The war in Ukraine: Stories and Videos (LIVE UPDATES)

June 27

Several hours ago, during an online prayer meeting, a listener wrote in saying that the building next door to her had just been hit by a rocket.

"I felt the explosion! I'm shaking all over," she wrote.

"I can hear people screaming. The explosion blew out one of my windows. I'm scared."

Inna, the FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster holding the meeting, began praying with her listeners for the cities where the shelling was taking place.

A few minutes later, the listener wrote back, saying:

"Your prayers are helping me to not be so afraid. They are giving my heart peace."

Please pray for the listeners in Ukraine who are under constant threat of attack.

Thank you, friends! Your prayers are so appreciated!

 

Please pray for the people in the city of Kremenchuk, where a rocket struck a mall filled with people earlier today, setting it ablaze.

And please also pray for FEBC-Ukraine as we proclaim the love of Christ to a hurting people from our station in Kremenchuk.

June 22

Thanks to your support, we have been able to hand out around 50,000 prayer books to refugees, non-Christians, and others!

These prayer books include several prayers and the number of FEBC-Ukraine’s prayer helpline.

Thank you, friends! God bless you!

June 17

Please pray for Irina Nesterenko, who is helping to expand FEBC-Ukraine’s prayer helpline to include online counseling, allowing people to write in with prayer needs.

Irina is an FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster and trauma specialist who counsels soldiers and civilians who have been affected by war. She regularly joins Evgeny Goltsov on his program “Wounded by the War,” and has held several seminars in eastern Ukraine for women affected by the war.

Please pray for:

  • The safety of her family, loved-ones, and friends. Many of them are fighting in the war.
  • Wisdom on when to move back to Ukraine, and where. Early in the war, Irina’s apartment building was bombed while she was away from home. Another bomb blew up outside of her sister’s home, where she was staying, making it unlivable. Praise God that no one inside was seriously injured.
  • God's guidance on the many other big decisions in her life.
  • The hiring of additional counselors; the needs are great.
  • The training of counselors in evangelistic counseling; many people are turning to the Lord when they call in to the prayer helpline.
  • The development of online counseling. “I’m on a full train right now,” wrote one listener, hoping someone could counsel him online. Many Ukrainians have had to flee their homes and don’t have the opportunity to speak on the phone privately.
  • "Please pray for an end to the war," said Irina. "And for God's help as we counsel hurting people and share the hope of Christ with them."

    

June 15

As the fighting in Sloviansk intensifies, we are grateful to God—and to our volunteers—for helping us get some important equipment out of the Sloviansk studio.

Here is Eduard with a short update.

June 13

“Thank you for the radio!” wrote one Ukrainian soldier, after receiving one of the 1000 radios we sent to the soldiers serving in Zaporizhzhia, where we recently opened a new station.

“I listen whenever I can, and I talk about your programs with the other soldiers.”

Several cities in the region are under Russian occupation, including the nuclear power plant in nearby Enerhodar. The city of Zaporizhzhia, however, remains under Ukrainian control.

Friends, thank you for your prayers and your support! You make this ministry possible!

June 7

Please pray for the twin cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, which are under heavy attack by Russian forces.

Please pray the people remaining in the cities, for their salvation and for their safety.

Sloviansk is the city where FEBC-Ukraine opened it's first station in 2013.

Please keep all of FEBC-Ukraine's stations in the east of the country in your prayers. May God protect these stations as they continue to spread the Good News in this time of war.

   

June 5

This Sunday morning in Kyiv, at around 6 AM, local time, several rockets exploded.

“I woke up to a long whistle of rockets, followed by powerful explosions,” said Pastor Sergey.

Please pray for Pastor Sergey and the FEBC broadcasters who were planning and beginning to move back to the city.

“The war is near, but He is also near, and He will never leave.”

Please also pray for any people who may have been injured in the attack.

Thank you for continuing to uphold us in your prayers, we really feel them! God bless you!

 

May 27

A hymn in English and Ukrainian (with subtitles).

Dima is an FEBC-Ukraine videographer from Mykolaiv, whose videos are being watched by hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians.

He and his wife Darina are ministering to Ukrainian soldiers by partnering with army chaplains, and are sharing the Gospel with the refugees they interact with.

Please pray for them as they continue to spread the Gospel through their videos and in person.

May 25

We receive many messages from Ukrainian soldiers who are on the frontlines, thanking us for our programs. They are listening from the trenches, both on their own and with their friends.

