CEE Story From The Mission Field
Sofia’s Church
September 24, 2003
Meet Sofia, a testimony of persistent prayer and faith that with God all things are possible. For over twenty years of her life she prayed that there would one day be a church where she lives. Through the grace of God, and through church planting efforts, today her prayer has been answered. There IS a church in her neighborhood!
Sofia lives in a city in Eastern Ukraine called Krivoy Rog, a city of over 700,000 people. Under Communism there were few evangelical churches of any kind in the city, and there was not freedom to evangelize. Many people, like Sofia, had to travel long distances to church--sometimes traveling several hours by public transportation just to worship on Sunday. Sofia prayed for over twenty years that God would bring a church closer to where she lived.
In the early 1990's, God began to answer that prayer through a 70-year-old deacon named Matthew Haggai. Matthew is not your typical seventy-year-old Baptist deacon. In obedience to the Lord, Matthew, along with a few other church members went as ambassadors of their church and the Lord to Krivoy Rog to start a church.
"Northern Baptist Church" was blessed by God and has grown to 200 members. In addition, and very importantly, Northern Church, through the leadership of Matthew Haggai, has had a vision to see other churches planted. As a result, four other churches have begun and a fifth is in the works. One of these new churches is Sofia's church, which is located in her neighborhood.
For over a year, the church met in Sofia's home, where she was a gracious host. She saw God answering her prayers. Her pastor, Anatoly, is one of the brothers from Northern Church, who came to Sofia’s neighborhood as a “home missionary.” God blessed, and people came to Christ. In the year 2001 a volunteer group from the States came and worked with this young church. They planned their project with Mike Ray, IMB strategy coordinator for this region of Ukraine. They went door to door, first prayer walking, and then witnessing to those near the church. They stayed in the member's homes, fellowshipped around the table with them, and became friends. The volunteers helped this young church by purchasing one of the homes in the neighborhood to serve as a church building.
And now they meet there to worship and continue to grow. A young choir practices regularly and helps to lead in worship on Sundays. The pastor's wife and others lead a Sunday school for children, and the church is presently trying to add on for the needs of the children. God continues to bless, reaching others through this young church, His body in this community.
Planting new churches is not just a good idea--it is THE MAIN THING of missions! There are many nice things to do in missions, but when we plant a church, it can go on for generations, preaching the gospel to those yet unborn! Calling out future generations to also go and share the Gospel and plant more churches. This is God's plan for reaching a lost world…planting churches, which in turn begin other churches.
If Sofia's church had not been planted, she might still go to church somewhere and worship, but how would her neighbors know the Lord. Where would they hear the gospel? If this church were not there, where would those who have recently come into the Kingdom through this church be spending eternity? We must bring a church to every community. Would you pray with us that there might be a church in every community in East Central Ukraine?!