An Open Door to the Church
Andrey Ivanov (above) with the youth event organizing team. Many of them grew up in Mission Possible’s shelter.
Many of our leaders in our countries of ministry also serve as pastors or deacons in their local community. This makes cooperation with the church seamless, and it is easy to connect the people we help with a spiritual home.
Mothers and young people who have gone through rehabilitation in our shelters find friends, a spiritual family, and support in the church. At the same time, congregations provide volunteers who assist in our shelters and other ministries.
The Youth of the Yekaterinburg Shelter Home Are Active in Church
Andrey Ivanov, who leads the shelter in Yekaterinburg with his wife Natasha, also pastors a growing church family. A large number of the young believers there have come through Mission Possible’s shelter home and family ministry. They eagerly look forward to their weekly youth meetings and they play instruments and sing in Sunday worship services.
“When these young people first came to the shelter, they were withdrawn and shy—but now they boldly stand before an audience!” Natasha rejoices.
This generation also took the initiative to plan and organize a major youth event at the church this past year. About 300 young people attended, many of them experiencing church life for the very first time.
The Odesa church was without a pastor because of the war. Then Tanya stepped in.
Mission Possible's Ukraine director, Tanya Galichenko, faced an unexpected challenge when she was asked to serve as the pastor of a local church in Odesa. Like many other congregations, this church had lost its pastor and many of its men because of the war. In Ukraine, it was uncommon before the war for a woman to serve as a pastor. She courageously accepted the responsibility—in addition to her demanding role with Mission Possible.
On Sundays, Tanya preaches, and during the week, she visits Odesa region's villages with her team to bring help. The women’s groups and youth clubs run by our team purpose to bring the gospel message, Biblical teaching and encouragement to these places.