Please continue praying for these soldiers, some of whom are just boys, for God's strength and protection. Please pray that God reaches many of them with the Good News. 

Friends, God is working through your prayers!

May 23

A substation was shelled in the city of Pokrovsk, Ukraine, earlier today, and the city’s radio stations were taken off the air. After some repairs, FEBC-Ukraine’s station is once again broadcasting in the city!

Praise God for this quick repair! Please join us in praying for God’s protection over all of Ukraine, and particularly for FEBC-Ukraine’s listeners, broadcasters, and stations.

May 19

A new program being made for Ukrainian children.

The FEBC-Ukraine team are working on a new program for kids with the help of Evgeny, a professional actor and Ukraine’s most famous clown. 

This war has been incredibly difficult on children - many have lost parents and siblings in the violence. They need to hear the good news about Jesus like never before. 

Please pray for many to be reached by this new program.

May 17

FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster, Inna, shares how her brother put his faith in Jesus while watching her programs!

Please pray for him as he grows in his new faith, and for the many other Ukrainian listeners who are hearing the Gospel in the midst of their difficult circumstances.

Dear friends, your prayers and support are changing lives! Thank you!

May 12

100 Radios Sent to Listeners in Zaporizhzhia!

FEBC-Ukraine opened a new radio station in the city of Zaporizhzhia a few weeks ago. God provided a way through the red tape, even in the midst of the war.

This station now has a wider potential reach of listeners than any other FEBC-Ukraine station.

Eduard, director of FEBC-Ukraine, shares this update about the new station in Zaporizhzhia. We thank God that we were able to recently send 100 radios to the people of Zaporizhzhia.

Please pray for a great harvest of souls as people hear the Good News of Jesus Christ!

May 10

Please pray for Evgeny, an FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster who was recently ministering to Ukrainian soldiers in eastern Ukraine.

“We prayed with them, encouraged them, and distributed New Testaments and prayer booklets with the number of our prayer helpline," said Evgeny.

Evgeny has been visiting soldiers and civilians who were affected by the fighting in the east for years, often taking chaplains, pastors, and counselors with him. He also hosts a program where he shares soldiers’ stories, talks with people from the region, and talks with counselors.

"We reach out to those who are hurting with the love of Christ,” he said.

“Thank you for praying for us as we minister! And thank you praying for our soldiers!”

May 8

The FEBC-Ukraine leadership team was able to visit Kyiv recently to begin planning for a future return.

They were able to see Pastor Sergey, which was a great blessing for all.

More updates from Kyiv will follow soon.

Please pray for God to bring a swift end to this war and to continue blessing the ministry!

May 6

Inna, an FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster, shares a listener story from her recent trip to Ukraine.

Your support is making a real difference in people's lives!

Thank you for praying for our broadcasters, for protection and for the strength to continue ministering.

And please continue praying for our listeners to come to know God's hope and peace!

May 5

"Why do I continue to preach the Gospel? The answer is here."

Pastor Sergey shares where he gets his confidence to preach the Gospel no matter what circumstances he is facing.

May 2

Popular FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster, Igor, has been travelling across Ukraine, visiting cities that were devastated by Russian attacks.

He sent this update from Mykolaiv, where Dima, another FEBC-Ukraine team member, lives and works.

Please pray for the safety of FEBC-Ukraine team members, and for God to continue to use them to spread the Gospel, even through these terrible circumstances.

Thank you all for your prayers!

May 1

A message of hope from Pastor Sergey from outside a destroyed church in the devastated city of Irpin.

“Jesus said that He would build His church, and that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’

“If we are connected to [the living] Jesus, we have the same hope.

“Even if our buildings will be like [this church], or our bodies will be like [this church], we know that we are alive in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

April 28

“The other day, I met a girl from the town of Zhmerynka, where a rocket recently exploded,” said Inna, an FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster.

“The explosion was very close to her home—so close that her windows were blown open, and her neighbor’s windows were completely shattered.

“It had caused her a huge amount of stress, but it was this stress that led to her to finally write to me and ask some questions about faith.

“I suggested we meet in person.

“When we did, I was able to tell her about the Lord, share my story, and invite her to visit me in the home where I was staying.”

Inna meets with listeners like this regularly. Before the war, listeners came by the studio in Kyiv almost every day.

“Please pray for our listeners! Many are waking up to the reality of God and need to hear the Good News!”

