With the support of Adventist World Radio (AWR), the Digital Evangelism Center was inaugurated on October 28, 2025, on the campus of the Ukrainian Adventist Center of Higher Education in Bucha, Kyiv region.

The opening ceremony gathered leaders of the Ukrainian Union Conference, the regional headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ukraine. Adventist leaders included President Roman Prodanyuk, Secretary Volodymyr Velechuk, Treasurer Vitalii Kryvoi, and Adventist Mission Director Mykola Shpylchuk.

Also present were Andrii Shevchuk, president of the educational complex hosting the center, student church’s pastor Vitalii Neroba, and Maksym Krupskyi, Hope Media Group Ukraine director, whose organization partners with AWR. Volunteers from among the university’s students who will operate the center joined the event as well.

Joining the ceremony online were AWR Europe Director Vasily Makarchuk and AWR IT Manager Tobias Kazmierczak.

A Vision Born of Collaboration

The idea for the center grew out of ongoing discussions initiated by AWR a year earlier about how to strengthen digital ministry. Supported by the Ukrainian Union leadership and following a series of consultations and training sessions, the concept of a Digital Evangelism Center emerged as a ministry designed to meet the spiritual needs of people in Ukraine and across more than twenty countries of Eastern Europe.

The center’s mission is to engage with individuals who interact with Adventist content on social media and digital platforms – listeners, viewers, and readers seeking answers or submitting requests through online channels.

Training Digital Missionaries

Ahead of the opening, volunteers from the Ukrainian Adventist Center of Higher Education participated in a special training program for digital missionaries. The initiative was led by Makarchuk, while the practical sessions were conducted by Kazmierczak, who emphasized during the ceremony, “It is essential to ensure that no contact or inquiry received through the center is ever lost.”

In his address to the volunteers, Makarchuk quoted the Apostle Paul’s words from the biblical book of Romans: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”. He added, “Starting something new is always challenging, but we must move forward to see new results just as Paul did in his ministry.”

Mission in the Digital Space

In his message, Prodanyuk said, “When the Messiah came to Earth, the world was ready. The Roman Empire had built hundreds of thousands of kilometers of roads and established a unified legal framework conditions that enabled the spread of the Gospel. Today, the digital world offers similar conditions for proclaiming the message before Christ’s second coming.”

Center Director Dmytro Kolotylo highlighted that volunteers are the cornerstone of the new ministry. “They will process incoming messages and provide spiritual support to people seeking answers online.”

The ceremony culminated in a prayer of dedication. Church leaders asked for God’s blessing upon the 14 volunteers and the center’s director, entrusting their ministry to God and His mission in the digital realm.

Looking Ahead

The opening of the Digital Evangelism Center in Bucha marks a significant step in advancing the mission strategy of the Adventist Church in Ukraine.

Adventist leaders believe digital communication, reaching millions daily, provides unprecedented opportunities for the biblical gospel to be shared in the language of today’s world through news feeds, videos, messages, and personal stories that touch hearts.

This article was provided by the Ukrainian Union Conference.