Three years of war hasn’t stopped the church in Gostomel, Ukraine, from reaching out to their community to start friendships and make disciples.

A volleyball team for kids aged 12-15 was provided with a Christian coach. Other members of the church meet up with the team to play for fun and share some Bible stories. After getting to know the young teens, they invite them to church and other events. Praise God that several have given their lives to Christ and have also begun attending Sunday services.

When the church held a summer camp, more than 140 children and teens attended! The camp had a sports theme, but included workshops, Bible stories and prayer. Each day they would practice a different sport: volleyball, football, baseball and ultimate frisbee. Not only was this fun for the kids, but the parents were also invited to watch, enjoy refreshments and attend two seminars. At the end of the camp, everyone was invited to church.

One boy was particularly enthusiastic about the camp, and attended a Sunday morning service for the first time. After a time of reflection about the week, he suggested they all stand up and pray. Then he prayed aloud, sincerely and humbly.

But sports aren’t just fun for kids – the church has its own adult ultimate frisbee team. They have even participated in an international tournament in Latvia. Because of their success, the team started a kids team at the local school that went on to host an ultimate frisbee Ukrainian Cup with 17 teams!

The local church says:

“We are grateful for our ECM supporters, whose prayers and generosity allow us to strengthen these communities, even in the midst of ongoing conflict. Thank you!”

Find out more about ECM's work in Ukraine here

More encouraging stories about speaking LOVE accross Europe can be read here