 

April 27

Air Raid Siren in Chernivtsi

One FEBC-Ukraine team member recorded what an air raid siren sounds like when one started blaring as he was driving through the city.

Please pray for an end to the war, and for God's restoration and healing for the FEBC-Ukraine team and all Ukrainians.

April 26

Friends, good news! We were able to get the station in Zaporizhzhia on the air sooner than expected!

Despite many obstacles, technical difficulties, the absence of Internet connectivity, and bureaucratic issues, and with the help of many volunteers, FEBC-Ukraine is now airing in Zaporizhzhia on 88.8 FM.

Praise God!

Thank you for your prayers and your support of the ministry! Please pray that this station reaches many more listeners with the Good News!

April 25

This Sunday was Easter according to the eastern tradition. This was a children’s choir in a church in Chernivtsi, where the new FEBC-Ukraine headquarters are located.

Please continue to pray for many listeners to find hope in Christ in the increasing darkness. And for God’s protection and strength for our broadcasters and their families.

April 20

“Hello friends! I met with one of our listeners recently,” shared Inna, FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster. “We talked about Jesus and I was able to tell her a bit about my relationship with God. I told her some stories and shared what my experience with Jesus has been like.

“I hope to be able to meet with her again soon, though I have been busy with the ministry. So many people are responding to the Gospel!

“Please pray for more of our listeners to come to know Jesus. And for God to give us the time and the strength to reach as many people as possible!”

April 17

The Easter message Pastor Sergey shared with his fellow Ukrainians is relevant to all of us, whether or not we are living through a literal war. The only hope any of us truly has is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“The glory of the bodily resurrection of the Lord fills me with confidence and hope. Because we are all mortal. We will all die sooner or later. The war only highlights this reality. It is a fact of our existence.

“But there is another fact that I am sure of—that one beautiful day, my body will be completely restored by my God. This is called the resurrection of the body.

“Do you know how I am so sure?

“Because my God, the Lord Jesus Christ, two thousand years ago, truly, literally, rose from the dead. And He said that the same thing would also happen to every one of us who live and die with Him.

“And you know what? I believe in Him. What about you?”

For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

Romans 14:8

Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters who are experiencing the power of this truth in their daily lives.

April 16

For FEBC-Ukraine's prayer helpline counselors, this Easter season is one that has been filled with both suffering and joy.

Listeners who have experienced tragedy and are living in fear, call with terrible stories, asking for prayer. What is incredible is that they are finding hope and encouragement as they turn to Jesus, many of them for the first time.

One caller asked for prayer when his young daughter and her grandmother were shot at while evacuating. His daughter was seriously injured and had to undergo several operations.

“She was in so much pain,” he said, “and the morphine did not help.”

As counselors prayed with him, he thanked God that his daughter was now recovering well and began praying for the salvation of many of his family members.

Another caller, a mother of two, said, “I can’t handle this anymore. We can hear the fighting just a few kilometers away.”

She told counselors that she tried to distract herself and her children from the war, but that it was impossible. “The sirens were blaring so loudly today, it was unbearable.”

This mother put her faith in Jesus during this call.

Please pray for FEBC-Ukraine’s prayer helpline counselors as they help callers find comfort, hope, and new life in Jesus Christ.

This is a time of great emotional upheaval for the counselors as well. Please pray that God encourages and strengthens them emotionally and spiritually, and that He protects them and their families in this dangerous time.

   

April 14

Igor visited the Kyiv Media Evangelism Center while traveling through nearby cities that were brutalized by the Russian military.

“Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your support. God bless you!

“We believe that soon we will come back to our main studio in Kyiv.”

April 13

Please pray for Nina as she manages the team of prayer helpline counselors and volunteers in FEBC-Ukraine.

“Please pray that God continue using the helpline in greater and greater ways," said Nina, "reaching more people with the love of God and helping them find new life in Jesus.”

Please also pray for:

  • “An end to the war, this is in all of our minds and hearts.”
  • “Wisdom as I manage our team of counselors and volunteers across Ukraine.”
  • “Emotional and spiritual strength for our counselors, who are ministering to severely stressed callers while dealing with many of the same issues themselves.”
  • “Our listeners, who are calling the helpline in desperation. Please pray for their salvations and for God’s comfort and help in their lives.”
  • “An end to the interruptions in connectivity that are making the job more difficult for counselors.”

