Life Centers

In Ukraine missions presents its own set of challenges. The culture here is pretty distrusting. Protestant Evangelicalism can be viewed as a “western thing”. If you don’t have a large beautiful historic church building you can be viewed as a cult. The combination of post-Soviet culture, Eastern Orthodox mystical thought and postmodern relativism has made building trust bonds through relationships that much more important. Ukrainians tend to be a relational people. In one way, this might simplify things, because as you make a friend you find an opportunity to share Christ. Making friends is not so hard, if you try. They say Ukrainians are like watermelons, they have a hard shell but are soft on the inside.

Ukrainians love their sports. It’s tragic for me when I see the condition of so many of their public playing areas. The grass, dirt and concrete is almost always cracked or uneven. Everything from the goalposts to the basketball hoops are disproportionate, bent, or just built cheaply. The kids here have no real quality places to play in their neighborhoods. When I was a teenager we took for granted the Salvation Army and YMCA in our neighborhoods. Nothing like this exists in all of Ukraine. A public recreation center open to the public for free?

Ukraine has many needs from battling the serious smoking, drinking, and abuse problems to the damnable orphanage programs. The great thing is all us missionaries are allowed to be here. This is a prime time in history to make a real difference in Ukraine! We could try all kinds of social programs or political revolutions and what not, but I truly believe the long-term answer for this country is the Gospel! As we reach the kids, they are the ones who will be the future mothers and fathers, the future business owners and the future politicians. Reach one life and you can in turn impact thousands!

Our vision and mission is to build a place that can truly make an Impact! We want to build a ministry that not only meets a variety of needs in this city, but can also provide the Church with a worthwhile short-term mission’s opportunity that is a fruitful use of time and money.

We want to do something that is only possible for God to make happen, where He gets all the glory! The vision is to establish three life centers in different areas of the city of Odessa, Ukraine. Think “rec centers on steroids for Jesus!” Because this kind of thing would be a novelty in the country, the traffic it would produce is unthinkable. When you visit a McDonald’s in the States you will have one cash register going, at most two. In Odessa you can have six to ten registers going all day long and a crowd of people to push through to make your order. It’s a novelty. Once the Life Centers, “Oasis”, are up and running, the greatest challenge will be regulating the flow and funneling it towards relational discipleship.

The founders of MIA have a track record of showing that in Odessa this approach to outreach works! They run a highly successful English Club and by meeting the felt need of learning English, people wind up coming to faith in Christ! Multiply the volunteers and staff and you multiply your dynamic and your ministries strength. The relationships being made organically begin to multiply as the community grows in a positive atmosphere, starkly juxtaposed to many Ukrainians day to day lives.

MIA’s vision is to establish three Life Center’s in Odessa. Train up volunteers and leaders to help oversee and execute various programs. Rent out sections of the center to the public to generate revenue for the center. For example, if there are two basketball courts, one can be rented out all day long and the other used for ministry. Conduct regular meetings for training and motivation staff/volunteers to be intentional in building relationships with the people both in and outside of the center. As disciples are made, a Church will be born through the center. After the centers are established the next step is to begin an eight week spiritual disciplines bootcamp where men and women are trained hands on in the spiritual disciplines. Finally, ongoing recruitment, training and mobilization will be done Stateside and abroad for the multiplication of it’s strategies in other cities and countries.

The vision is big. That’s the kind we like. Nothing is too big for God. May He show Himself strong and magnify His name in Odessa! Will you join us?

MIA Visionary,
Jacoby Nelson

To take part in this tremendous mission opportunity, apply with MIA for short-term or our long-term missions.

MINISTRIES

We need people for these ministry possibilities at the Life Centers (contingent on the team and the skills they possess):

Administration and Oversight
Spiritual Leader/Pastoral Role
Discipleship Leaders
Leading Bible Studies
Teaching Theology Classes (at local University)
Office/Clerical Work
Construction and Remodeling of facilities
Management of Audio Visual, Media, Social Media, Marketing, Design, etc
Sports Trainers and Coaches (Basketball, Soccer, etc)
Volunteer Doctors and Dentists
Volunteer Hairstylists/ Barbers
Training Women to Make Jewelry or other things
Arts and Crafts for Children
Biblical Counseling for Children and/or adults
Physical Therapy for former Baltushka users
Homeless Outreach
English Club Preparation
Teaching Women who are pregnant
Fighting Sex Trafficking
Skateboarding/Biking
Organizing Community/Holiday Events
Security
The possibilities reach the sky. If you have an idea let us know.

FACILITIES

Things we would like to see at the Oasis Life Centers:

Basketball Courts (Indoor and Outdoor)
Football (Soccer)Fields
A Baseball Field
Volleyball Courts
Tennis Courts
Skate/Bike Park
Dirt Bike Trails
Ping Pong Tables
Billiards
Foosball
Arcade Basketball
Stick Hockey
Recreation Room
Assembly Hall
Classrooms
Weight Room
Gymnasium
Offices
Coffee Shop
Small Restaurant

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