K i e v – During a three-month, nationwide evangelistic campaign, Ukrainian Baptists have planted 48 new congregations. The campaign was led by Vyacheslav Nesteruk, President of the “All-Ukrainian Union of Associations of Evangelical Christians-Baptists”, and Evangelistic Director Slavic Gruntkovsky. The effort, which ran from August until October, was also supported by American Baptists. The mission organisation of the Southern Baptists: the International Mission Board (IMB), sent members from 13 American congregations and the evangelist Don Betts. A total of 35 teams held evangelistic events in various cities and congregations. According to the host organisation, approximately 4.000 people made a decision for Christ. The campaign was a part of the two year “Project 125”, created with the goal of placing a Baptist witness in all 125 regional or county seats. Still 77 congregations short of the target, the aim is to reach the target by the end of 2009. 

Roughly 60% of the population of 46 million Ukrainians belong to the Orthodox Church; 11% are Catholics and 3% belong to a Protestant denomination. Approximately two million are Muslims. About 2.400 congregations with 135.000 members belong to the above-mentioned All-Ukrainian Union.