Our Past
The Ukrainian Education Center began as a dream in the mid-1990s among Christian workers in Kyiv, Ukraine. University students were very open to the Christian faith and at the same time had many needs. Universities lacked modern textbooks, there were few computers, and students needed a place to spend time together. Small Soviet apartments hosted countless Bible studies, movie nights, and book discussions. The opportunities for ministry cried out for a larger, permanent space.
Slowly, under God's sovereign orchestration, a small base of energetic supporters emerged with David Ralston, the current UEC board president, leading the charge. Ideas crystallized. Prayers were prayed. In March 1999, about 20 gathered in Memphis to discuss possibilities. In January 2000, from a Nashville meeting, the name Ukrainian Education Center was chosen and a board of directors formed. Chris Lovingood was asked to serve as the Kyiv director and Monica Moreland served as the assistant director.
A temporary center (on Dovzhenko Street near the Shulyavska metro station) was soon rented in the heart of Kyiv's university center to explore possibilities. Bogdan Andriychenko, who worked as the project manager, became the work horse in those early days, managing real estate agents and contractors, finding building materials, and developing our first website. As that temporary center took on a life of its own, so did the US-based board. IRS non-profit status was filed for and a fundraising campaign began. The search for the new center began in earnest and after months of frustration and exhilaration, the Kyiv staff and the UEC board agreed to the purchase of two apartments near the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. The first and second floor apartments were bought at a total cost of $85,000 and almost all the funds had been raised by the September 2000 purchase.
With the apartments desperate for complete renovation, a quality contractor was prayed for and God provided through an old Lipscomb student and Kyivite. Renovation began which included entirely gutting the two apartments--in December 2000 and was completed in fall 2001. The UEC opened its doors to the public on October 4, 2001.
Bogdan Andriychenko, the UEC building project coordinator, completed his work with the UEC in May 2002, and Sergiy Lyakh was hired as the UEC’s first manager. Under Sergiy’s leadership, the Center’s library became fully automated and we became more professional in all we do. As Sergiy went on to continue his studies, Vitaly Samodin was hired to replace him in 2006. In 2009, Vitaly and his wife Valeria became UEC directors. Katie Boyer, Joshua and Maurie Hanauer, and Jonathan Shaub have served as interns who worked with local churches and the UEC.
In 2019, the mission of the UEC was transformed and gained a new, refined focus.
The story continues.