Ukraine
Ukraine Ministries!
Ukraine – the largest European country and one of the most beautiful ones with a population of nearly 48 million people. It has been independent for 19 years now. During the past years of the world’s recession Ukraine was hit badly with doubled devaluation of national currency, which doubled the prices for virtually everything, highest unemployment rate ever, unprecedented economy crisis among other things and crowns it all a tripled crime rate. City of Dnepropetrovsk, the eastern center of Ukraine with almost one million people in it and only ten Baptist churches, is where God placed the Eugene Kozachenko family and where they serve in Jewish Missions since year 2000, working with J.E.M. (Jewish End-Time Ministries) under the leadership of Dr. Henry Benach (Chattanooga, TN).
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Family - The Kozachekno family has four children with the youngest, Evan being eight years old, his brother Nikita is thirteen and the girls – Dasha and Sophie are fifteen and ten correspondingly. Olga and Eugene are both 39 and have been happily married for nearly 20 years now.
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Ministry – This verse of Scripture reflects the essence of their service to the Lord in Ukraine is Acts 20:21.
Their ministry is divided into two major parts – ministering to the unsaved, and to Christians, always bearing Jewish Missions in mind! In that – 60% of their attention is focused on Dnepropetrovsk (Jerusalem), 30% to all-Ukraine (Judea and Samaria) and 10% to the international work (uttermost parts of the world).
Work In Dneipropetrovsk
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Jewish gospel tracts distribution throughout regular days and especially on Saturdays by the city’s central synagogue after its service
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Visiting Jewish-owned businesses to leave literature, make contacts and witness about the Messiah
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House visitations and inviting the Jews to attend in their home
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Occasional physical help (food baskets, help around the house, yard work, etc)
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Attempts to conduct regular Friday night Jewish Fellowships
In 2006 J.E.M.-UA was started and it seeks to:
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Find Ukrainian missionaries to the Jews in densely Jewish populated Ukrainian cities
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Found the work among Ukrainian Baptist churches to reach the Jews
Goals
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Preach Jewish subjects in local Baptist churches throughout Ukraine (In regular services, special meetings and theme nights)
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Organize and conduct ‘Prophecy and Israel’ slide presentations (These are very popular especially as they depict current state of events in Israel and future possible developments according to recorded prophecies)
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Organize and conduct ‘Prophecy and Israel’ annual regional conferences (nearly 300 people in attendance with most of them being pastors, deacons, preachers and full-time ministers)
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As a follow-up to the abovementioned – teaching seminars in churches on how to reach the Jews (what we call 3DR – three dimensional reflection of Israel in is past, present and future)
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Production of new Jewish gospel tracts, supplying of appropriate literature, teaching materials, CDs and DVDs
(J.E.M. provides most of these)
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Printing of quarterly glossy color news-letter mailed out to 73 churches, 8 Christian Bible Universities and Colleges, and 350 individuals
In addition to the main emphasis of our ministry Eugene takes an active part in the life of Eastern Gate Baptist church that he started back in 2002. Eugene preachs there twice a month, baptizing those led to Christ and participate in church evangelistic events: visitation, tracts distribution, door-to-door evangelism, etc. The church is doing fine, has about 70 members, and its pastor – Dmitry Pischanetsky has proven to be a faithful, doctrinally sound with a heart of a true shepherd. He has led the congregation for nearly ten years.
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Conducting ‘Christ in the Passover’ presentations has always been a personal blessing. It is a special service, unsaved Jews are invited, where by showing how the Orthodox Jews of today celebrate Pesah (Passover feast) pointing to Jesus the Messiah and His soon return. Around March, April and sometimes even May of each year 5-6 invitations are set up for a genuine feast at a local Baptist church showing Seder Meal presentations!
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About 8-10 times a year (mostly around summer and winter seasons) Eugene participates as a main or one of the key-note speakers in nationwide and regional conferences, both big and small conducted by Baptist churches. Almost each time a display table is allowed promoting J.E.M.-UA, offering literature and subscriptions to the printed periodicals.
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In addition to all the activities, besides publishing a quarterly J.E.M.-UA newsletter, Eugene writes Jewish articles monthly for two Baptist newspapers and one magazine that has about 30,000 copies in print combined monthly.
And once in two years Eugene has traveled internationally as a part of J.E.M. group to assist in evangelistic endeavors, trips ranging from two weeks to one month long.
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About twice a year Pastors and missionaries from USA come visit the Kozachenkos’s helping in various ministry efforts. Also, for the past four years summer village tent revivals have been conducted.
Future Plans
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Running Friday night Jewish meetings
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Establishing Jewish fellowships in local Baptist churches throughout Ukraine
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Travel nationally and internationally to start or help to advance the ministries geared to reach the Jews
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Strengthening the started projects
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Eugene and Olga Kozachenko were led to the Lord by American missionaries back 20 years ago. Today, as a product of missions, they are the ones being used by God to lead others, Jews and Gentiles, to Christ.
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In the days ahead it is the deisre of JEM to plan additional Outreaches into this needy and fruitful country.