Ukrainian Overseer Detained by State Police
Church of God World Missions learned last week that Alexei Demidovich, overseer of the Church of God in Ukraine, was detained by state police authorities and held for questioning, but has been released. He is safely with his family and church.
Demidovich, as a pastor in Slavjansk in the early 1990s, was the prime mover when a group of believers in Ukraine sought affiliation with a Western church body. Through his association with Rudi Schepik and Dieter Knospe of Germany, he and fellow pastors from other Ukrainian cities became part of the Church of God. For more than 20 years, he has supervised the work of the churches there.
Demedovich
Ukraine continues to be troubled by unrest arising from the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula, historically a vital part of Ukraine, as well as continuing efforts of Russian-speakers in the eastern part of the nation to reunite with Russia. Ukraine was part of the Russian-dominated Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1991.
The turbulence in the nation, marked by exchange of gunfire, has made it necessary to evacuate one of the five Church of God orphanages for the safety of the children. They are being cared for at a distance from the fighting.
Church of God members and Christians everywhere are urged to pray for the continuing safety and liberty of Demidovich and the welfare of the country.
(Source: www.cogwm.org)
