Children’s Ministry

Christina Omelchenko – Children’s Art Centre – Kiev, Ukraine

Christina is the leader and coordinator of the new Children’s Art Centre. This children’s ministry, operated out of Christian Hope Church (CHC), reaches out to children in Ukraine’s capitol city of Kiev. Christina, who has been working in children’s ministry for many years, has launched this new ministry to reach kids after school. Seeing both a need and an opportunity, Christina has successfully attracted dozens of school children to regularly attend. With the help of numerous volunteers, she provides a safe, healthy, and fun environment for these children to learn and grow. The program provides music, crafts, and snacks, as well as volunteer tutors to help the children with their education. Christina has even organized a drama group that performs plays for orphans, handicapped children, and veterans.

Anya Bronnikova – Orphanage Outreach Ministry – Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine

Anya Bronnikova lives in the city of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. She regularily visits orphanages full of unloved, abandoned children. Most of the children in these institutions have never heard or experienced the gospel.

Anya is a ray of bright sunshine to these children with her smile and her obvious love for them and Jesus. Each day Anya looks for new ways to make a difference in the lives of these children. Whether is is the Bible Club programs she runs, or teaching classes on morals and ethics, the love and hugs Anya gives inspire new hope in the hearts and souls of children who have very little to hope for.

Alexei & Tanya Tyzenko – Christian Foster Homes – Dneproptrovsk, Ukraine

Alexei and Tanya have a passion for underprivileged children. Together they lead a network of volunteer christian families who provide a Christian Foster Home placement for orphans in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Called ‘Faith, Hope, and Love Ministry’, Alexei and Tanya help organize and find support for these families.

Alexei is a teacher by trade, and has completed a university degree in psychology. They have three biological daughters of their own, while they raise about 10 foster children in their home. In the last several years, the association has grown from seven to ten foster families.

Recently, Alexei and Tanya moved outside the city to a smaller village more open to Christian home care. They have plans to open a kitchen for street kids in their village.

Andrei Shaiter – Together Camping Ministry – Minsk, Belarus

Andrei Shaiter received his Bible College education in England. After returning to Minsk, Belarus, God led Andrei into various ministries to children and young people, such as youth Bible studies, and a Christian mime and drama team.

Andrei and a team from several local churches in the area form a committee that runs Christian camps for Belarusian youth. They have been able to take these underprivileged Belarusian kids to camps from Poland, to Ukraine. Starting in 2004, they were able to acquire a rural property outside Minsk that they could convert into a Christian youth camp. Called Camp Hutorok (‘Together’), children from all over Belarus, some of whom have never even heard the name Jesus come to camp and have the time of their lives. Most of all, they hear about Jesus and learn what the Bible has to say.

Andrei also goes into local orphanages teaching woodworking skills, teaching the kids a marketable skill. After having proven himself diligent and faithful, the orphanage workers now allow Andrei to take the orphan children to church.

Senior’s Ministry

Dr. Irina Vlasenko – Senior’s Respite Centre – Gogolev, Ukraine

Dr. Irina Vlasenko is a medical doctor and lawyer whose ministry and calling is to help seniors and elderly people in Ukraine. In 1999, Dr Irina and several other volunteers from her home church in Kiev (CHC) began an visitation and outreach program for shut-in seniors in the Kiev area called the ‘Mercy Ministry’.

A few years ago, with support from Canada and the US, Dr. Irina began an a respite care centre for seniors. The centre, called “Light for the Lonely” is located just outside of the city of Kiev. Seniors are provided with special medical care, good nutritious meals, and Christian fellowship during a a two week stay. This ministry gives seniors a “vacation” from the city and allows them to get the extra care that would be difficult to provide in their own homes.

Dr Irina also has a passion to bring medical care, along with the message of the gospel, to small remote communities.

Pastors and Churches Ministry

Pastor Valery Reshetinsky – Christian Hope Church (CHC) – Kiev, Ukraine

Valery Reshitinsky pastors one of the largest churches in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Christian Hope Church (CHC) has a heart for the people of Ukraine, with many humanitarian outreach ministries such as the ministry to senriors, the dental clinic, the children’s rescue centre, the men’s and women’s drug rehab centres, the Missionary Training Centre, and a deaf ministry. Pastor Valery gives oversight and vision to these varied and vital ministries.