“On a personal note,” added Nina, “please pray for protection and health for my family.

"And especially pray for my daughter who is getting married soon. She got engaged just two weeks ago. May God protect and greatly bless her and her future husband!

“Thank you so much for your prayers!”

      

April 12

Meeting Listeners in Lviv

Thank you for your prayers, friends! Inna safely made it to Lviv and back after meeting with some listeners.

“We had a good meeting!” said Inna. "Even though not everyone was able to come — there was an air raid siren just an hour before our meeting time.

“We came together to eat, chat, talk about God, pray…

“I told the girls about God, about how He helped me during the war.

"How I was praying in a bomb shelter, reading Psalm 91, not knowing where I would go. And then I received a call from Vinnitsa, saying they had a place I could go.

“This gathering left everyone encouraged, and I was able to introduce the girls to my believing friends in Lviv, who are now ministering to them.

“Please pray that God strengthens those who are new believers and draws those who don't know Him to Himself.”

 

"Bucha, Gostomel, Vozrel...

"After spending the day visiting these devastated cities," said Igor, FEBC-Ukraine's broadcaster, "I’ve started getting used to seeing destroyed buildings, destroyed apartments, tanks, broken glass, dogs running in the streets—it’s like we are living in a post-apocalyptic movie."

“People, on the other hand, have really surprised me! People have joyfully come to these cities, cleaning up and repairing the streets. Hundreds of volunteers who wanted to help! I’m inspired by the faith of our people!

“While seeing this destruction has been saddening, it’s people that are truly important. It will be much harder to rebuild the thousands of broken hearts than to rebuild these buildings. But this is possible with God’s help!”.

   
   

April 11 

Sharing the Gospel in Bucha

Everyone has now heard about the horrors that occurred in Bucha before Russian soldiers retreated. 

FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster, Igor, is there now, sharing the Gospel with the people who are still in the city. 

Please pray for the people from cities like Bucha, that were occupied by Russian forces, and have suffered unthinkably. And for the FEBC-Ukraine broadcasters that are ministering to them. 

We continue praying for an end to this terrible war. 

April 7

A prayer request from Eduard, the director of FEBC-Ukraine, regarding the new station in Zaporizhzhia:

"We are currently working on connecting the equipment and getting the station ready to broadcast on 88.8 FM. Everything is going according to plan, but we need your prayers. 

"We are working on an agreement with the authorities right now, and there are also some complications with the Internet. Please remember us in your prayers."

April 6 

Natalia Bradarsky and her son, Ivan, were recently guests on an FEBC-Ukraine program, talking to listeners about how to survive hard times with the Lord’s help. 

The Bradarsky family is especially equipped to talk about this topic. Natalia’s husband, Viktor, was killed in the attack in Sloviansk in 2014. He was one of four FEBC-Ukraine volunteers who were taken captive by rebel soldiers. 

Viktor was one of FEBC-Ukraine’s most joyful volunteer broadcasters. He was in the studio every Monday, sharing Jesus with his listeners. 

Natalia and her family understand very well what many people across Ukraine are experiencing today. They felt the fear, the grief, and the anger. But they also experienced outpourings of love and support from fellow believers, friends, and neighbors. 

Now the Bradarskys are helping other hurting people experience love, healing, and hope.

   
   

This memorial was erected by the church to honor the memory of these four brave men who were martyred for their faith.

April 5 

Kindergarten destroyed in a small village

Pastor Sergey speaks to us from a small village where a kindergarten and an elementary school were destroyed by the Russian military.

This sort of destruction is happening in villages and towns all across Ukraine. 

Please pray for the people who are experiencing this devastation. That the Good News, and God's comfort, may come to them through brothers and sisters like Sergey.

April 4

Serving Listeners in Ukraine

Igor shares an update from Lviv.

April 2

Please pray for Inna, an FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster, who will be travelling from Vinnitsa, in central Ukraine, to Lviv, in western Ukraine.

“I’m planning a missionary trip to Lviv,” says Inna. “This is a decision that I’ve made after several weeks of prayer. We have listeners in Lviv, and I want to introduce them to local Christians who can support and encourage them.

“I just can’t sit still here anymore. Lviv was bombed a bit, recently, but I’m not worried—so was Vinnitsa.

“If anyone who has been praying for me reads this, please pray for God to give me His guidance. And please pray for our listeners, that they develop strong relationships with God and that they are connected with believers near them.”

