AFGHANISTAN ALBANIA ARGENTINA AUSTRALIA AZERBAIJAN BELARUS BELIZE BENIN BHUTAN BOLIVIA BOTSWANA BRA COLOMBIA CONGO CUBA CZECH REPUBLIC DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO DENMARK DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ESTON KAZAKHSTAN KENYA KYRGYZSTAN LAOS LATVIA LITHUANIA MADAGASCAR MALAWI MALAYSIA MEXICO MONGOLIA MOZA SOMALIA SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH KOREA SOUTH SUDAN SPAIN SRI LANKA SUDAN SWEDEN SWITZERLAND TAIWAN TAN
UKRAINE:
“WE WANTED LUTHER TO SPEAK UKRAINIAN” Ukraine they would go to other countries with struggling Lutheran churches. It was very refreshing to us and very encouraging to meet those men and talk to them. After such visits we wanted to have For these miracles I continue to and Lutheran doctrine, his deep theothe Book of Concord in Ukrainian and thank our Lord. logical knowledge, his kindness and we wanted Luther to start speaking After the fall of the Soviet Union in optimism and his care about Lutherans Ukrainian. 1991, what a joy it was to celebrate the in other parts of the world. What started as a blessing continfirst public worship services without He immediately came to help and ues as a blessing! Rev. Matthew Heise fear of being persecuted! suggested that we start with a bookencourages us to continue the good As Lutherans, we had very big challet called Good News About Jesus. It work. And now we have 5 volumes of lenges. We had no theological materiwas published in 1995 in Ternopil and Luther’s Works in Ukrainian to comals. No Small Catechisms, no hymnals, then Luther’s Small Catechism and the memorate the 500th anniversary of the no Confessions, Reformation. nothing. BapToday, Luther is tists, Pentecosknown in Ukraine, tals and Rusthanks to the Luthersian Orthodox an Heritage Founhad their books dation. – Lutherans But still our people did not have ask for more books! them. Baptists, Ukrainians want Pentecostals more Gospel and and Russian more Luther, who Orthodox knew Christ best of An early LHF planning meeting between Bishop Horpynchuk, LCMS pastor Rev. Ed Narr and Rev. were allowed all. Luther’s teaching Robert Rahn. At right, Bishop Horpynchuk displays a recent Ukrainian volume of Luther’s Works. to exist in the makes our churches Soviet Ukraine. Lutherans were totally Augsburg Confession followed. truly Lutheran and strong in the Word banned. We lacked everything, espeNow Ukrainian Lutherans had some of God. cially good theology. basic books for a good beginning! We What a blessing the Lutheran HerIt was a pure blessing for me and ran out of books very quickly because itage Foundation is for the Ukrainian other Lutherans from Ukraine to be inthe demand was so great. There was nation and other nations where it pubvited to study in the summer of 1994 at hunger and thirst for good Lutheran lishes and distributes confessional LuConcordia Seminary in St. Louis. It was books that provided real theology and theran books! How grateful are Ukraia double blessing to meet Rev. Robert not some fancies of men. nians for your love and commitment to Rahn and ask him to help Lutherans Rev. Rahn and other staunch Lutherthe Lutheran doctrine and Evangelical in Ukraine with good, confessional ans would regularly come to Ukraine in Lutheran Church! Lutheran books. those days. Those trips were long for - Rev. Dr. V’yacheslav Horpynchuk Rev. Rahn impressed me with his them, and I may assume very tiresome Bishop, Ukrainian Lutheran Church commitment to the Lutheran Church for Dr. Rahn and his U.S. team, for after
The collapse of the atheistic Soviet Union was the first great miracle of God that I had the privilege to witness. The resurrection of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church was the second great miracle.
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