Would you say a big thank you to all Alabama Baptist volunteers who have helped us in Ukraine?” asked Sergey Bochko, pastor of Open Hearts Baptist Church in Kiev.
While the heartfelt expression was directed toward the more than 200 volunteers who have worked in Ukraine as part of the partnership between the Alabama Baptist State Convention and the Baptists of that nation, a particular thank you was directed to Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville.
It helped Open Hearts Baptist with English language camps for two consecutive years.
“English is the best outreach tool we have found,” Bochko explained. He said the church sponsored a kids camp but it was not successful. When it tried an English language camp, the people responded.
“The first year, we had 25 people,” recalled Natalia Bochko, the pastor’s wife. “Last year, we had 42 and this year, we are expecting 60 people.”
When asked about the benefits of the camp, the couple pointed to two sisters attending that Sunday’s worship service. The two were among four participants who made professions of faith during last year’s camp. Since that time, five other camp participants have made professions of faith. All nine will be baptized May 31 after completing a yearlong baptismal class.
“In the U.S., new converts are often rushed into the baptismal waters,” observed Baptist representative Melissa Atkins. “Not here. These young people know that being baptized makes a significant difference in their lives. That is why they have a yearlong class to complete before their actual baptism.”
A little over three years ago, Open Hearts was a dream in the hearts of the Bochkos. Both were finishing seminary and wondering what God had in store for them.
“My grandfather was a Baptist pastor in western Ukraine,” Sergey Bochko said. “I remember my parents taking me to church even during the Soviet era. I thought I might be a pastor like him.”
Instead God called the couple to start a church. Together with two other couples who formed the core group of the new work, they began Open Hearts as a home fellowship.
Since that time, it has rented space in five locations. Today the church meets in a conference room of a hotel on the western side of Kiev.
Attendance averages about 40 people with 30 of those being Ukrainians.
Both Sergey and Natalia Bochko have to work outside the church to support themselves. “Our jobs are an answer to prayer,” he said, remembering that neither he nor his wife had held a job prior to graduation from Kiev Theological Seminary. But positions came open for both of them to work at the seminary as program assistants.
Open Hearts is registered with the government (a requirement for all churches in Ukraine) and has applied for membership in the Baptist Union of Ukraine.
“We want to multiply,” Sergey Bochko added.
The week before Easter, 17 university-age students were in the Bochkos’ apartment for the weekly “life group.” He said their question was about sharing God with their families during the Easter break. For most, it would be the first time they had been with family members since becoming believers in Jesus Christ.
“We tried to give them some Scriptures to share and worked on their testimony,” he said. “It is important we share our faith.
“We enjoy being with each other, but it is important that we help others know the joy that is in our lives because of Christ.”
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