Mission to Ukraine 7/12/2007 - Two Church services in Lviv

While we were in the downtown area of Lviv we went into a church where there was a wedding going on. I later found out that many of these churches are Eastern Rite Catholic from the time of Polish control of the area.

We went to a church service at night at their Baptist church. The church building was converted from a Lutheran church after the Soviet Union absorbed western Ukraine. Two Chinese-American pastors from Lexington, Kentucky spoke. One was asked to give a report about the Church in China even though he said his perspective was that of a Chinese-American.

The other pastor told the people that the world is getting worse and worse, Jesus is coming soon, we have a mansion in heaven, and so on. Of course, everyone said "Amen!" But I say, "Bah!" See my articles on postmillennial eschatology if you want to understand why I don't receive pessimistic teaching about the progress of the Gospel in the world.

http://forerunner.com/eschatology/eschatology.html

But in any case, they were precious Christian preachers who were traveling in Ukraine preaching in Baptist churches.

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• Rivne
• Kiev
• Lviv
• Uzhgorod
• Ukraine
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[orthodox111]

Im not sure how you could confuse this with an Orthodox Church. Granted, some Orthodox architecture in Ukraine is flamingly baroque. But the 1)over-use of statues, 2) lack of really any form of iconography (with the exception of just a few examples it appears) and 3)the lack of an iconostasis is telling.

If you missionaries are going to poke around in Orthodox lands, you better get educated :P.

[jcr4runner]

This church is so-called "Greek Catholic" -- which I am assuming means Eastern Rite Catholic. Many of the churches in Lviv are Catholic, but I am not sure which ones. The Ukrainians I was with thought these were all Orthodox churches, but since I was raised Roman Catholic, I thought this one church here was Catholic. And I later found out I was correct.

[hasbani7]

With all due respect, what business do Protestants have going into Catholic/Orthodox countries and converting Catholic/Orthodox Christians to Protestantism? Isn't this imperialism?

Either way, so much of Ukrainian culture is tied to Catholicism and Orthodoxy. It's a shame some people still feel the need to rob others of their heritage...

[jcr4runner]

There have been Protestants in Russia, Belorus and Ukraine since the time of the Reformation.

Actually, it's even earlier if you consider the influence of Jan Hus -- in fact, the Baptist churches in Ukraine are directly related to the Hussites and the Anabaptists of the 1500s.

Stalin closed many of the Protestant churches (Lutheran, Presbyterian, etc.) and now many are reviving.

These precious saints faced persecution and even execution for many years -- they deserve support not criticism.

[FranklyMisterShankly]

As a grad student researching the region I'll vouch that that's simply not true. Calvinists & anti-Trinitarians were barred from the royal cities of the Commonwealth by the end of the 16th century, with a few adherents among the high nobility, but never the mass populace. Anabaptists were barred from the Commonwealth altogether. Proper Baptist congregations were absent from the region until the 19th century (the time of construction of the evangelical church in the second portion of the video).

[jcr4runner]

Not according to the Baptists who are from there.

There were also many Lutheran and Reformed churches.

[orelibytoday]

Poles are so nationalists.

Lviv is Ukrainian. Danylo Halyckyi the Ukrainian King founded the city. No matter who were the invaders Poles or Austrians.

[CossackOfUkraine]

Lviv is Ukranian city, not Polish!

[Wernert12345]

Ash Singer  from the utrechts Byzantijn Choir we was there in 1990 this church was than museum.Lather Greek-Catholic.

Beautiful Country lovely people.

Sorry that this people co back to the Communism with new president.

[skian1979]

Ukrainian genocide (in collaboration with SS) of Poles - Volhynia 1943-1944

International criminal court should start investigating the matter. Actual gameplay and aspirations should not interfere in clarifying and deposited criminals of World War II - Allies of Ukrainian Nationalists-Third Reich of Hitler, who murdered Jews and Poles. For nothing is justice! Laugh at us Poles, when we cut the body saws. Children up to nail wood, and barbed wire wrapping.

[wirnadlub]

Piękny cerkowny śpiew.

[ChefDamast]

you wish

[breyman913]

The second Church Building is actually a Memorial Chapel and tomb for a Polish Noble family.

[breyman913]

This Church looks familiar from my numerous visits to L'viv. This Church was NEVER an Orthodox Church. It was Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church. It served as a "Museum of Atheism and Religion the first time I was there in the 1980's. Now it is Holy Eucharist Greek Catholic Church

[14Konkwista88]

Semper Fidelis Poloniae!

he words "Semper fidelis" were applied to the Polish city of Lwów (now Lviv, in west.Ukraine) in 1658 by Pope Alexander VII in recognition of the city's key role in defending Europe from Muslim invasion. That same year, the Sejm (parliament) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth passed the Semper fidelis Poloniae ["Ever Loyal to Poland"] Act

[Kakleas]

In the very first part, there are flags behind the psalti/cantors. One is the Ukrainian flag (yellow and blue) and the other is the Vatican flag (yellow and white). It's obviously Eastern//Byzantine Catholic (or Greek-Catholic if you prefer!)