1-3 February, a conference for GELCU and CREC (Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches) ministers took place in the premises of a congregation of Holy Ascension. As always, the conference had a rich and serious learning program.
Dmytro Tsolin – the head of the Sacral texts’ translation laboratory at National University of Ostroh Academy, Ukrainian linguist, and Doctor of Philology, gave a lecture on Psalms and Masoretic Text of the Old Testament.
Andrii Domanovskyi, a historian of Byzantine Empire, medievalist and archeologist, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, talked about the mission to the East during the Byzantine age.
Apart from that, ministers discussed books “What is Lutheran?”, “The Incomparable Christ” by John Stott and “The Red Thread of the Bible” by Leif Nummela. Among other things participants talked about the problems of sermon preparation, reestablishing of liturgical commission, challenges facing the Church, and plans of book publishing and events for 2022.
“Pastors’ conference in February was a special time for prayer, planning, meditation, learning and fellowship with other ministers of the Church. Informative lectures of Dmytro Tsolin and Andrii Domanovskyi deepened the knowledge that will be useful in sermon preparation and interpreting of the Holy Scripture. I would like to give special thanks to those preparing and leading discussions of the books”. – Serhii Terentiev, the pastor of the “God’s Covenant” Reformed Church in Rivne.
“Every day started with a service with the Holy Communion – I think it to be a very good decision. It edifies our ministers and gives strength to serve God and his children. I am very happy that we have finally established full-fledged liturgy commission and it has been given tasks for this year – it will help us, apart from other things, in publishing of Bible Watchwords for 2023. Dmytro Tsolin has also gave an interesting and very important lecture on the history of Masoretic Text formation. It was very engaging and easy to understand”. – Serhii Berezin, a predicant of a mission station of the St. Martin congregation in Andriivka.