Update August 21, 2019

Thanks to everyone who donated to our fundraising project “$30,000 in 30 Days.” God blessed us, through your generosity, with $27,500, leaving us only $2,500 to raise in some other way. We are so grateful to everyone who decided to partner with us through giving and prayer!

We returned to Kyiv on August 1^st and plan to be here until December 18^th. We have been meeting with both our college age group on Friday nights and our young adult group on Sunday nights. In addition, we have been spending time with individuals and families, sharing meals, reconnecting and enjoying the last bit of summer.

We have submitted our paperwork for our temporary resident permit renewal and are waiting for them to be issued, hopefully in the next few weeks. As always there have been a few “repair projects” at the apartment – seems like they always come in bunches, usually around the time we arrive back in Kyiv!

I will be teaching Christian Worldview this fall at Evangel Theological Seminary and conversational English classes at Grinchenko University starting in September.

We are gearing up for a full and exciting fall! We are thankful to have such great ministry partners, and we are praying that your fall will also be enjoyable and fruitful as God continues to bless your life.   

Grace and peace,

Kenny Payne

CCI Update

Dear Cross Culture family,

Kenny spent most of March in Kiev, flying out, as a precaution, just before the presidential election. I am happy to report that there were no problems with the presidential election, and the new president should be inaugurated sometime in late May. Please pray for a peaceful transition of power. 

Kenny, who is back in Kiev now, will spend the rest of May through mid-June in Ukraine. My schedule for teaching at Borys Grinchenko University is already filling up. My plan is to share with the students the topic “Living a Good Life?” – a discussion of how Jesus leads us to live a life that makes a difference in the world and how you can measure if your life is good. I already had one session on Friday which went well, with great interest and insightful questions from the students. 

I will also be meeting with the Teen small group each Friday night and the Young Adults on Sunday evenings. These meetings are a time for sharing a meal, reading a Bible story and discussing it, and catching up with one another as we play games. Time together always provides an opportunity for disciples to grow in their faith, and for seekers to learn more about Jesus. 

I continue to preach each Sunday via Skype to the church in Gorlovka. The war continues there with daily surface to surface missile exchanges between the Ukrainian Army and the Russian Insurgents. Each week the ladies give me the report of how the “shelling” was that week. Not the normal topic for conversation at worship! Please keep these faithful and precious women in your prayers each week. 

We are still short about $30k for our 2019 funding. Kenny is arranging trips in late June and July to speak to churches and other groups who are interested in our work. If you think your church might be a good place for Kenny to share the Cross Culture story, please PM me and we can talk about it. If you are not currently supporting Cross Culture financially, but have been blessed by our ministry, please consider becoming a monthly support partner. You can donate through our website (www.crossculturegorlovka.blogspot.com), mail a check to PO Box 505 Luverne AL 36049, or send me a message for other options. 

On a personal note we are in the process of completing our move to Franklin, Tennessee. We moved one truckload of storage items to Franklin and unloaded it at our new place, Lora is working through it all now. We hope to get the second load in late June completing our move. It will be nice to have a landing place when we are in the U.S. 

Thanks for being such faithful ministry partners. Please continue to pray for us and our ministry of “sharing the love of Jesus with the people of Ukraine!”

Grace and peace,

Kenny Payne D.Min.

Director, Cross Culture, Inc.

March Trip to Kiev

I had a wonderful time in Kiev in March. I arrived on my birthday to a decorated apartment (thanks Serge and Lera) and a wonderful meal with Kostya and Olga Farkovets and family. The Young Adults met at our apartment on Sunday and Wednesday evenings for times of fellowship, study, and sharing meals together. The Teens met on Friday evenings. With these groups I studied the stories of Jesus raising people from the dead, the meaning of Jesus’ death, and how the resurrection is part of God’s plan to redeem and restore creation to God’s original intent for his world.

At Borys Grinchenko Kiev University I taught thirty-three classes. I gave away 150 copies of “40 Days with Jesus” a booklet about preparing for Easter and walking with Jesus through the Lenten season. I also distributed New Testaments to one group of students (because I was out of the other booklet). The students are very diverse at the university, some are engaged Christians while others had never even heard the story of Adam and Eve in the garden! With one group of students we celebrated an “Easter Party” at their request (this is the same group that had the Christmas Party – I think we have started a tradition!). Several students posted on Instagram about our classes. It is an amazing experience to be able to interact with these students and teach them about Jesus and the life of faith.

Thanks to our ministry partners who make it possible for me to work in Kiev, sowing seeds, encouraging faith, and helping disciples grow in the image of Jesus.

- Kenny Payne, D.Min.

Director, Cross Culture, Inc.

March 2019 in Kiev, Ukraine

Kenny Payne will be in Kiev, Ukraine from March 4-27, 2019. Small groups will meet for Young Adults on Sunday nights at 6 PM and Wednesday nights at 7 PM. Teens will meet on Friday nights.

In addition Kenny will be visiting classes at Borys Grinchenko Kiev University each week.

Please pray for safe travels and for great discussions and spiritual growth! Thanks! 

A New Year Awaits Us...

The Payne family is making plans to return to Kiev, Ukraine in March 2019. We are still short of our needed funding for 2019 and we invite you to partner with us in sending us to work with the Young Adults, Teens, and College Students who are interested in maturing in Christ or in learning to follow Him. Follow the Donate link above to give! Thanks.