The campus located in Kherson, Ukraine, was serving thousands of young Christians in the south of the country. Besides preparing new pastors, church ministers, missionaries, and church planters, TCI was serving as a Christian Camp and Community Center for the believers of the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine.
TCI’s Library contained one of the biggest collections of Christian literature in the south of the country. Also, TCI is the only Evangelical School in Ukraine that has a state license for educating ministers in Theology.
Since the property of the school was captured by the Russian soldiers on March 10, it was plundered, and all valuables were taken away. The campus was turned into a military base, barracks, and a hospital. Russians brought their crematorium trucks to the campus to burn the deceased.
On the night of August 28-29, three out of the five buildings were destroyed. TCI has lost its newest structures: the office, library (including the worship hall), and one of the dorms.
Recently, TCI’s staff visited their campus and hardly could hold tears when they saw the devastation of the place that was welcoming thousands of young Christians just nine months ago.
Russian soldiers have desecrated the property dedicated to the Lord, Christian literature from our library ended up at a city dump, and our cafeteria and remaining dorm were turned into a pigsty.
TCI students and staff had to leave the campus during the first days of the Russian occupation. The faculty and students fled. They became refugees in their own country. Most traveled west in the country, while others went to other nearby and far away nations.
However, TCI’s ministry has not been stopped by this inexplicable war. The school’s work has continued, even as tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers were killed, cities and villages suffered untold damage, and peaceful people were left with psychological scars.
TCI’s staff now operate from Ivano-Frankivsk. TCI not only has continued the work of training students for ministry in Ukraine and in many other countries, but it dedicated itself to humanitarian work as well. TCI serves refugees and people in war areas by providing food, and medical supplies and offering evacuation.
God has blessed TCI with many new students in its new temporary campus in Ivano-Frankivsk after an old motel became available to rent. Sadly, the conditions there are not meeting even the basic needs of the students and staff.
TCI is committed to continuing its mission. Because of the war, Ukraine has lost 500 pastors. TCI wants to contribute to this need and raise new Christian leaders for its country. We need to prepare leaders to serve the church and community after the war. Sadly, it is a very challenging task, as the students should be provided with equipped classrooms and adequate accommodations.
TCI needs your help in finding a new home for its students and staff. Your donation can make a difference to meet this need.
