Academic Work and the School Life
Welcoming New Students in a New Location
I am glad to let you know that despite the war we were able to recruit 20 new students for our licensed program in Theology. We are hoping for more, as the recruiting season is still going on. These new students are mostly young adults who just recently graduated from high school.
We are excited about these students, as Ukraine needs a new generation of pastors and church ministers. About 500 pastors left Ukraine because of the war and will never come back. TCI and other seminaries in Ukraine are working hard to meet this need.
These students and TCI’s teaching staff will be located at a new campus that TCI is renting in Ivano-Frankivsk.
Ministry in Asian Branches
Classes continue in our Central Asia branches too. In September we are going to have one class in Uzbekistan followed by another in Tajikistan. Please pray for the safety of our professor and students.
Also, I am glad to share that we continue our informal education initiatives for Asian countries. Specifically, we are committed to improving the attitude towards Christian women there, who are often underestimated by local communities. Recently we started a series of women’s retreats in all Asian countries where we serve. We see how important are these meetings for local Christian women. We are very thankful to everyone who contributed towards this project.
Retreat for TCI’s Staff
In the first half of August TCI’s staff and their families got a chance to get distracted from the turmoils of war for three days, as we got a chance to be at a retreat in the beautiful area of the Carpathian Mountains. During this short period, we were trying to restore our physical and spiritual strength. We were blessed to have a professional counselor with us, who was guiding us in this retreat.
Guest Vist
Another source of encouragement for us is to see our dear friends, who come to visit us in Ivano-Frankivsk. I am thankful to our friends from Parkside CC and Eastside CC for their visit. Moreover I appreciate everyone who helped to make this trip possible. We felt that we are remembered and not abandoned in this difficult time.