Iryna Found Faith Through Television With a Church Community 45 Kilometers Away

Iryna Tkachenko began watching Hope Channel Ukraine on her husband’s recommendation while an illness kept her in bed for a few days. In their village in Ukraine’s Poltava region, the couple began applying what they learned from the broadcasts. She asked to speak with a pastor and completed three online Bible study courses before being baptized, with the nearest congregation of the faith she had embraced 50 kilometers (31 miles) away.

Her husband, Mykola, had come across Hope Channel Ukraine while switching channels one evening. The biblical reflections and sermons drew him back to the broadcasts, which he later recommended to Iryna. What began with his discovery became something they shared, learning from Scripture and putting its teachings into daily practice.

A conversation with the channel’s contact center gave Iryna an opportunity to ask for a pastor. Her request reached Volodymyr Mykhed, chaplain of Hope Media Group Ukraine. “She expressed a desire to speak with a pastor, so her contact information was passed on to me, and I called Iryna,” he said.

Mykhed, left, called Iryna after she asked for a pastor, and Kardashyn later baptized her. Photo: Hope Media Group Ukraine team

Volodymyr invited her to study the Bible through online courses. She completed Jesus the Only Hope and The Gospel in the Law of God, along with a health series.

The Hope Media Group Ukraine team, providing programs and pastoral support, continued their work through the war in Ukraine. Volodymyr described the conditions affecting staff members and their families: “There are nights when our team members and their families must sleep in apartment hallways or bomb shelters.” His ministry’s work included responding to viewers such as Iryna, whose interest in the broadcasts had become a request for personal guidance.

Volodymyr Mykhed and Pastor Oleksii Kardashyn, kneeling second and third from left, join Iryna, center, and others who gathered for her baptism. Photo: Hope Media Group Ukraine team

After completing the courses, Iryna wanted to be baptized and join a congregation. Pastor Oleksii Kardashyn, who ministers 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) from her village, baptized her on September 20. Mykola’s study continues as well. The husband who first found the channel and encouraged Iryna to watch now takes Bible lessons with the pastor who baptized his wife, all because a temporary illness led to time in bed with the television.

Mykola Tkachenko, left, who first came across Hope Channel Ukraine, now studies the Bible with Kardashyn, right. Photo: Hope Media Group Ukraine team

Hope Channel Ukraine: https://angel.hope.ua/en/