Please pray for protection and wisdom for Inna and her friends as they plan this journey, and for many people to be saved, strengthened, and encouraged by this visit. Thank you, friends, for praying on their behalf!

April 1

Please join us in praying for Max, FEBC-Ukraine’s program director. Max was the cohost of FEBC-Ukraine’s Morning Show before the war, and now hosts longer form programs where he encourages listeners, prays with them, and reads the Bible together with them.

Max, his wife, and his daughter, travelled from Kyiv to western Ukraine, which is somewhat safer, so that Max could help lead the broadcasting team from the new temporary headquarters in Chernivtsi.

Please pray:

  • For God’s guidance in Max’s life, as he takes care of his family and organizes a broadcasting team which is scattered across the country
  • For spiritual and emotional strength as Max leads longer broadcasts to help minister God’s love and His Word to people who desperately need it
  • “Praise God that my hometown, Ivankiv, was liberated today! Glory to God!”
   
 

March 31

Luhansk Region Station Off the Air

Another FEBC-Ukraine station was taken off the air when Russian forces captured the tower that was broadcasting FEBC-Ukraine's programs into the long-occupied Luhansk region.

Listeners in the region have long been living in poverty and lawlessness. People are kidnapped, young women are raped. Many churches were closed and have had to meet in secret, and many ministries left the region completely.

Conditions have only grown worse since the war began. One scared listener recently wrote, "No [running] water for three weeks. Young people are being drafted against their wills—and not only young people."

Please pray for listeners who are suffering in extreme conditions in this frightening and dark time.

March 29

FEBC-Ukraine is working closely with churches in the Sloviansk area, helping them bring the Good News to people who are sick, jobless, and poor.

So far, the region has been attacked only by rockets, mostly falling in surrounding areas. However, they are expecting fierce fighting to start any day.

This sign in Sloviansk was repainted after the 2014 attack. If you look closely, you can see that flowers were painted around the holes left from bullets and shrapnel.

Sloviansk is the city where four FEBC-Ukraine volunteers were martyred for their faith during the 2014 attack.

      
 
 

March 28

Sirens silenced.

“I was holding my nightly prayer meeting this last Sunday night,” said FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster, Inna, “when God did such an encouraging thing for us.”

“Night can be a scary time for many because of the bombings, and this night was especially frightening because of the sirens that were sounding in a lot of cities throughout Ukraine, including my city, Vinnytsia. People were talking about this in the comments.

“That night I read from Isaiah 41, and then we prayed for peace.

“At the end of the prayer, the sirens in my city stopped. I told this to my listeners, hoping to encourage them, but soon saw that many were writing that the sirens had stopped in their cities as well.

“At first, I didn’t think much of it, but then, as people from 5, 6, even 7 cities wrote that the sirens stopped right at the end of the prayer, we were all greatly encouraged.

“Of course, this didn’t end the war. People were still in danger. In one city, the sirens only stopped for five minutes before starting again. But we were still encouraged. This was a wonderful reminder that even in the midst of fear and tragedy, God is still with us.”

March 27

“We have a saying, 'When sorrow comes, you’ll find out who your true friends are.'"

"I can tell you that this is definitely true of the Word of God!"

“In these times of sorrow, the Word really is like a faithful friend who will not leave you or abandon you!".

Pastor Sergey has seen all kinds of destruction as he has been traveling around Kyiv, speaking to soldiers, and helping take care of families, the displaced, and the elderly. The only true comfort and encouragement that he has found to offer has been in God and in His Word.

      


“Only the Good News has the answers to the fear, pain, and grief people are experiencing right now.

“The Word of God is alive. It’s not just words on a page. It is something that you can know and experience for yourself.”

Psalm 1:1-3

March 26

Join us in praying for Alexandr and Nadia Pastushak.

Alexander and Nadia often minister at FEBC-Ukraine as a team. They host the Family Bible Hour program together and they both serve as counselors on FEBC’s prayer helpline.

Alexandr received his theological education from Irpin Seminary, near Kyiv. The city of Irpin has been under heavy attack by the Russian army, resulting in the partial destruction of the seminary. A friend with whom Alexandr attended the seminary, who was helping civilians evacuate from the city, was recently killed.

