Author ORCID Identifier
Nataliia Kovtun: ORCID: 0000-0002-5529-8655
Iryna Vitiuk: ORCID: 0000-0002-5529-8655
Olena Polishchuk: ORCID: 0000-0002-1095-8031
Abstract
Over the past three decades, and especially in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war (2014-2024), Ukrainian Evangelical Christian Baptists have been actively engaged in charitable and educational activities. The article examines this activity through content analysis and statistical analysis of the statutory documents, website, and YouTube channels of the Church of the Nativity of Evangelical Christians Baptists (ECB) in Zhytomyr (Ukraine).
The study found that the church's charitable activities are carried out in several areas: the ministry of parishioners and elders of the Nativity Church of the Baptist Church of Zhytomyr within the framework of the Christian Center for Social Realization of Drug and Alcohol Addicts “Yakir” (2001) and their volunteer work to help refugees from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, providing them with food, medicine, and temporary housing. In addition, during the periods of the largest bombardments and rocket attacks by the Russians on Zhytomyr (March 2022 - March 2024), the basement of the church was used as a bomb shelter for all residents of the city.
It is proved that the educational activity of the Church of the Nativity of the Baptist Church of Zhytomyr is realized in the educational activities of the Christian school “ Siaivo (Shining)” (1995) through Bible lessons, school-wide spiritual services, teaching the subject “Christian Ethics” to students of all grades. Based on a detailed analysis of the activities of the educational platform “Solomon” at the Church of the Nativity of the Baptist Church of Zhytomyr, it was found that over the 5 years of the platform's functioning (July 2019 - March 2024), 32% of the reports delivered were on religious topics, and 68% were on secular socially significant issues; that 14% of the speakers of this platform were medical workers, 19% were clergymen and public figures and volunteers, and 48% were representatives of educational and scientific institutions. It is proved that in the substantive context, the reports on the educational platform were concentrated around 8 key topics: religious dogma and religious practice, religion and society, the existence of a modern person in the world, the ethical life of a person, cognitive practices of a person in the modern information society, the spiritual life of a person, the history of the state, rights and the formation of civil society, and the self-awareness of Ukrainians in the situation of a genocidal war.
Recommended Citation
Kovtun, Nataliia; Vitiuk, Iryna; and Polishchuk, Olena
(2024)
"Educational and Charitable Activities of Baptist Christians: On the Example of the Religious Organization of Evangelical Christians Baptists, Called 'Church of the Nativity,' in Zhytomyr,"
Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 44
:
Iss.
6
, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2229.2520
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol44/iss6/9