Pokrovsk, Ukraine: grand opening!

“I am so glad FEBC is finally here,” said Pastor Mikhail, as we were walking among hundreds of people who came to FEBC’s concert in Pokrovsk, Ukraine. “People who have experienced war, betrayal, and instability on so many levels are hungry for the truth.”

He would know, because he has been pastoring a church in a neighboring city that grew from five people to 140 in the past four years. “In a strange and painful way, the war became a blessing for us. So many people are looking for answers now,” Mikhail added.

The main economic driver in Pokrovsk is coal mining. Every family in one way or another is connected to mines. Miners are known to be tough, no-nonsense people, and the residents of Pokrovsk are like that. As I was talking to many of them, I once again realized how important it is to bring the Gospel to our listeners in their heart language, in their style. Often even the accent of the broadcaster matters.

But what matters more is that we provide something real, such as faith, hope, love, and very practical ways to find a new life in Christ. In the crowd, I met a city councilman. “I hope you are not just another music station,” he said to me. “We are so hungry for something that can really change the lives of our people, something like what this guy is saying,” he said, motioning to the singer on the stage, who had just begun sharing Christ with the young people.

The next day we were having dinner with another pastor and his wife. She ministers to the people who live in extreme poverty in the war zone. “Many people that I work with listen to you, and it is so great to see how their hearts are being transformed, day by day,” she said.

While in Pokrovsk helping to launch this brand new radio station, Ed Cannon, FEBC’s International Chairman, observed: “It was a great introduction to the new station. FEBC is here to have a real, honest dialogue with the people. When we become friends to our listeners and bring the Good News to them, they respond.”

Thousands of people in Pokrovsk are listening to us already. Pray that by the end of this year many will give their lives to Jesus.

 

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE

We need $1,500 per month to make sure that we don’t only broadcast in Pokrovsk, but also work with listeners who are responding, leading them to local evangelical churches.