The Fire of the Gospel Burning in Ukraine

Dennis Melnichuk

July 30, 2025

When I came to Ukraine for the first time in 2014, I quickly realized that life in this country is not what you would expect. For more reasons than I can list here, it was evident that what concerns people in the West is far removed from the minds of those I met through my trip. Uprooted from my upbringing, I savored the discovery of new experiences and simplicity while also learning to cherish the things I had taken for granted back at home. Throughout the trip, my mind often wandered to what God might do in this country among a people whose view of the world is so much different from my own.

Where skylines are brilliantly decorated by golden domes and icons decorate store window fronts and the dashboards of cars in traffic, an orthodox cross often hangs on the road connecting one city to the next. Yet, when speaking to people about Jesus, the passionate vibrancy I desired to find among Christians was faint; more commonly, it was nonexistent. When I tried to share the gospel on the street, my experience was unlike anything I had encountered elsewhere in the world up to that point. It was incredibly challenging to strike up a conversation with a stranger, or find anyone who would venture to try to do the same along with me.

For this reason, when I endeavored to move to Kyiv in 2019 to establish a mission, I caught myself, through that first year and a half, often brushing away the sometimes overwhelming feeling of being alone among a multitude. I thank God that he soon proved this wrong.

Million Month in Kyiv, Ukraine

I began to meet incredible brothers and sisters in Christ whose hearts were ravaged by Jesus. We found friends with whom we shared a common language when discussing our ministry aims and underlying values. It is an indescribable gift to see how, after 6 years, a growing network of friends has been established throughout the country, who collaborate in various schools, camps, conferences, and worship nights. With them, we were called to take part in one such historical event this summer called "Million Month."

Commissioned by Awakened Europe, Million Month was a two-week outreach intensive aimed to include 30+ cities across the continent of Europe to reach 1 million people through a one-on-one encounter with the gospel. To make this happen, efforts were launched to involve as many local church leaders as possible throughout the entire region of Kyiv.

Anya and I were thrilled when we were invited to help lead these pastoral gatherings with the Awakened Europe core team. Stepping into the room before it was time for me to come up to the mic to commence the evening, my thoughts drifted to memories of my rough beginnings when I arrived in Kyiv with just two suitcases and unable to speak the language. I grimaced at the vivid pictures pressed in my mind from the hectic months of evacuation in the early onset of the war, still continuing today. More than anything, I remembered the many times, scattered throughout the years, of tear-soaked prayers interceding for God to send His Spirit upon this nation, desperately needing revival. Now, I stood looking at the dawning of a God-sized dream taking place.

City-wide Kyiv Pastors Gathering

In June, hundreds went out across Kyiv and took time to share Jesus's good news with people!

As a result:

2257 Heard the Gospel

307 Committed their lives to Jesus

322 Received prayer

13 Physical healings

2 Baptized with the Holy Spirit

1 Water Baptism

A fire has been lit since then. The momentum is stirring. We are building upon what God has been doing with events such as Million Month with our growing network of revivalist friends in what is being called the Ukrainian Evangelistic Alliance (I will share more about this exciting development in another post).

For now, I want to underline that a new generation of believers is emerging, one that is not afraid to approach people on the streets. Their courage is breaking cultural norms of a collective culture often too timid to stand out from among the crowd. This is a different spiritual landscape than what I encountered when I landed in 2014. The church is quickly changing, and we are caught in the middle of a holy fire. I wholeheartedly affirm that there is nowhere else we would rather be.

School of Sons and Daughters. This summer has already been so impactful, but we are still not finished! In a couple of days, our climactic event of the year launches: School of Sons and Daughters. For many who are experiencing a new passion for Jesus and evangelism, there is a deep desire to be discipled. We recognize how essential it is to build a solid foundation on Jesus, for our hearts to be whole, and ensure that Jesus is our everything. We are raising support to cover this event, making it possible to provide a scholarship to those who cannot cover the cost. Please reach out if you would like to take part in making a difference in someone's life!