Germany, Ukraine & Europe

An update from Jeff Purswell, Director of Theology and Training for Sovereign Grace Churches…

October may be festival season in Germany, but in Hamburg it’s the time for the Arche Church’s annual Eckstein (“Cornerstone”) Conference. This year, Mark Prater and I had the great privilege of serving at this strategic conference, which for many years equipped and strengthened not only the Arche, but Christians throughout Germany and in numerous countries the Arche serves with the gospel. Including the nations represented within the Arche itself, this year’s Eckstein touched people from some 56 nations.

The Arche pastors chose as the theme of the conference “Staying the Course,” with messages drawn from 1 Peter designed to fortify believers in the face of suffering, persecution, doctrinal deviation, and social upheaval. It’s hard to describe the privilege of seeing so many people, so passionate for Christ, so hungry for God’s Word, and so desirous of glorifying God in such a spiritually dark portion of the world. We left so grateful for our partnership with the Arche and its remarkable pastoral team led by Christian Wegert.

Perhaps the greatest highlight was seeing Michael Ostanin, the pastor of Ark Church in Dnipro, Ukraine. Michael planted his church 20 years ago out of the Hamburg Arche, graduated from the German Pastors College, and has become a very dear friend of Sovereign Grace (SGC has had the honor of supporting Michael and his church financially during the Russian invasion of Ukraine). To our great surprise, through some last minute providences Michael was able to come to Hamburg for the conference, and we were able to hear from him, cry with him, and pray for him about his gospel labors amidst the cataclysmic circumstances unfolding in his nation.

I wish every SGC pastor could meet Michael. Since the war began, his life and his church has been turned upside down. At the outset of the war, 90% of his church departed—either joining the army or fleeing the city for the west—leaving mainly the elderly and those unable to flee.

Since February the church has been turned into a refugee center, and Michael and his team are serving people 24/7. Beds cover their entire building—pushed aside on Sundays for worship, which is overflowing, mainly with refugees, almost all non-Christians, and all of whom are traumatized by the ravages of war. Every day Michael and his team serve meals and clothes and medicine, they wrangle for supplies, they clean overstressed toilets, they help refugees evacuate west, they listen to heart-breaking stories, they counsel, and they unflaggingly share the hope of the gospel with desperate victims of war. For every Sovereign Grace church which has contributed to the European Development Fund to support these efforts, Michael asked that we pass on his deeply felt thanks.

Please do continue to pray for Michael and his church. The past week has brought targeted rocket attacks which left Dnipro without electricity, water, or communications for three days. They now have power for several hours a day, enough to charge batteries, cook food, and take a shower. Despite these deprivations, by the grace of God they remain joyful and devoted to proclaiming the gospel in this historic moment.

Beyond the conference, we had the unique joy of hosting the first Sovereign Grace European Fellowship gathering. The goal of this gathering was to pull together SGC pastors and pastors pursuing Sovereign Grace in Europe to build relationally, to learn from one another, and to pray and dream about the future of gospel mission together on this continent. In addition to the Arche pastors, we were joined by Matt Chapman and Peter Bowley, along with a guest pastor, Greg Cruse, from Bristol, England, and Ed O’Mara (who has recently relocated to Italy for a future church plant). Kyle Huber from Greentree Church (New Jersey) brought with him three pastors from Belarus whom he’s supported and labored with for 20 years. To a man, we were humbled as we listened to Sergei, Valeri, and Sasha share stories of ministering amidst governmental restrictions, surveillance, and outright persecution. We learned of the arrest and conviction of another pastor’s wife, recently convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for the crime of holding a poster with a Bible verse. Yet, these undaunted believers do not cower or hide—they continue to meet, they worship, they evangelize, they disciple.

Please pray for these pastors and the people they serve, and especially for Philip and Lida as they seek to navigate the unthinkable circumstances they are facing for the cause of Christ.

Although our time together was limited, it was beautiful to see relationships already beginning to form and faith rising for how the Lord may want to use the labors of Sovereign Grace pastors and churches to see the gospel proclaimed on the continent of Europe.

One of our cherished values in Sovereign Grace is partnership in the gospel—which is more than a slogan. Partnership strengthens us. It protects us. And it enriches us, with Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered friendships across the U.S. and around the world. I know I speak for Mark in saying that our whirlwind week together in Hamburg left us more grateful than ever for the partnerships He’s given us in Europe—and more inspired than ever for the gospel ministry we pray lies before us in the future together.