The 70 years that the Soviet Union ruled were dark ones for Christians in the Ukraine. Churches were destroyed. Pastors were executed. Bibles, hymnals and other religious materials were burned.
As the militantly atheist government strove to stamp out the faith in the hearts of the people, many people abandoned their faith in Jesus Christ.
But the Holy Spirit could not be crushed. Instead, the darkness became a cover for Christians who worshiped the Triune God behind closed curtains in their homes. Though their books had been burned, the older generations recalled the Bible passages, prayers and hymns they had memorized, and the younger generations wrote them down.
With the fall of the Soviet Union, doors opened.
Today, there is much more religious freedom in the Ukraine. The Lutheran Church has been revived, but many challenges remain. The Ukrainian Lutheran Church is very small and very poor, so children’s books are a luxury. Parochial day schools are still against the law.
YOUR STUDENTS CAN HELP SPREAD THE GOSPEL IN UKRAINE.
With your help, LHF will print the Ukrainian One Hundred Bible Stories, the same book many American Lutheran families have on their bookshelves at home. These books will be given to Ukrainian churches and families – at no cost to them – for use in home devotions, Sunday schools, and vacation Bible schools.
JUST $10 CAN PUT A BIBLE STORYBOOK INTO THE HANDS OF A UKRAINIAN CHILD.
Every $10 mission gift your students send to LHF helps to translate, publish and distribute one copy of One Hundred Bible Stories to a family in Ukraine. Imagine what your school’s offerings of $100 – $200 – or even $500 could do!
WEAVE BITS OF THE UKRAINIAN LIFE AND FAITH THROUGHOUT YOUR CURRICULUM.
When your school or Sunday school adopts “One Hundred Bible Stories for Ukraine,” you’ll receive a variety of resource materials to help your students get to know their Ukrainian brothers and sisters in Christ:
- A 5-minute DVD for students, showing what life was like for Ukrainian Christians under the Soviet Communist regime. The DVD also explains how their mission gifts will help their Ukrainian friends learn more about their Savior in their own language.
- A letter from Rev. V’yacheslav Horpynchuk, bishop of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, that can be used as a classroom devotion.
- A dozen large photos for use on bulletin boards or displays.
- Easy and inexpensive craft/art ideas
- Recipes for Ukrainian snacks
- A variety of suggestions for including Ukrainian references in your core curricula (literature, history, music, etc.)
- A take-home flyer for parents
- Special LHF offering envelopes, if requested