December 2019
UBTS Enrollment Continues to Surge
We praise God for the phenomenal growth UBTS has experienced due to His Grace!

As illustrated below, Ukraine is strategically located in Eastern Europe. Its 42 million people are spread over 24 regions called Oblasts. Originally located in a small-town, UBTS moved to L’viv, a large city in Western Ukraine near the Polish border, in 2012. This provided a larger facility in a transportation hub much more accessible to staff and students alike.

After the move, building on its Pastoral Ministry Program, UBTS created seven new Bachelor level programs in response to evolving church ministry needs. In addition, in 2014, UBTS partnered with Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in the US to start a fully accredited master’s degree program. And enrollment has grown exponentially since!

Currently, 795 students are enrolled at UBTS in the following programs:
  • Master's degree programs (69)
  • 4-year Bachelor’s degree programs (423)
  • 4-year Diploma programs (151)
  • 2-year Certificate programs (116)
  • Attending US campus (36)

This map indicates the distribution of UBTS students across Ukraine’s 24 Oblasts. They come from every region of Ukraine as well as from Belarus, Latvia, and Poland. UBTS also has a campus in Philadelphia, PA. The average student age is 25 years.
Please click on each map to see an enlarged version.
UBTS is not the only Christian seminary located in Ukraine. When potential students were asked why they were attracted to UBTS, they identified several reasons: the expanding programs of study, the Seminary’s unique vision, and its distinctive campus experience driven by the UBTS core values and mentoring program. Students are eager to attend and then bring leadership, knowledge, and skills back to their local churches and expand the Kingdom of God.
The number of current students enrolled in a 4-year program at UBTS and the regions (Oblasts) where they live are noted in the left-hand chart above. The map to the right better shows student concentrations across Ukraine and highlights the extraordinary number of students attending UBTS from the War Zone. Imagine the multiplying effect that hundreds of UBTS students and graduates will have as souls are reached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Ukraine’s culture and destiny are transformed!
Prayerful Planning Drives New Initiatives
UBTS’ steady growth brings with it equally daunting challenges. To be sure, none is too hard for God! But UBTS leaders must be diligent in discovering God’s way of meeting those challenges. As a result, Dr. Pyzh and his staff hold annual prayer and planning retreats for that purpose. The four strategic imperatives that emerged from the October 2019 retreat, and the actions being taken to implement them, are summarized below.

(See the 2nd video on the linked UPF website page.)
Strategic Imperative #1 : The UBTS student body has grown to 795 students and is projected to be at 1000 by September of 2022. We must continue to grow our facilities to accommodate God’s growth.

Related Actions:
  1. Complete Phase 1 renovation/construction of the new academic building to provide four new classrooms and the library.
  2. Move all instruction into the new academic building.
  3. Renovate the former academic building for student dormitory and dining spaces.
  4. Initiate Phase 2 renovation/construction of new academic building to incorporate a new chapel and provide a total of nine classrooms. More information on this to follow in the next newsletter.
Construction & renovations are transforming a vacant 2-story building into a 4-story academic facility (9/2019)
New floor added (3/2019)
Strategic Imperative #2 : We must equip our students to more effectively energize home
churches to minister to and evangelize local communities.

Related Action:
  1. Launch a Master’s Program in Church Leadership to help local churches develop energized leaders who conduct effective church ministries in their communities.

Strategic Imperative #3: We must ensure that the distinctive strengths of UBTS – our essential Biblical, Missional, Accountable (BMW) values; mentoring individual students; and teaching effective Leadership Practices – remain critical parts of our student experience.

Related Actions:
  1. Add a Chief Mentoring Officer to develop mentoring resources and improve Organizational Leadership Practices, with a special focus on developing local church leaders.
  2. Restructure the on-campus curriculum to free-up 20% of in-class time for student mentoring, BMW values implementation, and leadership skills development.

Strategic Imperative #4: We must reduce student travel to UBTS from six trips per year to five trips annually, and decrease students’ out-of-pocket travel costs.

UBTS utilizes a Cohort System of instruction for students pursuing the four-year Bachelor’s degree and Diploma programs. These students leave families and jobs, travel to L’viv for one week of on-campus study, then return home for five weeks, then return to UBTS. Currently, this process is repeated six times a year, or three times in each semester. As noted above, students come to UBTS from throughout Ukraine, including the War Zone. Train travel from Eastern Ukraine can exceed 24 hours one-way and out-of-pocket expenses are substantial.

(See the 3rd video on the UPF linked website page.)
Related Actions:
  1. Add a Chief Information Technology (IT) Officer to create a cost-effective IT System comprised of hard-wired UBTS facilities and mobile APPs for distance learning – to replace one trip/year to the L’viv Campus using distance learning technology and extension centers.
  2. Establish a Student Travel Fund to reduce students’ out-of-pocket travel costs for required trips to UBTS for on-campus study.
How You Can Help
These are ambitious plans but we are confident that with God’s blessing and your support, they can be achieved. Here’s how you can help:

  • Pray – for God’s provision of the protection, wisdom, and resources UBTS needs to take the next action steps.
  • Pray – for UBTS students and their families who take on risks and expense to attend classes.
  • Pray – that UBTS will recruit the very best candidates for the critical new positions of Chief Mentoring Officer and Chief IT Officer

  • Give – to the UPF Capital Campaign for on-going and future building construction and renovation projects.
  • Give – to the UBTS Operating Budget Fund to ensure that UBTS can keep pace with the growth in personnel, expenses, and other emerging needs.
  • Give – to support the New Student Travel Fund to lighten the financial burden for UBTS students.
Another Way to Make the Most of Your Year-End Charitable Giving

The IRA Charitable Rollover provisions allows individuals who have reached age 70½ to donate some or all of their Required Minimum Distribution from an Individual Retirement Account directly to a charitable organization. This “qualifying charitable distribution” doesn’t count as taxable income for the donor.

It’s a simple transaction directly from your IRA Trustee to UPF – you don’t write the check. Just notify the bank or brokerage managing your account that you want to make the gift and complete any required paperwork. All IRA Trustees are familiar with the process and will be happy to assist you.

Ukraine Partnership Foundation’s tax-exempt number is 27-4595107. The check from your IRA Trustee should be made payable to Ukraine Partnership Foundation and sent to UPF’s mailing address:

Ukraine Partnership Foundation
14027 Willow Breeze Court
Chesterfield, MO 63017
UPF News
UPF Adds New Board Member: Tony Vermillion

UPF is pleased to welcome Tony Vermillion as a new member of our Board. Tony currently serves as Vice President for Global Security at Emerson, a decentralized $25 billion global manufacturing and technology company with 65 divisions, 235 manufacturing locations, and 135,000 employees.

His career includes prior service in the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and as director of global security operations for Proctor and Gamble’s North American and Asian sectors. Tony’s global perspective and expertise add a new and important dimension of insight to the UPF Board. 
Who We Are

Ukraine Partnership Foundation (UPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that solicits donations to support the work o f raising dynamic Christian leaders in Ukraine. All contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law. Tax ID number: 27-4595107.
Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary. (UBTS) was founded in 2000 to train and develop Ukrainian church leaders who are committed to growing churches and transforming their communities. Students and faculty share a commitment to express Biblical, Missional, and Accountable core values in all that they do.

How You Can Help
  • Pray for the students, faculty, and staff at UBTS.
  • Share your heart for the Ukrainian people and their churches with family, friends, and colleagues.
  • Be an ambassador for UBTS to your church’s mission board and congregation.
  • Make a financial gift to support the mission and work of UBTS.