Two weeks afterwards, longtime chapel chief and you may theologian Igor Kozlovsky, which spent nearly a couple of years just like the prisoner off expert-Russian separatists, passed away out-of a heart attack. He was 70.
‘He secure their nearest and dearest, our country’
Created ily inside a rural Ukrainian village, Vinogradar’s moms and dads split up as he try younger. Their mom remarried, and his awesome experience of their stepfather are burdened, said Alexei Kalchuk, an old minister throughout the Ukrainian town of Mariupol and you may longtime pal.
“When his mommy provided beginning in order to his stepfather’s son and you can de completely superfluous in this happy relatives,” Kalchuk told The fresh Christian Chronicle. Vinogradar visited good boarding college or university in the Poltava, in which a teacher instilled within the your a fascination with their country. He became an excellent cadet of your Ukrainian Cossacks.
“While in the his past couple of years off study on boarding school, Christians from the Church regarding Christ started initially to look at the school,” Kalchuk said. “These folks trained training concerning the need for moral and you may spiritual opinions for the individual lives, and Artem in the future made family relations which have Christians and you will started initially to attend church meetings.” He had been baptized from inside the 2018 https://lovingwomen.org/sv/rumansk-brud/.
The guy finished within age 17, “and you will remaining the fresh new structure which had heated your lately,” Kalchuk said. “Not knowing how to proceed second and you can where to go, he looked to the new chapel, hence currently considered Artem to be you to definitely its.”
The guy lived witch chapel members and turned into alongside Christians along with Fedor Chernichkin, an excellent minister toward Church from Christ who moved to Poltava immediately following professional-Russian separatists captured control over his homeland during the eastern Ukraine’s Donbas area inside 2014.
“He was more youthful and computed to serve about chapel and you will getting dedicated in order to Jesus,” certainly one of Vinogradar’s family, Artur Lytvynenko, advised Suspilne, Ukrainian personal broadcast. “I remember your since the a young, stubborn and daring guy having a rather hard core.”
Vinogradar went to new Ukrainian Bible Institute – which in fact had relocated out-of east Ukraine towards the country’s financial support, Kyiv. The school try of Colorado-based Sundown International Bible Institute.
“He was a sharp beginner, and i also are often think of their an effective nature, his laugh with his will make fun of,” said Brandon Rate, director of one’s Ukrainian Bible Institute. “He previously defeat far within his early in the day, along with his upcoming was bright.”
Their girlfriend, Valentina, including had beat a difficult earlier, Kalchuk told you. Orphaned during the many years 3, she spent my youth of the their particular aunt and have now got learnt within a great boarding college.
“Artem tend to found Valentina’s family and you can assisted his girlfriend and you will their unique (aunt) into cleaning to be personal,” Kalchuk said. “He was instructed on the chapel exactly how an effective Religious need to look immediately after an excellent girl … In the near future Valentina accepted Christ with the their particular lifestyle and additionally they started initially to sit-in meetings of your Chapel out-of Christ to each other.”
“Artem and you will Valentina wanted to end up being the greatest mothers for this child,” Kalchuk said. “They desired to give your exactly what not one person offered them … They been successful. In March, the battle first started.
“Artem, already a youth leader regarding church, aided in offering immigrants and you may refugees. The guy joined the new positions away from volunteers who exhausted individuals from metropolises which were regarding war area and you may transported food and first help in order to areas where there is certainly no power, communication and you can h2o, but there is certainly dying and you will depletion. His spouse was waiting for your home and prayed you to that it mug would citation away from him.”
“Whenever Artem titled their partner and you may members of the family, he always asserted that he failed to need to eliminate individuals and you can (he) hoped the battle create avoid prior to the guy completed their knowledge. However, he together with mentioned that he was entitled to guard their country, household, family – referring to different because there is zero greater like than if people gets his lives having his friends,” Kalchuk told you, pointing out John .
Vinogradar supported once the a great sniper in the airborne assault device, Suspilne claimed. He passed away for the combat Aug. fifteen near the village off Verbove.
Valentina is pregnant due to their next child. Program to own Humanitarian Aid, an excellent nonprofit supported by congregations like the Good&Meters Church off Christ into the University Route, Colorado, paid down the brand new couple’s book while they supported this new chapel.
“Artem try our high school students – and element of PHA’s ministry for decades,” said Wes Hawthorne, development officer with the nonprofit and you may a person in the fresh new A great&Meters chapel. “The guy found the june camps for many years.”
Preacher-Turned-Soldier and you may Punished Theologian Mourned into the Ukraine
His partner and you can youngster gone to live in Greece which have Chernichkin and his family unit members. Ukrainians around the European countries mourn, and Kalchuk, who spent 51 months involved on the Mariupol church’s strengthening which have fellow believers as the extreme assaulting raged external.
“My cousin are murdered,” said Kalchuk, today during the Poland. “He safe their family unit members, the nation, his students. Artem, we’re going to definitely view you! Other people when you look at the comfort, my good friend.”