"The Lord is my Shepherd.....He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters...." (Psalm 23:1-2) Pastor Vitaly Sorokun at New Hope Church preached from this psalm yesterday, particularly teaching and encouraging the International students who attend to not allow fear of living in this culture and facing the unknown to overwhelm them. Our Good Shepherd is in control! Pastor Vitaly and Pastor Andre (Grace Church) had the opportunity to put the truth of his message into practice this morning.
Several months ago, we shared with you that authorities in Kharkov had filed a lawsuit against New Hope and Grace Church (they share a building) stating that the documents for their building were not legal, and that the building codes were not adhered to when it was built. This occurred less than a year after the churches spent thousands of dollars to complete all the "necessary" and "legal" documentation for the building where the churches meet. In the past few months, the church and Pastor Vitaly Sorokun, who is a lawyer as well as pastor of New Hope Church, have appealed to higher courts.
Pastor V called this morning to say that this past week, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's judgment against Grace & New Hope Church. The city government could take ownership of the building, and the churches would then have to rent at a very high cost, or they could even tear the building down. However, Pastor V said after meeting with building inspectors today, there is a possibility to get documentation done for the building utilizing a ruling that is in effect only until the end of the year, but the cost is beyond what the churches have available.
Pastor Vitaly knows we are blessed with prayer partners who lift up the needs of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, and called to request prayer for them as they seek the Lord's will. They are prepared to use all the money they have on hand in both churches if that is the Father's will, but it is not enough to accomplish the task. Intercede for the Lord to grant both Vitaly and Pastor Andre wisdom as they walk through this process. Pray for the Lord to show Himself mighty on their behalf, for His glory, honor, and praise.
Thank you for your prayers for His people in Kharkov, Ukraine!
(For those who are not familiar with the history of this church/building, our personnel and many volunteer teams have worked alongside both churches for the past 15 years.)
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