We just had our sixth graduation this June. Each year, as a final requirement for graduation, our students write a final thesis paper. When I am there during the year, I meet with each of them and assist them in their work. The students give an oral presentation of their papers to the student body and answer questions from the professors and the students. This year we had two exceptional papers, one on justification by faith alone and another on progressive sanctification. Both of these students had also maintained high grades and graduated with honors. They are continuing their studies in our master’s degree program. It is always encouraging to see the growth of our students. When they start our program, they have very little theological understanding or interpretive skills. When they graduate, they have a solid understanding of and commitment to Reformed theology along with good interpretive skills. Some of them have developed into excellent expository preachers.

Besides our graduation, we met with eight new students who will start studying with us in the next session in August. Most of these new students are already involved in ministry work in their churches. These students come from various churches and all of them spoke about the good academic reputation our school has developed in Donetsk.
They came to the Lord in various ways, but have one thing in common. They all have a deep desire to grow in their understanding of the Word of God and be more effective in his Church. As we interviewed each prospective student, they expressed their desire to grow and their frustration with the limited opportunities they have had for theological study. They were all excited about starting the program. Reformed theology and theological instruction are still very new to this region. This impressed upon me once again how important this teaching ministry is in Donetsk. Please pray for this vital work and consider regular financial support of it.

Van Lees