Two weeks later on, long time chapel frontrunner and you can theologian Igor Kozlovsky, just who spent nearly 24 months while the prisoner out-of professional-Russian separatists, passed away of a heart attack. He had been 70.
‘The guy safe his family members, all of our country’
Born ily in an outlying Ukrainian community, Vinogradar’s moms and dads broke up as he was younger. Their mommy remarried, along with his relationship with their stepfather https://kissbrides.com/sv/estniska-kvinnor/ is actually burdened, said Alexei Kalchuk, an old minister from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and you can long time buddy.
“Whenever their mother offered delivery so you’re able to their stepfather’s child and you may de- entirely superfluous within this happy family relations,” Kalchuk advised The fresh new Religious Chronicle. Vinogradar went to a great boarding school inside the Poltava, where a teacher ingrained into the your a love for his country. The guy became a cadet of the Ukrainian Cossacks.
“Throughout the their past two years off research on boarding college, Christians on the Church regarding Christ started initially to go to the college,” Kalchuk told you. “These individuals instructed coaching towards significance of ethical and you can spiritual thinking into the people life, and you may Artem in the future generated household members that have Christians and you may started initially to sit-in chapel group meetings.” He was baptized when you look at the 2018.
He graduated during the years 17, “and you can leftover the brand new walls which had warmed him nowadays,” Kalchuk told you. “Not knowing how to handle it 2nd and you can where to go, the guy turned to the church, which already thought Artem getting one its very own.”
The guy lived witch church players and turned into near to Christians plus Fedor Chernichkin, an excellent minister to the Chapel out-of Christ just who gone to live in Poltava just after pro-Russian separatists seized command over their homeland in the east Ukraine’s Donbas region when you look at the 2014.
“He had been younger and you can calculated so you can serve in the chapel and you may to get loyal to help you Goodness,” certainly Vinogradar’s family, Artur Lytvynenko, told Suspilne, Ukrainian social radio. “I remember him once the a young, persistent and courageous guy having a tremendously hard-core.”
Vinogradar went to this new Ukrainian Bible Institute – which in fact had relocated from east Ukraine for the state’s resource, Kyiv. The institution are for the Tx-created Sunset International Bible Institute.
“He was a-sharp scholar, and that i are often think of their a good characteristics, their smile and his awesome choose to make fun of,” told you Brandon Speed, manager of your Ukrainian Bible Institute. “He had beat far within his previous, and his awesome upcoming try brilliant.”
His girlfriend, Valentina, in addition to had defeat a difficult past, Kalchuk told you. Orphaned from the ages step three, she was raised of the their brother and also had read in the an effective boarding college or university.
“Artem tend to stumbled on Valentina’s house and you may assisted their girlfriend and their (aunt) into the cleaning to be close,” Kalchuk told you. “He was educated on chapel just how a Religious will want to look immediately after good girl … Soon Valentina accepted Christ to the their existence and began to sit in meetings of one’s Church from Christ together.”
“Artem and you may Valentina planned to become the most useful mothers for this child,” Kalchuk told you. “They wanted to bring your what no one offered all of them … They succeeded. In March, the war first started.
“Artem, currently a youthfulness frontrunner regarding the chapel, aided during the providing immigrants and you can refugees. He entered the positions out-of volunteers who exhausted people from locations which were regarding the combat area and you will moved food and very first services to places that there’s zero power, telecommunications and you may liquids, but there clearly was dying and depletion. Their wife is awaiting your at home and you can prayed one to which glass do pass of your.”
“When Artem named their partner and members of the family, the guy always said that the guy did not must eliminate people and you can (that he) expected that battle perform avoid prior to the guy complete their training. However, he including asserted that he was named to guard his country, household, family members – and this is some other since there is no better love than just that if some body provides their existence to possess his relatives,” Kalchuk told you, citing John .
Vinogradar supported because the a beneficial sniper about airborne violence unit, Suspilne claimed. The guy died into the combat Aug. fifteen around the town away from Verbove.
Valentina is pregnant due to their second youngster. System getting Humanitarian Support, an effective nonprofit supported by congregations including the A good&M Chapel from Christ for the School Station, Tx, paid back the new couple’s rent as they served this new chapel.
“Artem are one of our kids – and you can element of PHA’s ministry for decades,” said Wes Hawthorne, invention administrator into the nonprofit and you will a member of the new A great&Yards church. “He came to the summer camps for several years.”
Preacher-Turned-Soldier and you may Tortured Theologian Mourned within the Ukraine
His wife and you will youngster gone to live in Greece that have Chernichkin along with his loved ones. Ukrainians across European countries mourn, in addition to Kalchuk, which spent 51 months involved regarding Mariupol church’s building that have other believers just like the extreme fighting raged exterior.
“My buddy try murdered,” said Kalchuk, today into the Poland. “He secure his family members, the nation, their children. Artem, we are going to definitely see you! People in the serenity, my pal.”