Ukrainian Military Chaplains Visit Trinity

Trinity International University President Nicholas Perrin hosted a Community Table Talk with Ukrainian officials Colonel Oleksiy Tereshchuk, Chief of the Military Chaplaincy Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Pavlo Unguryan, Ukrainian Political and evangelical leader, at its Bannockburn campus. Among the topics discussed were the state of affairs in Ukraine, specific needs for the training of military chaplains, and the number of appointments of military chaplains across Ukraine’s armed forces. This comes in the midst of Trinity’s launching a certificate program in chaplaincy that will be delivered in Ukrainian at no cost to its students. “The war on Ukraine presents us with a tremendous call to lean into our mission,” said President Perrin. “Not only can we walk alongside those who are suffering the violence of an unjust war, we can also serve those whose voices have emerged as Christian leaders in the midst of such suffering. Who can help train those voices? Who will stand in the gap to make a difference in the lives of those pointing to Christ in Ukraine’s armed forces? My hope is that by God’s grace it will be the likes of Trinity.” David Pao, Dean of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, echoed this sentiment: “We are honored that God has opened the door for us to serve the Ukrainian church during this difficult time. I pray that this initiative will provide the Ukrainian military chaplains with proper training that they so urgently need.” "I am incredibly thankful to my brothers and sisters at Trinity who are serving my fellow Ukrainians through this chaplaincy training program, said Oleg Tsymbalyuk, director of the chaplaincy certificate program in Ukraine “Now more than ever we must train gospel workers who can administer love and compassion to Ukrainian soldiers during this time." In the fall of 2022, TEDS was approached by several higher-education institutions in Ukraine for support of theological education courses, chaplaincy, mental health training, trauma care, and faculty and leadership development. Trinity’s faculty and leadership quickly embraced the opportunity to help train  fellow educators to bridge any gaps resulting from the loss of staff and support. John Carter, Professor of Chaplaincy at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, has given a lot of thought bred in experience about the importance of a chaplain’s ministry: “The role of a chaplain is sacred. Chaplains provide crucial care to soldiers on and off the battlefield,” he said. “They are often the only—and in some cases, the last representative of the gospel that soldiers will ever meet during their line of duty. Trinity aims to train chaplains who are equipped to take up this powerful calling.” Trinity would not be able to do this important work without the generous ministry partners who are supporting this initiative.

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Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is the divinity school of Trinity International University. TEDS offers doctoral and master’s degree programs in Illinois, Florida, Korea, and at extension sites across the U.S. At TEDS you’ll find a variety of evangelical denominations and theological traditions teaching, studying, serving, and worshiping together. [gallery ids="1282,1280,1283,1279"]