Issue 26 ~ January - February 2025
A SLAVIC BAPTIST MISSION UPDATE
I am typing these notes from our home in Byron, GA. Last night (January 21) we had about three inches of snow fall. This morning, as I look out my study window, I had flash-backs of the snow we had while pastoring in the Mid-west for more than forty years. Recently temperatures have been in the 50’s and 60’s so the ground is warm and with the strong sun this afternoon the melting has begun!
With the new administration in the White House we are praying that President Trump will follow through with his agenda to help end the war in Ukraine this year. Please pray with us to that end.
Several months ago the Lord opened the door to purchase two plots of land in Kyiv that will help meet two great needs. Derek recently described this land and I want to share it with our prayer partners and financial supporters.
THE PROPERTY:
We have been offered 2 adjacent plots of land, with new homes (unfinished inside) on each plot, for a combined sum of $344,500. These sites are located within walking distance from a Kyiv subway station and only a 7-minute walk from various bus stops, a valuable feature as most people use public transportation in the city. This site is in the Southwest portion of Kyiv City. Available land, like this, within the city is very difficult to find, especially so close to public transportation. War has provided us with an opportunity, as prices are currently suppressed. However, investors seeing an end to the war are beginning to gobble up available land as they envision an end to the war and profits to be made.
THE PERSPECTIVE:
To give some perspective, the apartment that Derek and Julie rent in Kyiv, not far from this location, is only 900 sq feet. The owner is offering to sell it for $170,000. So, in comparison, we can purchase one home, with land, for practically the same price as an apartment!
The European Union has already approved “accession negotiations” to receive Ukraine as a member country. When the war ends, prayerfully the first to second quarter of next year, Ukraine’s candidacy will be expedited. As an EU country,
investors are already purchasing land speculating that when there is peace, land prices will jump exponentially. Derek agrees with this opinion. If we wait until peace comes to purchase the land, it will likely make the purchase beyond our means, as money will begin to pour into one of the largest and most beautiful capital cities in all of Europe. It would leave us having missed a great opportunity.
THE PLAN:
The owner has offered to sell the two plots in two phases. Phase 1 is $181,500. This would include one of the lots and homes, plus a deposit toward full rights to the second lot and home. Phase 2 would include a balance of $163,000, to be paid within 18 months of closing. We plan to pay it off sooner when funding becomes available.
Currently, Living Hope Baptist Church meets in a store-front and pays $1,000 a month in rent. Dima and his family rent for their apartment is $700 a month. Immediately upon renovation, the church could begin using the first floor, while Pastor Dima, Erica and their two children would have a full apartment upstairs. So, the purchase would provide an immediate savings of $1,700 a month to the ministry, while protecting us from the probability of rising rent prices post war.
We plan to deconstruct the home on the second lot and build a basement foundation. The walkout basement would provide a fellowship hall, kitchen, and a missionary apartment. The main floor would provide an auditorium, with seating of 250-300. This would also allow us to hold sessions here for Slavic Baptist Institute, giving SBI something it has never had - its own official location, positioned in the heart of Kyiv.
THE PROVISION
Hear is the good news… God has already provided the funds for Phase I, ($181,500). We have pledged funds of $60,000 towards Phase II ($163,000). Leaving us with $103,000 to have both properties secured.
The need for our own location and building are vital for Living Hope Baptist Church. The purchase of this property would secure a permanent home in the capital of a future European Union city for both a local church and Slavic Baptist Institute who are both striving to reach lost Ukrainians, while training and preparing laborers for the harvest.
Would you pray for this great need and consider helping financially with this project? If so, you can make your check payable to Slavic Baptist Mission and send it to our home office at 6401 W River Road ~ Muncie, IN 46304.
PRAY REQUESTS:
A SLAVIC BAPTIST MISSION UPDATE
I am typing these notes from our home in Byron, GA. Last night (January 21) we had about three inches of snow fall. This morning, as I look out my study window, I had flash-backs of the snow we had while pastoring in the Mid-west for more than forty years. Recently temperatures have been in the 50’s and 60’s so the ground is warm and with the strong sun this afternoon the melting has begun!
With the new administration in the White House we are praying that President Trump will follow through with his agenda to help end the war in Ukraine this year. Please pray with us to that end.
Several months ago the Lord opened the door to purchase two plots of land in Kyiv that will help meet two great needs. Derek recently described this land and I want to share it with our prayer partners and financial supporters.