Please pray:

  • “For God to help us not to break down emotionally and to endure to the end.”
  • “For God to keep our family safe.”
  • “That God gives us the strength to continue to serve people at this time with housing, money, prayer, and physical help.” Alexandr and Nadia opened their home to Olesia and her family when they arrived in Chernivtsi, and will now be hosting another FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster, Igor.
  • “That I don’t get drafted to the front, but that I am able to serve or to continue to help locally because of my disability.”
  • “We are in full time ministry, so we did not have much savings, but FEBC is taking care of us. We know that this is only possible because of you. Thank you, friends, for your support."
.    
 

Spending the night in the bomb shelter

Spending the night in the bomb shelter

March 25

Online Prayer Meetings Changing Lives – Inna Tsaruk

“I have been holding prayer meetings almost every day during the war,” says one FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster, Inna. “More often when I can.

“People write in with prayer requests, with questions, and sometimes with anger. I read them and answer them as well as I can, and, of course, we pray.

“Many people continue writing to me after the broadcasts. Asking for prayer, asking questions about faith. May God give me the strength to answer all of them.


“Some people write me with very encouraging messages, telling me how much these meetings have helped them.

“One listener wrote:

“This has been an incredibly difficult time for me, but thanks to these powerful prayer meetings, I have found peace, and I am seeing God resolve my problems!

“And what is even more amazing, almost every prayer you pray during these meetings directly applies to my life, and I can’t help but see God’s grace and care in this!”

“Another listener wrote:

“Praying with you has become a habit. Something feels wrong when I go to sleep without having prayed with you first.

“Now I’m praying for everyone in my life! For my husband, who had to stay behind in another city, for my kids, and for all of Ukraine!”


“Other stories I hear can be more difficult.

“One listener, a new believer, wrote to me about their doubts:

“I don’t know how to ask this. I’m a little ashamed, actually.

“I’ve been feeling so angry and offended for the last few days. Sometimes I feel like I am being pulled away from God, as if I’m moving away. I start to doubt. But then, it’s as if I snap out of it, and my faith is still there. And I can pray and talk with Him again.

“Do you have any advice for dealing with these kinds of sudden swings? What should I do?”

“Another listener asked for prayer for the orphaned son of her friend: 

“Please pray for the woman who has taken in my friend’s son. Both of his parents have died. This woman is taking care of him, but they are trapped in Mariupol and can’t find anyone to take them out. It’s hell there.

“They are left to wait and hope in God. I beg you to pray for them. God really listens to your prayers!”


“When I went two days without holding a prayer meeting on one of my accounts, listeners started writing in, asking if I was okay, telling me they were looking forward to the next meeting.

“Many people wrote to me, and several people sent in pictures to show their support:”

 .   

March 24

Possibility of a new station in the city of Zaporizhzhia!

Despite the great challenges, we now have most of the permits we need, and we hope to start broadcasting in Zaporizhzhia, on 88.8 FM, within the next couple of weeks.

We were able to send some equipment to one of our partners in the city (pictured here with Eduard), who is helping us set up to broadcast.

We are hoping to work with locals in Zaporizhzhia, like the members of this church, who can become our partners and help make programs specifically for the people of this city.

Please pray for God’s hand to be on this endeavor and for protection for the existing six stations.

March 23

Join us in praying for Iryna!

Over the next several days, we will by praying for Iryna. She is a vital part of FEBC-Ukraine, managing counselors and volunteers, hosting a program to encourage teenagers, and providing strategic leadership on social network use.

Iryna is currently in Kyiv, and can often hear bombs exploding while she works. This Saturday, she is moving to Lviv, in western Ukraine. Please pray for safety on her journey, especially as she crosses military checkpoints on her way out of the city.

  • Please pray for strength and leadership as she manages the counselors and volunteers, who have been extremely busy during this time. Many desperate people are calling in for prayer.
  • Please pray for wisdom as Iryna works to make sure as many people as possible are able to watch and listen to FEBC-Ukraine’s programs.
  • Please pray for Iryna as she encourages the youth of Ukraine. This is a time when they are in desperate need of hope and support.

March 22

Eduard travelled to Moldova to pick up some new equipment to improve the quality of FEBC-Ukraine’s broadcasts.

He also met with Ilya Bodnari, who is organizing a new FEBC office in Moldova.

This office will serve as a base of support for both Russia and Ukraine, as well as ministering to the Moldovan people. Please pray for God’s favor and guidance in setting up this new studio.

Eduard and his family are now safely back in Ukraine. Thank you for your prayers!

March 21

Please join us in praying for Eduard, the director of FEBC-Ukraine, for the next several days.

