Celebrations of Easter at the ULC Congregationsin
Pictures:
Resurrection Lutheran Church in Kyiv:
St. Apostles John and James Lutheran Church in Ternopil:
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Kherson:
"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the
firstfruits of them that slept"
(1 Corinthians 15:20)
Christ Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed!
Dear Visitors of the ULC web-site!
Please accept our most sincere greetings on Easter
celebrations as we joyfully remember that our Lord Jesus Christ
has died for our sins and rose back to life for our justification.
His resurrection is the sure guarantee of the complete forgiveness
of our sins, and of our resurrection, and eternal life in His
glorious Kingdom. May the risen and living Lord Jesus Christ continue
to bless you richly as you serve Him and His dear Church!
On behalf of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church in
the Lord risen,
Bishop Vyacheslav Horpynchuk
April 20, 2008. With Palm Sunday Holy
Week has begun in the Ukrainian Lutheran Church. We
remember entrance of Jesus into His earthly capital, Jerusalem,
Introduction of the Lord's Supper, death on the Cross of Calvary
for our sins and burial at the tomb of Joseph.
April 6, 2008. Resurrection
Lutheran Church in Kyiv has invited brother Oleksandr Hural to
the Holy Communion. Brother Oleksandr after studies
of Dr. Luther's Small Catechism and the Word of God has expressed
his complete agreement with the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church and his willingness to stay in this Church till the end
of his life or till the return of Jesus Christ in glory. Brother
Oleksandr received gifts: the Book of Concord in Ukrainian, Dr.
Luther's seal pin and a white rose, a symbol of righteousness
of Christ we are bestowed with. The Congregation has prayed to
the Lord with a song "Mnohaya Lita."
Picture: Pastor Vyacheslav Horpynchuk, Brother
Oleksandr Hural and Cross-Bearer and Reader, Dmytro Prokopchuk
March 2008. Rev. Forest Bivens, Professor
of the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary from Mequon, USA has delivered
lectures "Revelation: Authority and Theological Method"
at the Ukrainian Lutheran Theological Seminary of Holy Sophia.
Professor Bivens has also visited worship services at the St.
Apostles John and James Lutheran Church in Ternopil and has preached
at the English-speaking worship service there.
Picture: Rector J. Vogt, Professor F. Bivens and
Pastor T. Kokovskiy.
March 10, 2008. Ukrainian Lutheran Church
parishes have begun Lent celebrations. Ukranian Lutherans
gratefully recollect on Jesus Christ passions and Cross of Calvary,
and tomb for our salvation. Resurrection Lutheran Church in Kyiv
has traditional evening Lent devotions at the ULC office in 14
Velyka Vasylkivska street, Apartment 15, in Kyiv.
March 3-15, 2008. Rev. Oleh Stetsiuk
from the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Kherson has read a course
of lectures "Christian Church History: Reformation till Now".
The lectures were delivered to the students of the Ukrainian Lutheran
Theological Seminary of Holy Sophia. Pastor Oleh has also led
worship services at the Seminary Chapel.
March 9, 2008. Taras Shevchenko anniversary
was traditionally observed in the Resurrection Lutheran Church
in Kyiv after the service of God. "Little Angels"
drama group and church youth group have presented life and Christian
activities of this Ukrainian poet and artist. After that parish
representatives have visited a monument of Taras Shevchenko in
the city park and have delivered there a thankful prayer to the
Lord for the life of this great Ukrainian.
March 6, 2008. ULC Construction Committee
meeting took place at the Ukrainian Lutheran Church office in
Kyiv. Construction projects of the church were reviewed.
Rev. Victor Paschenko, Pastor of Christ the Savior Lutheran Church
from Sevastopol presided over the meeting.
March 2, 2008. Oleksandr Feschenko,
a recent graduate of the Holy Sophia Lutheran Theological Seminary,
has been ordained to the Holy Ministry Office in the Holy Trinity
Lutheran Church in Tokmak, Zaporizhia Oblast. ULC Bishop
Vyacheslav Horpynchuk, Kyivan Eparchy Head, Rev. Vadym Zinchenko,
Thoughts of Faith Mentor, Rev. Richard Warnke and Holy Trinity
Lutheran Church Pastor from Zaporizhia, Rev. Serhiy Zuev participated
in the ordination. Pastor Serhiy Zuev was taking pastoral care
of the congregation in Tokmak for the last eight years till the
ordination of Rev. Feschenko. Rev. Oleksandr Feschenko has been
heartily greeted by his parish and received wonderful gifts: pastoral
stoles from the ULC Episcopacy; an individual communion set from
the Becks Family, owners of the Lutheran bookstore in Michigan,
U.S.A.; pastoral Bible and Brockhaus Encyclopedia from the Nordisk
Ostmission (Sweden). A huge cake from the parish became a wonderful
ending of the day. We wish Pastor Feschenko many happy and blessed
years in the Gospel ministry!
February 2008. Students of the Saint
Sophia Lutheran Theological Seminary had a guest-lecturer from
Novosibirsk, Russia. Pastor Luke Wolfgram has lectured
on Preaching. Reverend Wolfgram is U. S. missionary to Russia.
He preaches the Word there and teaches in a local Seminary. Pastor
Wolfgram has visited a worship service in St. Apostles John and
James Lutheran Church in Ternopil. He also visited the Holy Cross
Lutheran Church in Kremenets with Rev. Rector John Vogt and Rev.
Radoslav Radkov from Bulgaria.
Picture: Pastor Wolfgram in middle.
Februuary 5, 2008. Ukrainian Lutheran
Church Synodical Council meeting took place in Kyiv.
The Synodical Council has listened to and approved ULC officials
reports and reviewed current business of the Church. The Synodical
Council has issued the first call to pastoral ministry in Tokmak,
Zaporizhia Oblast (Kyivan Eparchy), to brother Oleksandr Feschenko,
a last year Ukrainian Lutheran Theological Seminary of Holy Sophia
graduate.
January 13-24 2008. Bishop Vyacheslav
Horpynchuk has visited sister churches and partner organizations
in the United States of America. Bishop had meetings
with the Good News Journal Executive Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Wallace
Schulz and Lutheran Heritage Foundation Executive Director, Dr.
Robert Rahn. At the Theological Symposia held at the Concordia
Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne he participated in the presentation
of the essay volume "Teach These Things!" Bishop Vyacheslav
has also had a meeting with WELS (Rev. Mark Schroeder) and ELS
(Rev. John Moldstad) Presidents and Thoughts of Faith mission
society Board members. Bishop has also preached at the King of
Grace Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. This church is the largest
church in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, a sister church of the
ULC. Bishop Vyacheslav has made a power-point presentation about
the ULC for the members of the congregation.
She gave birth to her
firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in
a manger (Luke 2:7).
Dear visitors of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church
web-site!
What an eloquent and beautiful meaning we can
find in the simple wording of the Christmas story in our Sacred
Scriptures! Thanks be to God for His Only-begotten Son wrapped
into human flesh and placed through the perfect obedience under
the Law and through the cross of Calvary in a tomb to rise as
the first fruit from the dead and give us forgiveness of sins
and life eternal in His Kingdom! Have blessed Christmas celebrations
and a happy New Year!
In Christ Who Is Born for our Salvation,
Vyacheslav Horpynchuk,
Bishop, Ukrainian Lutheran Church
