Adventist World Radio (AWR) has initiated Internet broadcasting in the Ukrainian language from Chernivtsi, Ukraine. Round-the-clock broadcasting of AWR started on May 1, 2024. With the support of the Bukovyna Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Ukraine, an official opening ceremony of the studio took place on May 18. The Bukovyna Conference unites 140 congregations in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions.
On that day, several guests, including Vasyl Lavreniuk, head of the Bukovyna Conference, Yurii Pylypenko, treasurer, Rostyslav Puzankov, acting executive secretary, and Vitalii Hunko, Adventist Mission Coordinator, visited the studio. The studio is located at the local congregation in Chernivtsi. Maksym Krupskyi, CEO of Hope Media Group in Ukraine, Tetiana Vatsenko, “Voice of Hope” radio director, and Vasyl Makarchuk, European AWR regional director, also joined them. They all participated in a festive service organized by the local congregation, during which a prayer was made to consecrate the studio premises for spreading the gospel.
AWR thanked Volodymyr Hrynevych, regional director of the production studio Hope Media Group in Chernivtsi, for his dedicated work in the media ministry.
The AWR studio opened after a visit by Duane McKey, president of AWR, to Chernivtsi in May 2023. It was then decided to start broadcasting Adventist World Radio in Ukraine through the Internet.
Vasyl Makarchuk who manages the project of AWR noted that preparation had certain obstacles because the equipment supplier that was supposed to provide equipment to the studio in Chernivtsi went bankrupt, and they had to look for another supplier.
Transportation of equipment was also a challenge. "In December 2023, my wife and I transported it from the United States of America to Ukraine via London, and there were certain difficulties," said Makarchuk. "Another challenge was crossing the border between the European Union and Ukraine because it was accompanied by a large number of documents and explanations. But even at the customs points, the Lord helped us through the staff who resolved all unforeseen moments."
Vasyl Makarchuk emphasized that the radio broadcasting carried out by AWR must introduce listeners to personal experiences, teach them how to build a relationship with God, and live with the hope of His coming.
AWR has been cooperating with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ukraine since 1995, when the "Voice of Hope" radio began broadcasting.
The original article was published on the Ukrainian Union Conference Ukrainian-language website.
