECT )
God used a hurricane and the donation of 40-foot container of used clothing by Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to open the work in this city in the northwest corner of Ukraine in 1998. Lyubeshiv is the regional center and since 1998 relationships have been developed with the medical and educational structure of this entire region. God continues to use compassionate ministries and economic development to build His Kingdom in Ukraine. Nina presently leads Lyubeshiv and currently some young leaders are training to take her place.
The church is currently searching for property on which to build, the estimated purchase price is $20,000. (BACK TO LIST)
Mariupol Church ( SEE PROJECT )
 Mariupol is an industrial city of about 600,000 in southeastern Ukraine. It is an 11-hour drive by car or an 18-hour train ride from Kiev (500 miles). In 2001 the Church of the Nazarene purchased a two story building that had been constructed of masonry by German POWs during World War II. It is located on a large corner lot and has a courtyard on three sides. Numerous Work & Witness teams have helped renovate the building, and in 2004 a third floor was added, enlarging the building to 6500 square feet.
The Mariupol church is the hub of Nazarene activities in southeast Ukraine. There are about 50-60 regular attenders. Pastor Sergei Alekseyev and his wife Tatyana (Tanya) serve the Mariupol Church. They have five children, Lena, Seriozha, Anya, Artyom, and Alexander. In addition to worship services on Sundays and Wednesdays, there is an active Sunday school, bible study groups, and a children’s camp program.
Pastor Sergei and Tanya have a strong burden for the homeless and the addicted. Pastor Sergei believes “We cannot call ourselves a Christian church if we do not reach out to those whose lives are under the control of alcohol or drugs, and to those who are without housing and trying to survive on the streets during the deadly cold of winter.” The past two winters, the church has been a place where the homeless could stay overnight, and recently a house was purchased a short distance from the church for this purpose. ( SEE PHOTO GALLERY I ) ( SEE PHOTO GALLERY II ) (BACK TO LIST)
Miusinsk Church ( SEE PROJECT )
 Miusinsk is a town of 10,000 people located in the coal-mining region of eastern Ukraine near the border with Russia. Economic conditions are very difficult due to the closing of the power generating station which was the economic backbone of the area. Pastor Zhenya and his wife Elena have led the congregation since its founding in 1997 and are known for the lively music in their services. A large four-room apartment has been purchased near the church. It will serve as office space and in the future will house Work & Witness teams which come to expand the church building. ( SEE PHOTO GALLERY ) (BACK TO LIST)
Mizakivski Hutera Church (SEE PROJECT)
 Mizakivski Hutera is located about 15 kilometers north of Vinnitsya in central Ukraine. It is an agricultural village of 6,000 with only two small churches. In 2004 members of the Vinnitsya church, a medical team from Northwest Nazarene University, Work & Witness teams and the Jesus Film combined to help establish the work.
Pastor Nikolai (Kolya) Grigorenko, his wife Galena (Galya) lead the work. They have one child, their daughter Lesya. There are about 15-20 regular attenders. The church building is a former home on about 1 acre. Pastor Kolya and the church family have been remodeling the building as funds become available. ( SEE PHOTO GALLERY ) (BACK TO LIST)
Nikiforivtsi Church
 This church is located in a farming village of 4,000 about 25 kilometers southeast of Vinnitsa in central Ukraine. The work was started in 2004 by Misha Vostovski, a local resident who went through the rehabilitation program for alcoholism held in Selishe. The Lord saved him, delivered him from alcoholism, and called him to preach. The first people he ministered to were his wife Tanya, who has become a Christian, and their two pre-school boys.
Misha has organized evangelistic crusades and regular bible studies for the village. Worship services are being held in the local community club, and we are praying that the Lord will provide resources to purchase property in 2005 so that construction or renovation can begin in 2006. ( SEE PHOTO GALLERY ) (BACK TO LIST)
Patriotichnye Church
This is a small farming village about 30 kilometers northeast of Mariupol. The work is one of the earliest Nazarene church plants in Ukraine, started in 1996. Sergei and Svetlana are the leaders and hold services in their home.
Help is needed to purchase property which could be renovated for use as a meeting place for worship and Bible study. Land with older houses is available in the area for $5-7,000.
Saki Church ( SEE PROJECT )
 Saki is located on the western side of the Crimea region of southern Ukraine, a few minutes from the Black Sea. The work was started in 2003 by Pastor Sasha Kinashevskiy and his wife Nadya, who came from the Vinnitsya church. They have one child, their son Daniil.
