Woodland Hills Church of Christ

Newsletter for May 2004
Gene and Mary Parker
Donetsk, Ukraine

Dear Supporters, Family and Friends,

We are happy to report that God continues to bless us with better than can be expected health for our age and with gladness in what we see in the church here. Last month we reported that we lost three members to denominationalism but God blessed us with three new souls this month. A mother and daughter and the daughter’s friend were baptized.

I have been feeling left out since we began letting the Ukrainians do the preaching and teaching, So I asked to teach the letters of John and have been doing that on Sunday evenings except once a month the teen boys conduct all the service. I found it to be too painful to stand so have begun sitting on a chair on the edge of the podium and my translator stands on the floor making us more equal in height. I am still able to walk to the building from our apartment with three or four stops to rest the back and legs. But almost all my other activities, I have to have a taxi.

We believe we have things worked out so we can get the building mostly done this year and finished next year. We have an agreement with a good firm to do the construction and now we are waiting for the city architect to ok our plan.

Since it looks as if we can get this done in the next two years, Mary and I have made the decision that with God's help and that of our wonderful supporters, we will make next year, 2005, our last year to come as we have been. Our age and aches and pains tell us we should. That being the case we have also made plans that should let the congregation go independent next year. We have been supporting two good men through school plus extra time to mature themselves as well as the congregation. We have told them we will support them the same as we have been one more year. In that time they can look for a job that will let them remain here and work with the church. If they do we will continue that support for that one year even though they are working. We feel this will give them the incentive and time to adjust to that kind of life. It has been the practice for some time that especially the preaching has been done on a rotating basis with several men. We have one young man who is twenty or almost that is now attending the school and is developing beyond our expectations. Plus several young men in their late teens are beginning to preach occasionally on Sunday evenings. The congregation is well adjusted to this arrangement. It has been our feeling for some time that this is the only way the church here will mature completely and be independent of American support.

Ray and Lynn plan to keep coming as long as they continue to get support which is another factor in our plans. They continue to do a fantastic job all around especially with the teens. Lynn has a Ladies class at her house each Tuesday with 10 to 12 there regularly. This is another maturing factor.

Alexander Maluga, the ex-prisoner we have been supporting in the school, graduated May 22 and will be going to work with the school and has plans to continue to work with Budyonnevski as much as he can and help them to be more evangelistic. They are planning a 10 year celebration next month. David and Janette are planning to come for that.

In Christian love, Gene and Mary