Brief history of activity 2008-2014

  • Russian Language Learning (we’re on the 20yr plan!)
  • Bible Studies & Home Group
  • 3yrs served as Elder/Teacher
  • 3 Housing Projects
  • Established Sister City with Rzhyschiv & Kilgore, Texas
  • Registered Ukrainian Corporation
  • Purchased & Developed Downtown Property for Ministry
  • Opened Coffee Shop
  • Established Permanent Residence for entire family!
  • Local Orphanage Outreach
  • Hosting Short-Term Groups
  • Prayer & Food Support for families serving in Army
  • Networking with like-minded believers, missionaries, and churches

2015

  • Completed 2nd Floor Lighthouse Cafe/Ministry Floor Heating
  • Purchased and Installed New Windows at Cafe
  • Completed first full year operating Cafe in our town.
  • Began hosting Poetry Evenings (Community led)
  • Hosted 6 weeks of YWAM Outreach / Creative Courses / Evening Worship
  • Traveled to Minsk, Belarus and now partnering with CFNI Belarus
  • Began weekly English Club for ages 8-14.
  • Started new Youth Ministry called Club 180 (weekly meetings)
  • Winter Orphan and Widow outreach
  • Started video production ministry/outreach.
  • Continued slogging away at getting gas at our Cafe.

2016

  • Hosted Minsk/Texas Team for Awaken Week
  • Expanded our Lighthouse Staff
  • Started Lighthouse Studio
  • Created a Skatepark!
  • Several trips to Minsk & Leadership planning
  • Distributed Children’s Bibles to all 1st graders
  • Had our first Summer Interns (local students)
  • Club 180 Youth has seen a number of hearts respond to Jesus
  • Bought 2nd Floor Pellet stove (open daily now for outreach)
  • Rented our first Billboard
  • Hosted class of students for onsite teaching from Minsk.
  • Hosted a city wide VBS (60 kids)
  • Sponsored our first Ukrainian for Bible School.
  • Took a team of students to Worship Marathon in Minsk.
  • Took a team of students to Steiger conference in Kiev.
  • Fed +40 Widows monthly, as well as outreaches, blankets.
  • Started Pizza and finally Gas on!  Fed the town free pizza.
  • Launched our first Lighthouse Website!  (click to visit!)
  • Hosted +10 worship and prayer events this year.

2017

We have officially begun partnering with MIR Ministries, effective January 2017.   I’ve been asked to serve as Director, which means I’m working the ministry in Minsk, and the US partners, along with our own staff and developing Lighthouse ministry.

  • Launched www.litworship.com platform for youth worship in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
  • Expanded Widows Feeding Program via partners World Challenge to Belarus.
  • Launched youth discipleship program YFM – Year for Mission.
  • Spent 3 months in Belarus.
  • Released first worship album in many years for Mir Music (XDH).

2018

  • Completed YFM outreach phase in Ukraine.
  • Hosted first Russian Lit Worship in St. Petersburg.
  • Expanding Widows Care into Russia/Belarus with World Challenge.
  • Received first missionary with MIR (Collins O’Dwyer) from US to Kiev.
  • Minsk Partners begin pilot program for Music / Creativity.
  • Praying for platform in Kiev.
  • Lighthouse discipleship continues Club 180 and growing staff.
  • Begin Children’s Worship Project
  • Begin first LIT Worship Production (10 original songs)
  • Begin leadership development (Lighthouse + Mir)
  • Heroic Nation Outreach Rzyschiv
  • LIT Minsk (Nov) Event Sports Palace
  • Began Weekend ‘Refresh” events lead by Deb & Team.
  • Began Fuller MAGL Masters Global Leadership Degree

2019

  • Hosted 6 leadership weekends with 25 emerging leaders.
  • First Leaders Retreat in Carpathian Mountains.
  • Lighthouse team expands and community begins gathering.
  • Launched crowdfunding platform (RazomGo.com) for Ukraine & Belarus.
  • Released 2nd album “LIT 19” featuring local artists.
  • Widows ministry now reaching 240 widows in 17 villages.
  • At-Risk Children’s Ministries started at Lighthouse.
  • First Day-Long Worship Conference in Belarus (Brest). Life Center joins!
  • Registered Ukrainian Non-Profit.
  • Expanded Widows Care to Volunteer Care (First Weekend Refresh).
  • Sloviansk Eastern Ukraine – RazomGo Workshops with Glow!
  • Revamped Lighthouse from Restaurant to Co-Working Space 1st Floor.
  • New Sewing/Art Room & Weekly Club at Lighthouse.
  • New Spanish Lessons at Lighthouse.
  • New Creative Community started in our town.

