Pentecost 2025 Stories from Ukrainian Church

Mission Pathfinder Camp 2025

In the spring, the Pathfinder Club began its activities, inviting children and youth to participate in various hands-on and outdoor events — woodworking, hiking, canoeing, climbing, and more. Each meeting gathered between 20 and 50 participants.

In June, the church took part in the Ukrainian Festival, where we presented both our church and the Pathfinder Club. Then, in August, we held a Pathfinder camp as a missionary project — a place where children learned about the movement, biblical principles, and gained new skills.

Here are a few stories:

1. Michael’s Journey
About a year and a half ago, a young man named Mykhailo began attending our church as a visitor. He had previously been baptized at the Jewish Messiah Church. When he moved to Calgary, he was looking for a church that observed Sabbath, which led him to the Ukrainian Canadian Seventh-day Adventist Church in Calgary. Soon after, Mykhailo became actively involved with the youth team, serving in the Pathfinder ministry. His dedication and commitment became an inspiring example to others. This fall, Mykhailo was highly involved into the Pentecost 2025 Project activities, serving as a tech guy and working closely with the youth. While being cooperating so closely with God, he rediscovered Jesus personally, and God revealed His truth to him. Mykhailo made a public confession of faith and officially joined the church. Since then, the congregation has chosen him as the deputy director of the newly formed Pathfinder Club.

2. Eugene’s Story
A 15-year-old girl named Yevheniia began attending our church last summer because she was interested in the Pathfinder program. Over time, she learned that the Sabbath is the Lord’s Day and discovered other Bible truths that touched her heart. Eventually, she expressed her desire to be baptized in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Her family, who belong to another denomination, strongly opposed her decision. At one point, she told me she would no longer attend church or or pursue baptism, though she still wanted to keep the Sabbath and follow biblical principles she had discovered. We didn’t pressure her; instead, we promised to pray for her and invited her to serve as a counselor at the Pathfinder summer camp as part of the Pentecost Initiative. She agreed.
After camp, she approached me again — this time with renewed conviction — saying she wanted to continue Bible studies and prepare for baptism as God made it clear for her, through her ministry and involvement, this is His church and He wants her to be part of it.

3. A Family’s Testimony
After the camp ended, I received a call from a mother thanking us for organizing the event. She shared that although she and her husband do not attend any church, they try to teach their son about God — but he usually wasn’t interested.

During the camp, something remarkable happened. On Sabbath, we planned a baptism, but the weather forecast predicted heavy rain throughout the day. That morning, I shared with the campers the story of Elijah praying for the rain to stop, saying, “Let’s pray that God will hold back the rain today, so we can see if He still hears our prayers as He did Elijah’s.”

What followed was a visible miracle: while it poured rain all around the camp, not a single drop fell on our campsite. Above our heads, the sun was shining brightly — a clear sign of God’s presence and care. When the boy returned home, he excitedly told his mom that God is real and that He answers prayers. His mother was deeply touched and said she now wants to attend our Ukrainian church in Calgary.

The Pentecost 2025 Initiative was implemented through the Pathfinder camp, which hosted around 70 participants, more than half of whom were non-Adventists.

Since our Ukrainian church has only been established for two years and is still growing, our team included not only members but also friends of the church who volunteered to serve. Many of them are now active attendees. Several new families have also begun coming to our worship services.