C.I.S.
The Russian Federation is part of the CIS, but because of its size it will be dealt with on the Russian Federation page.
Membership Commonwealth Independent States: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan. Minsk in Belarus is the headquarters for the CIS.
Ukraine - Cradle of the Rus
Kiev
As the ship moves down the Dnieper River approaching Kiev, you are struck by the beauty of the cluster of churches in the monastery complex of the Pecherskaya Lavra. As the gold cupolas glisten in the sunlight, you wonder whether you are in Russia or the Ukraine. But then you find out that Kiev―capital of the Ukraine― was the centre of the kingdom of Rus, long before Russia existed.
Ancient Kiev was the head-quarters of Grand Prince Vladimir (Articles) who united the various disparate states under him by introducing Byzantine Christianity.
Odessa
To the south, on the shores of the Black Sea, lies Odessa the largest of the Black Sea cities. Like St Petersburg, it was established to be a window on the west with its trade and commerce. Its first governor was the Frenchman, Duke de Richelieu, and among its most prominent early philanthropists was the German, Baron Arrest Mass, who also headed the council for the Reformed Christian community in Odessa. To some people it looks more like a Mediterranean city displaying French and Italian architecture. Its people are very cosmopolitan and strongly independent.
Culturally, eastern Ukraine is primarily Russian-speaking and Christian Orthodox, while the west is Ukrainian-speaking and Greek Catholic.
Recent events in the Ukraine have been followed with comments by the the President that would indicate a greater freedom for the churches in the future.
What does CDA do in the CIS?
Operations
So far, CDA has concentrated its efforts on the Ukraine. We have a staff representative there who organizes publishing, recording, and materials distribution to churches and Theological Institutes in the Ukraine and Russian Federation.
» You can help with these projects! Find out how: Projects
Lecturing
Ewald has lectured in the Ukraine, and both Ewald and Cheril will, God willing, be moving to the Ukraine in January 2006 as a centre for lecturing and operations .
Where is the Ukraine?
Ukraine sits in the centre of former USSR countries.
Ukrainian became the official language in 1991 when the Ukraine gained its independence from Russia, and became a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
This means that CDA may need to translate its publications into the Ukrainian language before very long.
A Missionary church
Many of the pastors in the Russian Federation today have come from the Ukraine, and still regard Ukraine as their home, although they have had to become Russian citizens in order to continue their work in the Russian Federation. Many Russian churches owe a great deal to these dedicated men and their families.
Many of these men are men of vision who serve at great cost, and who receive little or no support from their sending churches. They have much to teach western churches about church planting, sacrificial service, and community outreach.
What about the evangelical church?
Currently, Ukraine is home to the largest evangelical com-munity in Europe as well as having numerous evangelical educational institutions. The Evangelical-Baptist Union of Ukraine is the largest Evangelical union in Europe and Russia. It unites more than 140,000 Baptist and at least 1,600 churches.
As evangelical churches move to take up all of their opportunities, they are seeking to train leaders at the highest levels. While more and more excellent facilities are springing up in various parts of the country, there is a serious shortage of qualified academic staff to teach all the degree courses on offer. As in the Russian Federation, English texts dominate their library shelves.
Distance Education
As in Russia, pastors in the field need to increase their Bible training. BEE (Bible Education by Extension) program has been doing an excellent job in providing biblical education through small groups. But even the BEE leaders are constantly looking for suitable material that they can use with their groups. Some of these leaders are also involved in teaching at regional Bible institutes and need all the help that they can get.