2020

  • Covid-19!
  • RazomGo.com grows to serve +10 new projects in Ukraine
    • $10,000 raised for emergency medical supplies
    • National Cancer Institute project
    • Discussions with reforming international banking (Ukrainian Banking Institute)
    • Belarus first project crowdfunding on platform (Cafe)!
  • Started mentoring core leaders more intentionally.
  • Bi-Monthly mentoring with core leaders (Fuller Course Translating)
  • Added Oles, and Galina to Widows Care staff team.
  • Broderic & Kristin get married!  (Florida, Texas and Canada flights during Covid)
  • Added credit card payment and ice cream station to Lighthouse finally!
  • Began new Mission Building (dug hole, foundation, 1st level walls)
  • Hosted first Widows Volunteer weekend in Ukraine!
  • Deb begins 2 year certificate course for Spiritual Directorship
  • Retreats at Guest House including YWAM, Steiger, Christian Vision, RazomGo.

2021

  • Developed & hosted a 10 week International ZOOM learning space.
  • Hosted a Charity Marathon in Ukraine to raise awareness for children with disabilities in our area.
  • Our team constructed the region’s 1st wheel-chair accessible bathroom in our local school.
  • Hosted another YWAM team from Kentucky that served youth in our area.
    Led a leadership training weekend for leaders from Church of Nazarene (Kazatin).
  • Sponsored a series of Christian music videos in Belarus.
    Lighthouse team launches bicycle club ministry for youth & tourists.
  • Broderic & Kristin have their first child, our first grandchild, Byron Elliott Crowe!
  • Widows ministry now serving +500 widows from 30 villages, and 60 volunteers.
  • Hosted our 2nd Widows Care Volunteer Conference at a retreat center.
  • Purchased & distributed 100 Audio Bibles as a test pilot for widows program.
  • Mission Building completed shell, roof, and purchased windows & doors.
  • Bruce completed a Master of Arts in Global Leadership (MAGL). Began PhD journey with Fuller and international cohort.
  • Started partnering with Legacy Refuge ministry serving aged-out orphans, vocational training and leadership pathways.
  • Lighthouse continues serving youth and music initiatives. Staffing two aged-out orphans full time. Elsa from Vladivostok arrives and begins serving with us.
  • 3 months series on Gospel of Luke and vision for our growing mission. community.
  • Bought a family home in Central PA as a base camp for family and seasonal visits to the US we hope to make.
  • Partnered with Empower Ministries to secure 500 large letter Bibles for Ukrainian widows.
  • While in US (Nov/Dec) our community continues to grow in Ukraine, hosting a number of prayer and worship events. Team renovates Lighthouse.

2022

  • War breaks out in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. We are still in US, delayed flights because of testing positive with Covid.
  • Bruce flies over to Cluj, Romania to scout out space for makeshift base during war. Rents refugee house, and house for family. Deb and kids fly over in March.
  • Humanitarian relief efforts, evacuations, refugee care begins.
  • Widows care continues, expanding in summer-fall to reconstructing war torn housing (+45 houses fixed).
  • Guest house in Rzhyschiv hosts space for transit Ukrainians from East and Southern regions. +50 served, some staying for months.
  • Refugee house in Romania serves +70 individuals/families and core 3-4 grandmothers we know, their daughter, grandchildren.
  • Deb completes her Spiritual Direction 2 year course, flies to Spain.
  • Bruce pauses all Fuller graduate doctorate path for 2022. Re-instated and given additional grant award to continue in March 2023.
  • Lighthouse opens during war, serves for free +20k free hot/cold drinks and also snacks. Hosts kids and youth outreaches.
  • Lighthouse mission building completes windows/doors and begins serving as an emergency storehouse for wood and supplies. We bought an industrial wood splitter.
  • Acquired 8 generators for volunteers and friends that serve for winter power outages thanks to Methodist church.
  • Hosted retreat in Western Ukraine for our community that can’t, or decided not to leave Ukraine.
  • Sent +220 pairs of warm winter slippers for grandmothers in widows program. Additional food packages increased, wood provisions.
  • Over $20k in fuel/partner sponsorships who serve on front lines evacuating, food, fixing vans, medicine, through Steiger (Valerie), YWAM , and others.
  • Bruce completed ITR (Instinctual Trauma Response) 10 week program.
  • Broderic and Kristin decide to move to Cluj to serve with Meeting Point.
  • Friendships and places of influence emerge in Cluj, among believers and missional practioners. Praying about next steps.
  • Decision to step down from Mir as director, and by faith navigate next steps.