TCI Displaced but Continuing to Serve Ukraine as Christmas Nears

By Laura McKillip Wood 

Tavriski Christian Institute celebrated its 25th anniversary this fall. It did so during a war, displaced from its campus in Kherson, Ukraine, but dedicated to continuing its commitment to training Christian leaders for a country that needs them more than ever. 

Faculty, staff, and many students left TCI’s campus when the war started in February and fled westward to Ivano-Frankivsk. There they quickly began organizing humanitarian aid and helping people evacuate from cities in the east that were under attack by the Russians. In the fall, TCI resumed classes remotely while continuing humanitarian aid efforts. When Kherson was liberated from Russian occupation on Nov. 11, some staff of TCI returned to the campus and see for themselves what the Russian soldiers had done to the facilities.  

RUSSIAN OCCUPATION 

On March 10, 2022, Russian soldiers occupied TCI’s campus and turned it into a military base, hospital, and boot camp. TCI leaders reached out to the soldiers, asking them not to damage the facilities, telling them theirs was not only a college campus but also was used for children’s camps and other programs. However, Russian soldiers alleged the institute was an American “sect” because of TCI’s partnerships with Christians in the United States. On March 19, Russians marauded the property, breaking into buildings, stealing, and vandalizing. 

On Aug. 28, Russians shelled the campus and destroyed three buildings: the administrative building, a dormitory, and the library. Soldiers ransacked the cafeteria and hauled books from the library to the dump. Other books simply were destroyed or stolen.  

“Our library was one of the biggest Christian theological libraries in Ukraine,” a faculty member says. Supporters in California had sent a container with 1,000 theological books, commentaries, and encyclopedias that arrived only a week before the war began; those books were destroyed while still in a container in a suburb of Kyiv, awaiting delivery to Kherson.  

RETURNING TO SURVEY THE CAMPUS 

When Kherson was liberated from Russian occupation on Nov. 11, TCI staff returned to campus to see firsthand what Russian soldiers had done. Despite their grief at the losses, they are determined to rebuild when the war ends. Interest in Christian education is growing due to the war, and TCI leaders have begun to think about where they can house the institute after permanently returning to Kherson while the campus is beingrebuilt.  

“More than 500 pastors have left the country,” former missionary Glen Elliott has noted, “and many of them will probably not return.”  

“War often brings out the worst part of human character,” TCI president Valentin Siniy says, “but we also see some good things revealed in such difficult situations. The relationship we have with other Christian schools is probably the strongest we have had in all these 25 years. Churches and seminaries are helping each other in ways they did not before the war.” 

STAFF AND STUDENTS COPING WITH WAR 

With Christmas nearly here, TCI staff and students have mixed feelings. One staff member worries about her elderly mother, who remained in the Kherson region. Another said she had all but decided not to observe the holidays while their lives were in such upheaval. Then her friends encouraged her to celebrate, saying her young children need the familiarity of getting a Christmas tree, decorating, and giving gifts. The family decided to celebrate after all. 

Alexandra, a TCI student, says it is hard for her because she is so far from her family.  

“She misses her mother and wants to hug her,” says Luba, Valentin Siniy’s wife. “There are friends here, but you need a family, too.”  

Sergei, a TCI student, says, “You don’t have to wait until the good times come. You have to live as if things are already good around you. That’s what I’m trying to do.”  

Sergei misses his family, but he writes often to his mother and plays online games with his brothers.  

“I’m taken care of, so I am really thankful to God.” 

Pray for the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of these faithful brothers and sisters during the holiday season and as this war continues.  

To support TCI’s continuing ministry, visit the website of Mountainview Christian Church, Highlands Ranch, Colo., which serves as forwarding agent for the ministry. Click “Designation” > “Missions – TCI Ukraine.” 

Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, lives in Papillion, Nebraska, and writes about missions for Christian Standard. 

Author: Laura McKillip Wood

Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, now lives in Papillion, Nebraska. She serves as an on-call chaplain at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha. She and her husband, Andrew, have three teenagers.