A well-constructed building was purchased near the center of the city and serves as worship center, humanitarian aid storage and distribution center, and parsonage. In 2004 Saki Church received Alabaster funding which was used on exterior plastering and interior insulation of the building.
Also in 2004, the church held a baptism and a clothing distribution and a medical clinic was held there by Crossroads ( Chandler) Arizona Work & Witness team.
Pastor Sasha and his church family are praying that additional property behind and adjacent to church will come on the market, on which could be constructed a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility and a new, larger worship center. The estimated price of the land acquisition is $15-20,000. ( SEE PHOTO GALLERY ) (BACK TO LIST)
Selishe Church ( SEE PROJECT )
Nazarene work was started in the spring of 2002 by establishing a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in this agricultural village of 5,000 located 20 kilometers south of Vinnitsya in central Ukraine. A house was purchased and remodeled by a Work & Witness Team and rehab programs were immediately started for men seeking freedom from addiction and a new start in life. As community involvement grew and men matured in their Christian faith, a new church work naturally evolved.
Selishe church started in the spring of 2004 and is led by Vitalik Kovel and his wife Natasha. In the summer of 2004 the Nazarene Evangelism Tent was brought to Selishe and a series of meetings were held to evangelize the community. They are currently meeting in a rented former café building they hope to purchase for use as a worship center and community outreach facility. There are about 40 regular attenders at present.
Sitnyaki Church
Sitnyaki is a small town located along the Zhitomir highway about one hour west of Kyiv. Work was started with Jesus Film and Compassionate Ministries. A small but active group meets presently in rented facilities. They are hoping to grow and acquire their own facility. Presently Galina and Vadim lead the group, with help from Kyiv First Church.
Sovshinye Church
This church was started in 2003 by Natalya Ivanovna, the Ukrainian-born American who lived in the area from 2002 to 2004. Sovchinye is a village of 1000 in southern Vinnitskaya Oblast. The work is being led by Galina Ostapchuk. About 20 meet regularly at the local school for bible studies and worship services.
Vapnyarka Church ( SEE PROJECT )
This church was started in 2002 by Natalya Ivanovna, an American citizen who immigrated from the former Soviet Union and returned to evangelize her home town and start a church. In the two years she was there, she started this church and two others (Gorodkivka and Sovshinye).
During her time in Ukraine, she negotiated the donation of the former Railroad Workers’ Club from the city to the Church of the Nazarene. The church family has been cleaning up the property and making a portion of the building ready for worship services. Work and witness teams have begun the building renovation and more teams are needed to renovate the old meeting hall for a new sanctuary. The church currently meets in a portion of the renovated building and is lead by Pastor Pasha.
In 2004 Alabaster Funds were received and used to purchase the land underlying the building. On adjacent property is a men’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation center that was started in 2004.
Connected with the church is a children’s center for HIV babies and young children, also started by Natalya Ivanovna in the home where she resided in Vapnyarka and then donated to the church.
Vinnitsya
Church and Rehabilitation Center ( SEE
PROJECT )
 Vinnitsya is located about four hours by car southwest of Kyiv. A brick building was purchased in 2001 for use as a worship center, drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, offices, and classrooms. Total renovation of the building is nearing completion, made possible in large part by funding and labor from Work & Witness teams.
Pastor Roman and his wife Oksana are reformed addicts. Having found Christ while in prison, he felt called to minister to those who were in the same bondage as he was when living his former lifestyle. They have two daughters, Anastasia (Nastia) and Olga.
Vinnitsya church has a very active drug and alcohol outpatient rehab ministry. The rehab programs which originated here have been featured on Ukrainian television nationwide, and Pastor Roman and his co-workers present drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs in the local schools at the request of city and school officials.
Through the ministries of the Vinnitsya Church, people are being saved and finding freedom from their addictions. Every Friday night an all night prayer service is held including a communion service at midnight. In addition to worship services which feature lively praise music and vivid testimonies, the church has Sunday school, bible studies and home groups. ( SEE PHOTO GALLERY ) (BACK TO LIST)
Zaporizhya Church
Zaporizhya is an industrial city in southeast Ukraine. The Nazarene work was begun in 2003 through contact with the director of the union of handicapped workers for Zaporizhya Oblast. In 2004, the director was briefly imprisoned under charges that were later proven false, and during that time received Christ as her Savior. The church is in the beginning stages.
Plans are underway to secure property with a building to be renovated. Bible studies are currently being held in her home.
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