The Renewal Center was founded in November 1999 by a small church in the coastal city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine. They began taking in children who were out of school and those who were homeless and housing them in a small, 3-bedroom home. Church members brought food, cots, heaters, and bedding – everything needed for keep these children alive. They survived as best as they could with no money, no sponsors, no public funding. Through the efforts of the pastor of the church that founded The Renewal Center, his wife, and a member of the city council of Mariupol, their small building was transformed into a comfortable home.
Many children, often with tragic stories, came to live in the home. Some children had seen their parents killed in from of them while others suffered in violence themselves – living in hunger, cold, and fear. Many did not have learning and could not even read or write or understand basic hygiene. Yet through all their troubles, they continued to place God first and He continued to lead them faithfully. And soon they could see the fruits of their labor.
Over the entire period of operation, Renewal Center has taken 174 children, with some living in our center from 5 to 9 years. Many of them became Christians. Many are married and have their own families and children. 16 became students of higher educational institutions, some have already successfully completed them, about 20 went to technical schools, and the rest were in vocational high schools. They constantly thank God that their graduates do not follow the path of crime: they work, learn, lead a normal life.
In 2007 the Center was officially organized as a family-type orphanage, where they could legally determine the custody of their children. They work with living parents as best as they can to keep families together. They also help the children in the preparation of documents, registration, identification, passports, and the required certification to work. These tasks are difficult since the state does not allocate any funds for this category of children. Often, children are sent to boarding homes where none of the children in need have been denied admission - all warmed, fed, educated and trained.
The Renewal Center was forced to evacuate Mariupol in May 2014 due to the outbreak of violent hostilities in the Donbas region. Christians from a Lviv Church received them and they lived as refugees for over a year. Then, in August 2015 they were presented with a beautiful house in Rzhyshchiv, a small fishing village on the Dnieper River near the capital city of Kyiv.
Since August of 2016, they began to work with families in Rzhyshchiv who were in need. They are currently assisting two families by bringing them food packages, clothes, shoes. All the time, sharing the good news of Jesus. Their plans for this school year are to assist 5-10 new families in need. They also desire to start holding meetings in a Christian café where they can teach and answer questions or just talk with families. They are very open to however God moves their ministry and eagerly await what He has in store!
