SOCIAL IMPACT BY Gethsemane Church INITIATIVE : a Public forum “Preventive Teaching – a step toward the Future Fathers of Ukraine.”

Preventive teaching deals with informing the young generation of the consequences of drug, alcohol, cigarettes addiction and sexual diseases. Church is separated from State in Ukraine, thus churches cannot go to school to teach, but public organizations can. This forum raised the question of how we can do it in cooperation with local authorities and also presented practical examples of Gethsemane church successful projects at schools.

The place looked like a true forum – we took the conference – hall of the Catholic University (Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine) Irina Hiaduk, City Education Dept.,Father Roman Figas, Greek Catholic Church, Ihor lenyo, Family Institute Pastor Valeriy, Gethsemane Church, Petro Husak, leader of Siociety for Life, Father Oleg Salamon, Rector of Roman Catholic Seminary.

The forum began with a prayer “Our Father”, uniting believers of all denominations who gathered at the Forum. Local authorities, priests, scholars, teachers, NGO directors, students were invited to take part in the Forum. Oleksandr Kalabskiy, a pastor and a teacher at one of the most renowned secular academies in Ukraine , in the town of Ostrog

Deacon Slavic and likewise the director of NGO, founded by Gethsemane , called “Future Fathers of Ukraine”, did a video presentation of our preventive teaching projects over the past two years. As a result of the Forum , the united resolution was adopted, which proclaimed the formation of a Public Committee, which would be aimed at advancing Christian health values into government through united public projects and mass- media. It is just the beginning!!!