From Northport to the Odessa region of the Ukraine, a bond of love was formed between two Baptist churches recently. Vladimir Shemchishin, pastor of Illichovks Baptist Church, Ukraine, and Tim Patrick, pastor of Chapel Hill Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa Association, signed a unique partnership agreement that sets into motion a bold missions effort in the Ukraine for at least three years.
“We have always been a missions-minded church, but now there has been a turn in a different direction,” said Patrick. “Instead of just sending money, we are becoming more action-oriented in our missions efforts. Our people are going out onto the missions field and are coming home to share the joy of the missions trips.”
The partnership has its roots in a 2001 missions trip to the Ukraine, in fact.
Michael Allen, minster of music at Chapel Hill Church, met his future wife, Yana, on that trip, and they were married in 2002. Although Yana left her homeland for America, the Allens continued to pray for her home church, Illichovks Baptist Church.
Pastor Shemchishin identified the critical needs of the church, and the Chapel Hill Church congregation responded with the partnership agreement.
The agreement lays out an evangelistic effort that will include sending missions teams from Chapel Hill Baptist for Sunday School, youth and children's camps, discipleship, music and other areas of need that may surface in the church.
Shemchishin is president of the Odessa Baptist Seminary and is a past mmissionary to Siberia, where he was arrested for preaching the gospel in 1983.
His grandfather was killed for doing the same thing, and his grandmother was sent to Siberia for 10 years for conducting a prayer meeting in her home. During his recent trip to the United States — which was funded by the Slavic Gospel Association — he preached in California, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Shemchishin's daughter, Olga, lives in Mississippi and served as translator during a Sunday morning service at Chapel Hill Church in March. He told his audience that the Ukrainian people were thankful for the missionaries who came over 150 years ago to tell his people about Christ. “When the Communists took over our country, we could no longer have church services, and our Bibles were taken away, but we would write down Bible verses and give them to the people,” he said.
When the churches were given permission by the government 10 years ago to reorganize, Ukrainian officials told the eager Christians that no one would come to their church. Through the evangelical efforts of the Illichovks church, its membership has risen from 10 to 300. “Thousands have been saved since we began our church 10 years ago,” Shemchishin said. “The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. With a population of more than 59 million, only 1 percent are Christians.”
Issuing a passionate plea for missions groups, he told the Chapel Hill congregation, “There have been five generations that have grown up without the Bible. We cannot lose another generation, and we need for you to come and teach us. After Sept. 11 (2001), people slowed down in their traveling, and I asked God to send them again.”
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