Frequently Asked Questions

Ternopil is in western Ukraine, about a 2.5-hour drive from the Polish border. Situated as the central city of the Ternopil oblast, it is in one of only three oblasts that speak Ukrainian predominantly.

The Ternopil Church of Christ is located on the border of the former Old Park, now renamed the Park of Glory. Its prime location near the center of the city in view of hundreds of people every day has caused many in the city to marvel at how we were able to find such a spot. The church building has been built on the foundation of an old armory that was once used for target practice. Now the target is winning Ternopil for Christ. An extensive renovation funded by American brethren has made it much more useful as a ministry center. The main auditorium capacity is about 120. The church includes a library, a children's ministry room, three offices with computers, equipment for producing the quarterly magazine, Slovo, and a small kitchen with adjoining bathroom that can be used for guests.

Any visitor to Ukraine has been delighted with the variety and uniqueness of Ukrainian cuisine (if the stomach has sufficiently adjusted to the unusual change!). Some of the staple dishes are veranikiy (dough pockets which can be stuffed with potato, cheese, cabbage, cherries or many other fillings), holubtsi (cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and meat), pilmeni (dough pockets stuffed with meat) and borscht (soup made of beets, cabbage, meat, mushrooms, beans or a variety of other ingredients).

January is typically the month of festive holidays in Ukraine, rather than December in the U.S. Although December 19 is St. Nicholas Day, when children find some treat under their pillow, it is not a vacation day for schoolchildren. The New Year holiday most closely resembles the American Christmas holiday, with people putting up New Year trees and exchanging gifts. Christmas is a week later on January 7 and is much more a religious observance and marked with church services and elaborate meals with family.

The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian. However, Russian is spoken in most of the major cities in central and eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian language actually predates Russian and while it shares many similarities, including the Cyrillic alphabet, it more closely resembles Polish in vocabulary and sound. Due to Russian being the state language of the former Soviet Union and the large number of Russian immigrants living in Ukraine, Russian is understood by all Ukrainians and in many cases dominates media and current literature. However, contrary to popular belief, knowing one language does not ensure understanding or being able to speak the other. (Many Russian visitors to the Church of Christ in Ternopil had difficulty following the services conducted in Ukrainian, saying they could only understand about 50%. In addition, many Russian immigrants who have spent their adult lives in Ukraine can understand Ukrainian but still cannot speak it.) One of the focuses of our ministry in Ternopil was to facilitate the acquisition and translation of spiritual materials into Ukrainian.

The "Orange Revolution," so named for the color of the "Our Ukraine" political party, was a grass-roots uprising of the Ukrainian populace to protest the results of the 2004 presidential election. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians camped in the main square in the capital of Kyiv for over a week before the completion of an investigation of voter fraud caused the results to be overturned and Victor Yushenko replaced Victor Yanokovich as the president-elect. Yushenko's face was horribly marred by what was believed to be an attempt on his life earlier in the year by dioxin poisoning. His pockmarked visage became a symbol of the new Ukraine which was to overcome all obstacles to establish a new era of government untouched by corruption and communist influence. For further details about this incredible event in modern history, refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Revolution.

As of 2004, Ukraine no longer requires a visa for U.S. citizens. You need only your passport for up to a 6-month tourist visit.