Story number 3 for 1 Nov 2001

(Ukraine)–Future church leaders in Ukraine are being turned away from Bible education. Send International’s Everett Henderson says Christians there are hungry to learn about God’s word, but SEND doesn’t have the funding to meet the demand. “We currently work with 13 Bible Institutes. It costs about $3,200 per year to operate a Bible college. We’re fully funded for eight of the 13. And, the cost, I think, is a minimal amount that many western churches or individuals might like to take on.” Henderson says that funding is essential as these students will be most effective in reaching the entire former Soviet Union…including the Muslim regions. “They already know the language. They know the culture. They don’t have to worry about visas like we do. They’re very acceptable in the central Asian countries. They don’t encounter near the problems that western missionaries do.”