Eduard was a volunteer with FEBC-Ukraine for several years before officially joining the team and eventually becoming the field director. His father, Viktor, was also a radio preacher with FEBC for many years.

Please pray for:

  • Wisdom as Eduard leads the FEBC-Ukraine team through this challenging time
  • Eduard's family—his wife, Nadia, and their four children; his son recently accidentally broke his hand
  • God's guidance as Eduard helps FEBC-Ukraine team members relocate across the country
  • Unity and creativity as Eduard brings together FEBC-Ukraine's broadcasters and counselors to work together in new ways, both technically and spiritually
  • Protection as Eduard travels gets new equipment to improve the quality of FEBC-Ukraine’s broadcasts.

We will be highlighting a member of our FEBC-Ukraine staff every few days so that we can support them together in prayer.

 
 

"All people will die, so why do I have this assurance?"

From the site of a destroyed mall in Kyiv, Pastor Sergey shares where he gets his hope and assurance, as he confronts the daily reality of death and destruction.

March 19

Russian soldiers are again moving towards Pokrovska, where FEBC-Ukraine recently opened a station. They fired missiles and artillery on several cities in eastern Ukraine earlier today and yesterday. Please pray for our listeners there and for God’s Word to go out and change people’s lives and for His protection over the people in Pokrovska and in eastern Ukraine.

March 18

Please pray for broadcasters who are spending several hours a day on long-lasting programs—talking with listeners, encouraging them, praying with them, and reading the Bible together.

These longer programs help listeners feel less alone no matter where they are—in a stranger's home, stuck inside their own homes, or in bomb shelters—and they allow listeners to get to know FEBC-Ukraine broadcasters better; they become like family.

Bible reading has been especially powerful. People are very open to the Word of God, especially to the Psalms. They seem to be speaking directly to Ukrainians as they go through this crisis.

People often call in afterwards, wanting to know Jesus because of the power they felt as they heard the Word. 

A popular broadcaster, Igor, writes, "The programs where I am reading the Bible are becoming especially popular.  There aren’t many good recordings of the Bible in contemporary Ukrainian, so people are not used to hearing the Word of God read aloud in an everyday, common language."

March 16

Some great news today! We heard from FEBC-Ukraine’s director, Eduard, that, as of a few hours ago, FEBC Ukraine is once again broadcasting on FM in Slavyansk!

Slavyansk was the first station opened by FEBC in Ukraine.

FEBC-Ukraine employees were able to remotely help the employees of the broadcast center in Slavyansk to make some repairs to the equipment at the station there. It had been down since Sunday, after being damaged by shelling.

Praise God!

Broadcasting and bomb shelters.

Olesia describes some of the realities of ministering in a country under attack.

Please pray for the listeners who are hearing the Good News. And for our broadcasters who are serving them.

March 15

Billboards with Bible quotes and prayers across Kyiv!

This is one of 40 billboards in Kyiv, near Pastor Sergey’s church, displaying prayers and passages from the Psalms.

“This is amazing because we need God’s Word now more than ever! Never before in my life have I experienced such incredible, truly supernatural support, strength, and encouragement from God's Word as I do now!

“Especially the Psalms! They are truly precious remedies for a wounded soul, consisting of God's presence and God’s unbreakable and priceless promises. The Word of God is really alive and active! This is something that cannot be expressed in words, it is something that can only be felt and experienced in one’s own life.”

For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.

Psalm 18:29

March 14, 2022

FEBC-Ukraine's administrative assistant in Kyiv, Konstantine, was injured as he was returning to Kyiv after driving a family to safety.

His car was shot at by Russian soldiers, but he was able to escape. He did, however, take shrapnel in his leg, which took two minor surgeries to remove. He is recovering well and is back to helping however he can.

Konstantine was instrumental in opening our first station in Ukraine.

 

Shell hits a residential building in Kyiv

Pastor Sergey talks to us from a residential building that was hit by a shell in the Obolon district in Kyiv.

March 13

Before the war, FEBC-Ukraine had 7 radio stations in Ukraine. One was destroyed early in the war by a Russian rocket.

Today, the second was destroyed in Kramatorsk, a city in eastern Ukraine, also by a Russian rocket.

Please pray that God continues to make a way for the message of the Good News to reach the people that need to hear it. The 5 remaining radio stations are still broadcasting, and the online ministry is reaching many people who don’t have radios.

March 12

Emmanuel. God is with us.

