Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives, 2007

o living space. It's possible that the Lord is doing something else. Everything is in His hands.” 4. Does this mean, however, that charitable ministries are unrealistic in what they seek to do? I find the evangelicals’ willingness to obey in faith, even when it seems risky, to be one of their most attractive and convincing traits. Often they receive surprising answers to their prayers. Hope Childrens Home was down to their last day’s supply of coal just a few winters ago, so the adults confided the problem to the children and asked them to pray. Their prayer was very simple: “Dear God! We have no coal! Amen!” The next day a truck arrived - unsum- moned, unlooked for - with a donation of a ton of coal. I have found the evangelicals’ mysticism to be neither flippant nor careless. In fact, they show great practicality and resourcefulness as well. Planning does take place, although perhaps more informally than Westerners are accustomed to. Usually it is enriched with much discussion and prayer. In addition, to keep up with changing demands from the wider society, many evangelicals have mastered such skills as accounting, public relations, and information systems, all of which require systematic approaches. 5. Social service ministries have had the interesting effect of making evan- gelicals figures of consequence in their communities. Prejudice against | 3 Quoted by Mary Raber, in Mennonite Central Committee Global Family Program Report, April 2004, pp. 4-5. 219 220 Baptists is still significant in post-Soviet society, but their generous use of material aid, and the work of the institutions they have founded, convinces many of their sincerity and seriousness of purpose. “These people don't just talk - they do things’, is a common assessment, espe- cially when comparing evangelicals’ efforts with those of the govern- ment. In some places, evangelical institutions have actually replaced government structures. All cities, for example, must operate a chil- drenss shelter. In Makiivka the function of the city shelter is carried out by the Good Shepherd Children’s Shelter. There is no other. In 2004 the shelter received third prize in a competition among shelters sponsored by the oblast. It was understood among the Good Shepherd staff that as a private Christian shelter (for which there is no category under the law) they could not have won first or second place, but the quality of their work had to be acknowledged by the authorities. According to Vladimir Tsupko, director of the Good Shepherd Charitable Fund, of which the shelter is a part, the problem of homeless and neglected children in Ukraine cannot be solved without massive government intervention. Oksana Volkova, the shelter director, expected restructuring of the government system of children’s institu- tions to begin in the fall of 2005. Will small, private institutions like Good Shepherd be swept away in the process, or will they be reco