Alabama Baptists might recognize a little bit of themselves in the Hutsul people who call the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine home. The Hutsuls are rural folks who work the land and help their neighbors when it is time for the harvest, a metaphor perhaps for the work that the Alabama Acts 1:8 Connections missions partnership seeks to promote in Ukraine.
Several Alabama Baptists joined Southern Baptist representative and Alabama native Tim Akers on a vision journey to Ukraine on Sept. 6–13 to survey the area and look for ways that Alabama Baptists might help. Akers and his wife, Donna, along with their 13-year-old son, are moving to the region in October to work with the Hutsul people.
“The Hutsul are considered an unreached group, and there are few believers in the area,” Akers said. “In addition, the people are hard to reach physically and socially.”
The primary mission of the 17-member vision journey team, which included representatives from the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) and four Alabama Baptist associations, was to make contact with believers in the region and to scout locations for new church starts. Akers said the team identified up to 10 starting points through an effort that would have taken years if he had had to do the work alone.
The enormity of the task became real to team member Greg Pouncey, pastor of Tillman’s Corner First Baptist Church, Mobile, as they surveyed the area.
“The thing that showed me the greatest need was that we drove for about 12 hours one day and only saw two or three churches,” said Pouncey, who serves as the chairman of the global partnership sub-committee for the SBOM. “We drove through a village of 17,000 and identified only one believer in the whole village.
“The work might seem like an overwhelming task if Tim has to do it by himself, but if he has Alabama Baptists behind him, he can accomplish so much more,” Pouncey said.
Reggie Quimby, director of the SBOM office of global missions, was part of the Ukraine team as well. In addition to identifying opportunities for future contact with the Hutsul people, Quimby said the vision journey sets the groundwork for a network of Alabama Baptist associations and churches who will partner with the Akers in order to reach the Hutsuls for Christ.
“We walked and drove by many homes where people live that need to know the Lord, but how will they know unless someone is sent to share the good news?” Quimby said. “The Alabama Acts 1:8 Connections partnership strategy is simple. We will partner with Alabama International Mission Board and North American Mission Board missionaries where they are and connect with the missionaries through prayer, partnership and people groups.”
Pouncey said partnering with missionaries who have an Alabama connection will help churches feel more connected to the work.
“People will be more excited if they have a face to go along with a name,” Pouncey said.
In addition, missionaries will have a network of partner churches and associations in place and ready to help meet the needs they identify. Already, Akers said, team members have ideas about how their churches can help with Vacation Bible School, medical clinics and outreach in the Carpathian region. Once he and his family are settled in the region, Akers believes more needs will be apparent and more opportunities for teams to work in the area will be available.
Team member Eddy Garner, director of missions for Colbert-Lauderdale Baptist Association, is looking forward to those opportunities.
“During the week, we discovered potential missions trip locations for the future, and I am certain that our [Colbert-Lauderdale Association] churches will be returning to minister with Tim in the next year. I foresee a long-term partnership with Tim and Donna Akers as they reach the Hutsul people,” Garner said.
As Akers prepares to return to Ukraine in October with his family, he said he is eager to see how God will work through the Alabama Acts 1:8 Connections initiative.
“With God’s help, so much can be done with the help of Alabama Baptists that couldn’t be done with just one missionary family,” Akers said. “It’s exciting to know that Alabama is willing to partner with us to reach this unreached people group.”
The Hutsuls
How big is the people group?
Estimates indicate there are more than 500,000 Hutsuls.
Where do they live?
The Hutsuls live mainly in the highlands of the Carpathian mountain range in Ukraine. There also is a Hutsul population in the Romanian section of the Carpathians.
What language do they speak?
The Hutsul language is a dialect of Ukrainian with some Polish influences. This is dying, however, because education is conducted only in standardized Ukrainian. Few Hutsuls speak English.
What is their livelihood?
Traditionally, Hutsul life was based on forestry, logging and animal breeding (cattle, sheep and horses). Many Hutsuls today continue these practices, though some leave the highlands to find work in the cities. Secondary sources of income include handmade crafts (particularly wood carving, ceramics, jewelry, embroidery and painted eggs) and music.
What is their religion?
Most Hutsuls consider themselves Greek Catholic or Orthodox. However, there are superstitious and pagan beliefs and practices woven into the culture. Alabama Baptists will be the first evangelical group to minister among Hutsuls.
(Compiled by Joseph Rhea)
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