THE PROPERTY:
We have been offered 2 adjacent plots of land, with new homes (unfinished inside) on each plot, for a combined sum of $344,500. These sites are located within walking distance from a Kyiv subway station and only a 7-minute walk from various bus stops, a valuable feature as most people use public transportation in the city. This site is in the Southwest portion of Kyiv City. Available land, like this, within the city is very difficult to find, especially so close to public transportation. War has provided us with an opportunity, as prices are currently suppressed. However, investors seeing an end to the war are beginning to gobble up available land as they envision an end to the war and profits to be made.
THE PERSPECTIVE:
To give some perspective, the apartment that Derek and Julie rent in Kyiv, not far from this location, is only 900 sq feet. The owner is offering to sell it for $170,000. So, in comparison, we can purchase one home, with land, for practically the same price as an apartment!
The European Union has already approved “accession negotiations” to receive Ukraine as a member country. When the war ends, prayerfully the first to second quarter of next year, Ukraine’s candidacy will be expedited. As an EU country,
investors are already purchasing land speculating that when there is peace, land prices will jump exponentially. Derek agrees with this opinion. If we wait until peace comes to purchase the land, it will likely make the purchase beyond our means, as money will begin to pour into one of the largest and most beautiful capital cities in all of Europe. It would leave us having missed a great opportunity.
THE PLAN:
The owner has offered to sell the two plots in two phases. Phase 1 is $181,500. This would include one of the lots and homes, plus a deposit toward full rights to the second lot and home. Phase 2 would include a balance of $163,000, to be paid within 18 months of closing. We plan to pay it off sooner when funding becomes available.
Currently, Living Hope Baptist Church meets in a store-front and pays $1,000 a month in rent. Dima and his family rent for their apartment is $700 a month. Immediately upon renovation, the church could begin using the first floor, while Pastor Dima, Erica and their two children would have a full apartment upstairs. So, the purchase would provide an immediate savings of $1,700 a month to the ministry, while protecting us from the probability of rising rent prices post war.
We plan to deconstruct the home on the second lot and build a basement foundation. The walkout basement would provide a fellowship hall, kitchen, and a missionary apartment. The main floor would provide an auditorium, with seating of 250-300. This would also allow us to hold sessions here for Slavic Baptist Institute, giving SBI something it has never had - its own official location, positioned in the heart of Kyiv.
THE PROVISION
Hear is the good news… God has already provided the funds for Phase I, ($181,500). We have pledged funds of $60,000 towards Phase II ($163,000). Leaving us with $103,000 to have both properties secured.
The need for our own location and building are vital for Living Hope Baptist Church. The purchase of this property would secure a permanent home in the capital of a future European Union city for both a local church and Slavic Baptist Institute who are both striving to reach lost Ukrainians, while training and preparing laborers for the harvest.
Would you pray for this great need and consider helping financially with this project? If so, you can make your check payable to Slavic Baptist Mission and send it to our home office at 6401 W River Road ~ Muncie, IN 46304.
PRAY REQUESTS:
- Pray for America and the Peace of Ukraine!
- Travel mercies for Derek & Julie, Carl & Pat, and Dolly and myself.
- Our SBI Graduates & National Pastors, especially those who are ministering and living in Eastern Ukraine where the war is raging.
- The Property Purchase in Kyiv
- SBM National Pastors’ Fund. We begin a year ago raising funds for three of our SBI graduates who are pastoring and have lost their jobs due to the war.
- Our Humanitarian Aid Teams that work tirelessly loading and unloading our trucks, while putting their lives in danger as they take it across the country.
- Abby Arrowood, our nine-year-old granddaughter will have her 9th vascular surgery on February 27. The surgeon will address the growing blood vessels in the back of her head and attempt to help the growing blood vessels between her eyes.
ITINERARY:
January
23-25 – Men’s Meeting ~ Parkway Church ~ Roanoke, VA ~ Harold Vaughn
26 – Emmanuel Baptist ~ Winchester, VA ~ Steve Rebert, Pastor
February
2 – We will be in our home church, Mikado Baptist, for the special retirement service for Pastor Ed Chambliss. He has served as one of the associate pastors at Mikado for more than twenty years. He has been such a blessing to my family, especially in the home going of my Mom, ‘Mama Rose,’ and more recently, my brother-in-law, Larry Ballard, and my sister-in-law, Jan Arrowood.
16-19 – Mission Conf. ~ Bayview ~ Laurel, DE ~ Dan Hatfield, Interim Pastor
21-23 – Mission Conf. ~ Westside ~ Eugene, OR ~ Ken Jackson, Interim Pastor
| Enlarge My Coasts Issue 26 January_-february 2025.pdf |