For the past several years, CHC has been working on renovations to a large building in the heart of Kiev that they plan to use as a ministry complex. Although by no means complete, the church has now renovated enough of the building that they can have Sunday services there each week.  The Missionary Training School also operates out of this complex as well the bookkeeping department.

Valery is married to Luba and they have three children: Nick, Valery Jr, and Nadia.

Valery Alimov – Missionary Training School (CHC) – Kiev, Ukraine

Valery Alimov gave his heart to the Lord at a “Jesus” movie outreach in 1990 in Kiev, Ukraine. Since then, he has planted and pastored two churches.

In 2002, he became the director of the Missionary Training Centre for Christian Hope Church in Kiev, Ukraine. This centre trains new pastors and also gives courses to pastors already leading churches.

Valery spends much of his time traveling around Ukraine supervising pastors planting churches. Valery is responsible for giving oversight and guidance to these pastors and organizes Leadership Conferences.

Valery and his wife, Olga have a pre-teen daughter.

Natasha Rihlevsfeaya – Deaf Ministry (CHC) – Kiev, Ukraine

Natasha and her team serve the deaf congregation at Christian Hope Church by translating services into Russian Sign Language, which has many differences from American Sign Language. Natasha also holds conferences to train others to sign so they can minister to this neglected part of Ukrainian society.

Deaf people are often poorly treated and not easily accomodated in Ukrainian society. Most have great difficulty obtaining employment. Natasha also organizes the deaf mercy workers who visit the homes of many hearing impaired people assisting them with daily living.

Ivan Shvets – Church Administration (CHC) – Kiev, Ukraine

Ivan Shvets is the Senior Administator for Christian Hope Church in Kiev. He supervises all the day-to-day activities of the church office, and is also the person responsible for renting facilities for Sunday services.

Ivan is the person who organizes the details for the many kids summer camps, outreach programs, festivals and meetings hosted by CHC.

Ivan is also the Executive Administator for Barnabas Charity Mission, a humanitarian organization run by members of the church which distibutes all donated humanitarian aid.

Lydia Shustyk – Bookkeeping (CHC) – Kiev, Ukraine

Lydia came to Christ after being healed from cancer. She is now the head bookkeeper for Christian Hope Church in Kiev. Lydia’s job is to manage all the finances of the church and all CHC’s 100 daughter churches. She is also the bookkeeper for Banabas Fund, CHC’s humanitarian aid organization, as well as three other charities, including Mission Partners.

Lydia is the widowed mother of Tamila Shander, the wife of Andrei Shander, MPI’s Administrator and translator in Ukraine.

Drug Rehab Ministry

Sergei Matevosian – New Life Centre Drug Rehab – St Petersburg, Russia

Sergei Matevosian is the director of New Life Centre, which operates a drug rehab program on two properties outside St Petersburg, Russia. This successful ministry allows men and women to come from all over Russia to break their drug addictions.

Sergei supervises the myriad of details involved with keeping these two properties and the program running smoothly. He also travels a lot, lending his expertise in other countries, like the US, assisting groups who want to begin similar drug rehab programs.

Sergei, his wife Ira and their children live in St Petersburg. Ira supports Sergei, spending much time in prayer.

Sergei Perkalsky – Men’s Drug Rehab (CHC) – Kiev, Ukraine

Sergei, a qualified medical practitioner, is the director of the Men’s Drug Rehab Centre operated by CHC in Kiev, Ukraine which ministers to men recovering from drug and alcohol addictions.

Recently, the rehab ministry purchased a property in the country which will allow them to teach addicts practical, marketable skills like farming. They have already used this property to grow crops and they are hoping to raise animals as well. Once the property is ready, they will use it to expand the program and help more addicts at a time.

Sergei also works as a translator for the church and is the assistant pastor to Valery Reshetinsky.

Tanya Nazerenko – Women’s Drug Rehab (CHC) – Kiev Ukraine

Tanya Nazerenko, trained in pschyology, has been the director of the women’s drug rehab program for Christian Hope Centre for the past 5 years.

Tanya has a love each woman under her charge. Young female addicts spend six months in the program before graduating, after which they return to the centre once a week for accountability.

In the future Tanya would like to have a house in the country for the girls to live in where they could grow vegetables and be trained to find employment. She would like to get a contract for cleaning apartments or delivering food, keeping the girls busy and making the program at least partially self-sufficient.