Leaders of Evangelical Churches unite for the protection of the family institution
5 January 2012
The Council of Evangelical Protestant Churches of Ukraine held a meeting on 9 December, which summed up its activity and outlined a work plan for 2012.
The meeting of the of Evangelical Churches` leaders was chaired by the Deputy Senior Bishop of Ukrainian Christian Evangelic Church Mykola Salamakha in the room of Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith "Philadelphia".
Evangelical Churches have planned joint activities aimed at the adoption of family values and high moral principles in the Ukrainian society for the next year. Participants of the meeting also noted that the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine has been ignoring over than 6 months the complaints of Council of the Evangelical Protestant Churches of Ukraine in violation of the law by some NGOs whose work simulates religious activities and at the same time destroys the family institution.
The People's Deputy of Ukraine Volodymyr Marushchenko told the audience about the efforts of parliamentarians for the reduction of utility prices for religious organizations and about the initiative to hold the parliamentary hearings on the state-confessional relations.
Executive Director of the Institute for Religious Freedom Maksym Vasin explained the new procedures for issuing visas to foreign priests who come to Ukraine and told about the results of the Round Table on the ethical and legal framework of the activities of journalists and media.
The leaders of Evangelical Churches have decided to hold a press conference in January 2012 to provide the public with the results of its activities in the spiritual and social spheres. CEPCU`s members expressed a desire to start a permanent dialogue with the media for unbiased coverage of the position of evangelical christians on the current issues of social life.
By agreement the presidency in the Council of Evangelical Protestant Churches of Ukraine passed to the Association of Missionary Churches of Evangelical Christians of Ukraine in the person of Vasyl Davydyuk.
Among the members of CEPCU at the meeting took part:
Mykola Salamakha - Deputy of the Senior Bishop of Ukrainian Christian Evangelic Church;
Vyacheslav Nesteruk - Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Associations of Evangelical Christians-Baptists;
Mykhaylo Panochko - Senior Bishop of the Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Ukraine;
Victor Alekseenko - Head of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ukraine;
Serhiy Datsko - Chairman of the Association of Missionary Churches of Evangelical Christians in Ukraine;
Anatoliy Gavrilyuk - President of the Association of Independent Charismatic Christian Churches of Ukraine (Full Gospel);
Dmytro Bulakh - Deputy of the Senior Presbyter of the Union of Free Churches of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Ukraine.
The meeting was ended with the stand-up meal and communication in informal atmosphere.
© 2011 The Institute for Religious Freedom – Kyiv, Ukraine
www.irf.in.ua
