Ukraine is situated in the south-eastern part of Central Europe and has its own territory, government, national emblem, flag and anthem. Ukraine borders on Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and Poland on land and Russia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey on sea. flag: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky Ukraine Ukraine became independent from Soviet Union in 1991 and adopted their first post-Soviet Constitution on June 28, 1996 Population (est.): 52 million.

• Capitol: Kiev (2.6 million)
• Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, others.
• Ethnic groups: Ukrainian 73%, Russian 22%, Jewish 1%, other 4% such as Belorussians, Moldavians, Bulgarians, Poles, Hungarians, Romanians, Crimean Tatars.
• Religions: Ukrainian Orthodox-Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox-Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate), Protestant, Jewish, Roman Catholicism, Islam.
• Climate: temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south.
• Terrain: most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south.
• Elevation extremes:
• lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
• highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
• Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber
• Currency: Hryvnia
• Exchange rates:
• February 1997 1$ = 1.816 Hr
• February 1998 1$ = 1.93 Hr
• March 1999 l$=4Hr

UMC

A Methodist from Finland, began evangelizing in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1889, and in 1909 the Methodist Church in Russia received legal status. The Russian Methodist church served in the Soviet Union from 1917-1935 until it was finally closed under Stalin. After a 55 year absence Methodism appeared again in Russia in 1990. And finally, the Russian United Methodist Church received legal status as a religious body at the Russian Federation's Ministry of Justice, on January 26, 1999. The United Methodist Church in the Ukraine is a district under The Russian United Methodist Church.

There are three registered United Methodist Churches in the Ukraine: Kerch UMC, Sevastopol UMC and Lugansk UMC. In addition to these churches, the UMC in Germany, has started work in Poltava; the Hungarian Methodist Church has a church in Uzhgorod (which has existed since before W.W.II); and the Polish Methodist church has started a fellowship in Lviv.

The Kerch UMC has a worship attendance of 60-70 adults and 70 children. The children's Sunday School program ministers to the increasing number of street children in Kerch due to the economic hardships in the Ukraine. Programs of the church include a soup kitchen that feeds 25 senior citizens twice a week. Three women's groups meet regularly for support, Bible study and fellowship. There is also an outreach to a newborn infant orphanage, where women from the church visit to provide nurture and care to the infants which are mostly left alone all day due to staff shortages at the orphanage.

The Kerch UMC has just recently bought a 2-story building to be used as a worship center, the first UMC church building in the Ukraine since the denomination was restarted in 1990.

A four year mission effort by United Methodist VIM teams from the Central PA conference has resulted in the first ever School for Children with Cerebral palsy in the Ukraine. This school is located in the city of Bila Tserkva, 100 kilometers south of Kiev.

Future

UMC farmers from Kansas will be participating in a knowledge exchange program with farmers from central Ukraine, in order to help Ukrainian farmers in their efforts to modernize agricultural work.

Alcohol abuse is widespread in the Ukraine, with almost every family being affected by this problem. The UMC is addressing this problem by supporting work with AA, Al-Anon and the UM program Born Free, Stay Free. Born Free, Stay Free is a program which targets children from 5-18, teaching them in a weekend seminar how to make the choice to resist peer pressure, and say no to alcohol and drug abuse.

In the last 8 years, the UMC has been firmly established in Russia and the Ukraine with 46 registered churches, and an additional 20-30 fellowships which will soon register. With this base to work from, future church growth and development will largely come from the churches themselves. A new plan of district evangelization has been set up so that each district in the Russian United Methodist church will have a team consisting of clergy and laity concentrating on new ways to spread the Good News of the Gospel to areas of their district which have no church.

In the Ukraine, there are already plans to establish churches in Kiev and Simferopol through the above program. Student work in various institutes in the Ukrainian-speaking western Ukraine is being considered, with the possible establishment of a Wesley Foundation type of student ministry.

God's work is being carried out through the United Methodist church in a variety of ways. Please pray for the church as it continues to work and minister into the next millennium in the Ukraine.

For more information contact: Helen and Bill Lovelace,

E-mail: whlovelace@aol.com