Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine

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The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine is a conservative evangelical denomination in the Reformed tradition. It holds to a Presbyterian form of government and to the Reformed theology of the Westminster Standards.[1]

Contents

Origin [edit]

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine (EPCU) was recognised as an independent national denomination on April 16, 2008 in Odessa, Ukraine. At of the time of organisation, the denomination had one presbytery comprising three particularised churches and 8 mission churches. As of 2012 the Evangelical Presbyterian Church has 12 churches and missions in various parts of Ukraine. The EPCU was started by missionaries of the Presbyterian Church in America in the early 1990s. Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church in Kiev has been the largest congregation. There are congregations in 9 various cities.[2]

History [edit]

It's a little known fact that the Reformation came this far eastward, approximately 100 Reformed churches existed between 1570 - 1590. In the 1930s Canadian - Ukrainian missionaries revitalised the Reformed faith in Western Ukraine which was then occupied by Poland. They established the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. On Easter sunday 1925 the first Reformed worship was held in Kolomya. Separate German Reformed and Lurheran communities - the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg and Helvetic Confession - joined the presbyterian path the " Union of Reformed Communities". Before the invasion of the Red Army there were 35 churches in 5 districts and approximately 3000 members in cities like Coloma, Lviv, Rivne, Pzemysl, Stepan. The Ukrainian Evangelical Reformed Church had 18 ordained pastors. After the World War II. the Communist regime destroyed much of this work.[3]

After breaking-up the Soviet Union short term PCA mission teams began working in various Ukrainian cities. Church planting team to shepherd the forming religious communities. The church in Odessa was first particularized in the history of the whole denomination. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Odessa received its 100 years old historic building in 1998. In the past the church community had been disbanded and the building was taken in the Communist times and converted to a puppet house, and later abandoned. The church building had been renovated by the church. The 1,300 square foot building was built in 1898, and seats 500. The weekly attendance is more than 100 and expanded in five various cities. This has become a center for church planter in Ukraine.[4] The Evangelical Presbyterian Church was officially organised at a celebration service on April 16, 2008 in the Ukrainian city of Odessa.[5]

The Belgorod Christian Clinic is a ministry of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Belgorod-Dnestrovsky. The Belgorod Presbyterian Church was the first local church planted by MTW missionaries in Ukraine.

Missions [edit]

The church has missions churches in various cities, and has plans to plant many new churches in the coming years. There are mission teams in Kiyiv, Odessa, Lviv, Kharkov. The first outreach to the western part of Ukraine is the new Lviv church plant. In the town there are a cross-cultural church planting team, trying to built relationship to the peolpe, through English ministry, mercy ministry.[6] The goal is to have 44 Presbyterian churches in the next 15 years. The biggest goal to become financial self-supporting.[7]

Reformed Seminary in Ukraine [edit]

A reformed seminary The Evangelical Reformed Seminary of Ukraine was opened to train pastors and officers. M.Div classes begun in 2000 with 20 students. In the Evangelical Reformed Seminary theology classes are taught by qualified teachers and guest professors from Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, and South Africa.[8] The current president is Dr Clay Quarterman.[9]

Theology [edit]

Confessional Standards [edit]

Other respected Reformed confessions [edit]

Ecumenial Creeds [edit]

See also [edit]

External links [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ www.reformiert-online.net
  2. ^ www.mtwukraine.org/Mission_to_the_World__Ukraine/Welcome.html
  3. ^ www.erpco.org.ua/?
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ www.leben.us/volume-01-issue-3/164-the-odessa-church-today
  6. ^ http://www.mtwukraine.org/Mission_to_the_World__Ukraine/Contact_us.html
  7. ^ www.burnhamsnapshots.com/Our_ministry.html
  8. ^ www.ersu.org/en/about-ersu/history
  9. ^ www.ersu.org/en/about-ersu/faculty
  10. ^ www.ersu.org
  11. ^ http://www.epcu.org.ua/
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