Friends, as Ukrainians are facing increasingly deadly attacks, and as cities like Mariupol are facing horrific humanitarian crises, please join us in coming before God and asking for His mercy to Ukraine. 

Let us give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness (Psalm 107:31).

God is faithful and we know that He hears our prayers.

March 9

“Am I afraid?”

Rev. Sergey shares how he handles fear after deciding to stay in Kyiv, and the powerful truth he clings to in Psalm 23:4.

The Bread of Life

While most of the shelves in the stores are empty, one thing that is available in Kyiv is bread.

"Bread is very important, and we need bread," says Rev. Sergey. "But... in these times, we really understand what is the most important thing in our lives. Or more precisely, who is the most important in our lives."

Please pray for and support FEBC-Ukraine, so that the ministry can continue to share the true Bread of Life, that can be found only in Jesus Christ, with the people of Ukraine.

March 8

“God is our bulletproof vest.”

“God is our bulletproof vest,” said one Ukrainian soldier as he spoke with Pastor Sergey. “Pastor, just pray for our souls.”

Several civilians were killed just recently by the Russian military. Among the casualties were four members of Irpin Bible Church who were helping civilians evacuate, and a family of evacuees.

Please pray for an end to this war and for FEBC-Ukraine to be able to continue to share the Gospel in the midst of this war.

March 6 

Praying for peace on “Forgiveness Sunday.”

In Chernivtsi, where many of FEBC-Ukraine’s broadcasters are located, Ukrainians gathered together in church on “Forgiveness Sunday” to pray for peace.

March 4

An update from FEBC-Ukraine director, Eduard:

"We were able to get to the hard drive with all our programs and content!"

The hard drive was located in the studio in Sloviansk, in the east of Ukraine. Thankfully, one FEBC-Ukraine programmer was able to take the hard drive with him before leaving with his family.

March 2

A Prayer for Ukraine in English

Inna is a popular broadcaster with FEBC-Ukraine. She has been doing several  prayer meetings a day for Ukrainians on various new media sites, sometimes up to 5 a day. When she asked those who had been participating to contact her if they wanted to accept Christ, she was overwhelmed by the response.

"I was up late into the night responding to messages. I wasn't even able to respond to everyone right away."

FEBC-Ukraine Broadcaster Tatiana Collecting Firewood

A few days ago in Kyiv, Tatiana was gathering firewood for her loved ones in case they lost power. As things began to get more dangerous, they wanted to escape Kyiv. Finally, she was able to get to safety.

March 1

Church preparing supplies for Kyiv

FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster Eugene hosts a program for people affected by the war in eastern Ukraine. Today he is at a church helping prepare supplies to take to Kyiv.

February 27

Igor from a Bomb Shelter

Igor is speaking to us from a bomb shelter in Kyiv. He is a broadcaster with FEBC-Ukraine and also a youth pastor in one of the most influential churches in Kyiv.

Sirens outside a church in Kyiv

Pastor Sergey shares this video of sirens that are heard almost constantly outside his church in Kyiv.

Pastor Sergey interviews a couple that is staying in his church basement.

Pastor Sergey shares the story of a family, members of his church, who are staying in the basement of his church, which is being used as a bomb shelter.

February 25

Pastor Sergey near a damaged apartment building

Pastor Sergey is an FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster and a local pastor in Ukraine. He filmed this from a civilian apartment building that had been attacked just a mile from his home in Kyiv.

Air raid sirens blare as FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster heads to bomb shelter

Inna, an FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster sent this update asking for prayers as she and her friends head to a bomb shelter with air raid sirens blaring.

Olesia Arrives Safely in Chernivtsi!

Olesia and her family arrived safely in the studio in Chernivtsi after around 36 hours of driving, which was made worse by extreme traffic jams.

People are in despair, we are here to give them hope.

Olesia gives an update about the situation in Ukraine.

"I heard two explosions."

Olesia gives more details about her journey to safety.

Prayer counselors receiving many calls

Many Ukrainians are calling FEBC-Ukraine's prayer helpline for prayer, including mothers sending their sons off to war. Many of them never having prayed before.

February 24

“This morning I woke up because I heard explosions”

FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster Sergey describes waking up to the first day of the war to the sound of explosions.

February 23

Olesia, an FEBC-Ukraine broadcaster, filmed this while leaving her home in Slavyansk with her family, to get to a safer area in western Ukraine.

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