Igor Alexavich Bandura is a unique young man. At the age of 38 he is the senior pastor of a growing Baptist Church in the port city of Odessa, Ukraine. A graduate of the Odessa Baptist Theological Seminary, he pastors a church of 500 members while studying for his post graduate degree in Ireland four times a year. Igor and his wife, Anne, have four children: Daniel (10), Irina (8), Emilia (2) and Timothy (10 months).
If has been our privilege to serve with Igor on the field in Odessa for the past 10 years, to see him be mentored by some of the greatest Christians of our times, and grow in the Lord’s work. He served as the Associate Pastor at Grace until the retirement of Vasili Logvinenko when he was named the senior pastor.
It is also an honor for us to host Pastor Bandura here at Walnut Hills Baptist Church in Williamsburg! He will be in Williamsburg from February 18 – 25 and will be sharing in Five Minutes for Missions on February 24. We hope you will take every opportunity to meet this dynamic young pastor and to learn about God’s work in one of the most evangelistic countries we have ever visited.
Grace Baptist Church has 7 major projects going on at the same time...many of them are construction. They have the Children's Shelter on the campus of the church where they have 2 sets of house parents and 38 children. A project now underway the Transition House, for the children when they reach the age of 18 and must leave the Church Home under Ukrainian law. It is apparent that they are not yet equipped to handle life skills and need a few more years with Christian house parents to guide them.
The church purchased a farm to raise food for the Shelter and for the Camp on the Black Sea, another of God’s miracles. Grace has planted seven mission churches, five that area already self sustaining. There is just too much to share here about their work. We encourage you to check their website www.odessagracebaptistcamp.com.ua and check the links there to see the work of this congregation and its young pastor.
K. J. Proctor, Coordinator
Missions & Evangelism Council