When we turn on the news, it can be hard to find a positive story-especially when it comes to the war in Ukraine. But if you were to read the many ministry reports from 2024, you would find much good news! And in Gostomel, there are even stories to add to the sports page. We shouldn’t underestimate the impact of exercise and friendly competition.

A volleyball team for kids aged 12-15 is blessed with a Christian coach. Members of the church often meet up with the team to play for fun and share some Bible stories. After getting to know the young teens, they invite them to church and other events. Praise God that several have given their lives to Christ and have also begun attending services on Sunday!

The church also held a summer camp for more than 140 children and teens! The camp included workshops, bible stories and prayer, but had a sports theme. Each day, they would practice a different sport: volleyball, football, baseball and ultimate frisbee. Not only was this fun for the kids, but the parents were also invited to watch, enjoy refreshments and attend two seminars. At the end of the camp, everyone was invited to church on Sunday.

One boy was particularly enthusiastic about the camp, and attended Sunday morning church for the first time. After a time of reflection for the week, he suggested they all stand up and pray. So he prayed aloud, sincerely and humbly–just as we all should, like children of God.

But sports aren’t just fun for kids–the church has its own adult ultimate frisbee team. They even participated in their first international tournament in Latvia! Because of their success, the team started a kids’ team at the local school, and they hosted an ultimate frisbee Ukrainian Cup with 17 teams! 

Athletics is just one area of many where God is at work in this community, though. The church in Gostomel is reaching out to their community, starting friendships and making disciples in many different ways.