Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives, 2007

lk to Church, p. 91. 2! Mikhail Ivolgin, “Poslednee interv’iu’, p. 6. 216 such as soap, for example. Sergei Kopchuk, former director of Light of the Resurrection Charitable Fund in Makiivka (Donetsk oblast) told me that the head doctor of a hospital came to him for paint. “Anything but black!”, the doctor responded, when asked what kind. Required by law to make repairs on his buildings, he was desperate for supplies. One of the biggest needs in Ukraine has been for hospital equipment and supplies, as the lists of humanitarian aid shipments being considered for approval by the Cabinet of Ministers demonstrate. Months before a shipment of hospital beds, for example, arrives for the Zaporizhzhia oblast Association of Evan- gelical Christian-Baptist Churches, a destination has been determined for every single one. As the social service system in Ukraine continues to unravel, small as they are, Christians have begun to fill the gap. While not required by law, Christian organisations receiving humanitarian aid are neverthe- less “strongly encouraged” to contribute 10% of their shipments to the needs of secular social service agencies. Usually they can make their own choices concerning what and with whom they will share. In addition, using humanitarian aid, some Christian organisations act as supply stations for individual requests. Some city authorities have arranged with evangelical charities to supply clothing and household items to citizens who appeal to the city council for aid. The second category of charitable work is social service ministry directed toward specific segments of the population. This includes the work of organisations such as the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine, which, resources permitting, operates free clinics and organises doctors’ visits to areas where medical care is especially limited. Also in this category are indi-. vidual church members or missions that address the needs of a particular category of people. Among other activities, they may pay regular visits to children in institutions, provide wheelchairs to those in need, or organise picnics and social events for the homebound. The third category is the establishment of actual institutions, such as children’s homes and shelters, homes for the elderly, community centres and drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities. According to Vladimir Tsupko, director of the Good Shepherd Charitable Fund in Makiivka, Baptist, Pentecostal and Charismatic groups now operate at least ten Chris- tian childrens homes in Ukraine. Some church associations have opened homes for their own elderly, yet accept other seniors in need as well. All of these institutions have moving stories of their founding, and all struggle to stay afloat financially. Furthermore, I suspect that they are unique, at 217 least in number and variety, in the history of the evangelical movement in Ukraine. Moreover, they occupy a particular place in post-Sov