February 2020 Project Update:
Life at the River Church
Nikopol, Ukraine:
One new exciting program that has started in the winter of 2019 is an after-school program, “Hope for the Children”. Serving an average of 25 kids, ranging from grade 1 through grade 11, every Tuesday afternoon. A group of 11-12 believers from the River Church volunteer to head up this program, 4-5 to teach and lead the kids, 3 as kitchen staff and a prayer team of 4. A typical Tuesday afternoon would consist of, time spent in a bible story with the entire group, they then divide into groups and support the kids with their school homework. Once the homework is done, they gather again once again as a whole group and spend some time in crafts and games, and at the end of the afternoon they are provided with a hot meal. While all this activity is happening, the prayer team of 4 are praying for kids. (WOW !!) The vision of the ministry is not only providing these kids with love and support.
The “River church”, the physical building itself dates to the 1930’s or earlier, was originally a Mennonite church building. During HFL last visit to Nikopol (Dec 2019), the objectives were to find out how can we help this program to grow. One of the problems is that the church did not have an appropriate kitchen. There was an inadequate ventilation system and made it very challenging for all the various groups that use it. During the renovation assessment, mold and rot in the walls and floors were discovered. The leadership group of the church met together to pray and discuss what their plan of action and to ultimately resolve the situation. As a plan developed, so did their wish list that consists of building a washroom on the main level. Currently, the washrooms are located in the basement which are only accessible from the outside making it difficult or nearly impossible for the elderly or anyone with physical disabilities to use. The washrooms are particularly difficult for the kids, families and organizers of the “Children’s with Disabilities” program to use. The church hosts 25-30 kids with their families every week to help support the needs of the kids and their families. The second item on the wish list is to add a second classroom on the main floor as there is currently only one. This will allow the Sunday School program to divide the kids by age resulting in a more effective way of teaching. The final item on the wish list is to renovate the kitchen to ultimately provide a more sanitary and functional workspace.
While all these plans were being discussed, God once again provided the resources in order for all this to happen. Thanks to a donor coming forward to provide the funds, an engineering firm from Dnipro donate their services, and having local volunteers provide labor.
GOD is GOOD!!! Work is currently underway….
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