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Transformed

John Taylor with Scott Carter, Ukraine

Sergei was a stubborn, alcoholic man before his conversion in the 1990s. He took no lip from anyone, and no one messed with him. It was his way or else.

Today, by the grace of God, he is a changed man, and those who knew him before he met Christ, including his wife, cannot believe he is the same person. Sergei has found God’s grace to be overwhelming. With his background, it was difficult for him to show compassion, but now that he has experienced God’s grace, he is a generous giver of love, patience, and concern for others.

Sergei prays a prayer of dedication
at a baptism service at his church.

Nothing energizes a missionary more than to see a believer leave his old self behind, begin to seriously study God’s Word, and develop personal and ministry skills that are immediately put into action. Sergei, who lives in Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev, is one example of such a transformation. Since beginning his studies at the Church Ministries Institute in Odessa, Ukraine, in 1998, God has done amazing things in and through him and his wife Raya.

Sergei owns a car repair business, and he and Raya have lived in Kiev for nearly twenty years. God used the CMI’s work to give Sergei vision, understanding, and confidence to start two churches in Kiev over the last four years. The majority of his church members are people who have known him and Raya for many years. His current church hopes to ordain him in the near future. 

Sergei and Raya are thankful for the foundation the CMI has given them, and are excited that three of their church members are studying at a local CMI Bible school in Kiev.

Praise God for Sergei and Raya, and 230 other current CMI students, who are being transformed into messengers of God’s grace to countless others in the Russian-speaking world who are desperately in need of God’s forgiveness and transforming power. 

The Church Ministries Institute (CMI) based in Odessa, Ukraine, has been used by God to develop hundreds of church leaders in Eurasia since its inception in 1994.