Historical event feed

Family evenings

      From time to time, in the premises of the Heavens Community Center, we organize family and marital evenings which started in 2014. Every time, there reigns a unique atmosphere, every time, the hall is decorated differently, there are new invited participants, photo sessions, thematic presentations, quizzes, and much more. Among our invited guests, there have been married couples of mayors of cities, heads of state institutions, scientists, clergy of different confessions. While family meetings are special because they gather whole families with children.

 

Interconfessional Council

     On June 17, 2013, the Interconfessional Council was held in Lanivtsi city. The clergy joined their efforts to conduct a survey in which 8500 residents of Lanivtsi district supported the idea of transferring the market day from Sunday to another day of the week. At the same time, there were public hearings and dozens of different meetings with the authority representatives who expressed full support, but when it came to adopting that decision by the deputies of Lanivtsi City Council, the issue failed. Unfortunately, there was a double game. We have not yet achieved the desired results in honoring the Day of the Lord, but that movement has contributed to the unification of clergy of different confessions into a powerful force.

We believe that the initiated movement will reach its goal!

Declaration to the City

    The Declaration to the City was written by the head of the Heavens Community Center Volodymyr Androshchuk. These are formed statements which contain proclaimed principles of justice, respect, mercy, mutual understanding, hospitality, peaceful coexistence, and prosperity of all city inhabitants. The proposed text of the Declaration was supported by representatives of all regional religious confessions.

    On July 28, 2008, Mayor of Lanivtsi city Ivan Tkachuk publicly proclaimed the Declaration at the ceremonial meeting in honor of the 1020th anniversary of the baptism of Kievan Rus, and it was adopted as the moral and spiritual law for the city residents.

    According to the executive committee’s decision, the text of the Declaration was placed on a memorable sign in the center of Lanivtsi city. On February 9, 2012, by order No. 14 of the Department of Culture of Ternopil Oblast State Administration, the object underwent the state registration, and they identified the monument’s category as an object of cultural heritage.

Assistance to children’s shelters in India and Africa

       In 2008–2010, we worked closely with children’s shelters in African countries and India. We helped the volunteers who lived there and worked in hospitals and schools, as well as the families living in terrible poverty in Indian slum dwellings.

Talent nights

      In 2005, we began conducting talent nights. Each time, on such nights, a unique atmosphere was created. There they performed various musical numbers, read poetry, and then discussed interesting topics and new ideas over a cup of coffee. We tried to do everything to ensure that every visitor was heard and felt the significance and uniqueness of his/her personality. After all, the talents that each of us has are our greatest treasure, thanks to which we not only can build our lives, but also make happier those who are with us

Youth camps

     During 1999–2006, there were organized youth camps on the territory of the Forest Tale health camp. Eymi Androshchuk was an irreplaceable organizer and leader of that youth leisure. Seminars, trainings, games, emotional conversations, and evening bonfires changed the fates of dozens of young people who came there from different parts of Ukraine

Action of reconciliation

      September 26, 1999, was a memorable day for Lanovechchyna inhabitants. That action was the first in Ukraine. The purpose of its conduct was repentance for the fault of Lanovechchyna inhabitants of all past generations who were involved in betraying the Jews, humiliating, and murdering them in our lands. On the spot where more than 2,500 Jews had been shot, there gathered several hundred people that day. At the invitation there were present leaders and members of the Jewish community. After the proclamation of the prayer of repentance, there was signed an Appeal, which was handed over to the head of Ternopil Jewish community and sent to the Ambassador of the State of Israel in Ukraine.

A foreign language school

       In 1992, a foreign language school was organized for the study of English, German, and French. Teacher of Canadian University Natalia Yemets contributed significantly to its launch. Pupils repeatedly met with different foreign delegations. The school gave the basic preparation for those willing to study at the faculties of foreign languages. Today, some of our former students work even at embassies in other countries.

The act of Christian unity

       On July 25, 1992, in the editorial office of the Siiach newspaper, there was organized a round table with the participation of representatives of regional religious confessions, the authorities, and members of the media. The purpose of that meeting was to lay the foundations for interconfessional stability and religious accord in the region. It works until today.

Patronage for boarding school

    During 1991–1995, the Heavens Society conducted patronage activities at a boarding school in Nove Selo village, Pidvolochysk district. During five years of close cooperation, that school has been attended by numerous foreign delegations, while children have received, without exaggeration, tons of sweets, clothes, and sanitary items. We have also sponsored supply of equipment.

Cooperation with the Red Cross of Ukraine and Germany

     On April 26, 1991, a partnership agreement was signed between the Heavens Society and the Ternopil Oblast Red Cross Committee on charitable activities both in Ukraine and internationally. The acquired status of a participant in foreign economic relations and exemption from customs payments allowed adjusting cooperation with the German Red Cross. As a result, the first column of trucks with humanitarian aid arrived from the city of Lingen, Germany, to Yuskivtsi village of Lanivtsi district. Among the members of the delegation were representatives of the German Red Cross, the mayor of Lingen, journalists, and volunteers. A special reason for such a trip was the Germans’ gratitude for the work of captive Ukrainians during the Second World War.

     The cooperation we have thus started has already turned into mega-scale charitable projects: exchange of delegations, arrangement of a village school, an ambulatory, a territorial center for the elderly, and the building of the district Red Cross, provision of the district hospital with medicines, and many other activities that have long ago gone beyond our cooperation.

Spiritual and educational activities

      After the collapse of the USSR, people were spiritually exhausted. During 1991–1993, the Heavens Society conducted various spiritual and educational activities in Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Volyn, Lviv, and Zhytomyr oblasts. Hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of people gathered in parks and educational institutions, on the stadiums and city squares to listen to the spiritual songs and the word and pray to God. In those days, there were held almost 150 such events.

Organization of all kinds of activities for children

     Since 1991, the Heavens Society has reached hundreds of children teaching them the foundations of Christian morality. We held children’s festivals, conferences, hiking tours, training groups, charity events for orphans and so on. And today, we continue to teach children of the children of those days.