In May the core leaders from the Zaporizhia region of eastern Ukraine that we have been working with came together for a  leadership retreat. Phil spent several  days with these leaders building relationships as well as sharing principles from the Coaching Guide. This manual is designed to help leaders understand the importance of relevant wineskins (structure) and aligning the values of a group with their vision and strategy. It includes several assessments that make the somewhat abstract idea of vision, tangible and measurable.

Perhaps as important as the materials and teaching is the opportunity for these leaders to get away for a couple days to be encouraged and be able to have a bit of a retreat from the pressures of the ministry so that they can be recharged to serve in this challenging region.

Maxym (our local ministry coach) will be meeting with the leadership of these five ministries before Phil returns to the region in October. At that point they will continue with the assessments and training from the Coaching Guide, which is a multi-year process intended to bring about change in an organization or church, in order to equip these leaders as they develop strategies to reach into their communities.

While in Ukraine Phil was also able to follow up with some of the couples that on previous visits had gone through our marriage materials. He shared regarding Communication, Boundaries, and Intimacy from the MCNet, “The First Team.”

 (you can read about this and our other materials at www.icmcanada.org).