From church planting to
children’s camps: Misha’s story

Misha Vakhtomin, Managing Director and Pastor at Camp Maximum, holds a degree in theology with youth specialization from Kiev Theological Seminary, and for several years led youth groups and taught others how to do youth ministry. Then he returned to his hometown of Uman in central Ukraine with plans to plant a church, but through unfolding global events, God unexpectedly led him in a very different direction.

‍“When I moved back to Uman, we had a team with the vision to build a new church and we began the process.

God's Perfect Timing

Sergiy and Vika Kravets, members of the church at Denghi, felt challenged to pursue new areas of service and so in 2022 they began making a weekly trip to the city of Cherkasy, taking hot food and drinks to share with homeless people and refugees (mostly from other parts of Ukraine). Over time, the ministry grew and developed in Hope Church, which started officially meeting in November that year. Sergiy shares the story of one man from Kharkiv who briefly attended the church.

“There were many refugees that were part of the church, who were coming along and had become Christians.

However, there is so much more going on than just the practical work. The purpose of the Wise Carpenter ministry – to engage hands, heads and hearts – means that every session starts and ends with prayer, and includes a time of bible study or Christian character and lifestyle lessons before any of the measuring, sawing, drilling and sanding can begin. Artem is in no doubt that the spiritual lessons are the most important aspect of the sessions.

“Yes, you improve a boy’s skills, you can teach him how to work with a hammer. But if his soul is not saved, what's the point?”