Pastor Ghenady from Mariupol, Ukraine

I had the most fun-filled and inspiring trip to Mariupol (map above) with Kay Warren

and her HIV/AIDS Initiative team to visit Pastor Ghenady from The Church of Good Changes.

Love that name for at least 3 reasons...

#1 the word CHURCH...I am discovering that the church of Jesus Christ, the community of simple, committed followers of Christ have a staggering capability to influence, to encourage, and to evangelize a neighborhood or a city.
#2 the word GOOD.... there is just SO much brokenness and darkness and just plain BAD in the world today that the Good News is a beacon that hurting people are drawn to.
#3 the word CHANGE... people will attend church for a while called:

The Church of Good MUSIC
or The Church of Good PREACHING
or The Church of Good FEELINGS ...

but the only thing that will sustain a person through a lifetime is CHANGE...pure and real CHANGE.
changes
I don't have to tell you about the needs for change in MY life....you've got your own changes to deal with.

Ghenady is a change agent...using his actions and his words and his influence to his fight the drugs and death and destruction in his city of Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine.
And his parishioners are 'the changed'.
+from alcohol
+from drugs
+from despair
+from abuse
+from sure death

Ghenady's church family is modeling how a single church can care for folks that most communities view as hopeless causes.These folks aren't some fringe group that meets in the basement of Ghenady's church on Friday nights and talks about their screwed up lives . The screwed up people ARE the church.

This church cares for the homeless because THEY were homeless.
This church cares for the sick because THEY were sick.
This church cares for the dying because THEY were as close to death as folks could be...
And then Jesus changed them...