Rev. Aleksandr & Alyona Gröss
SON /NALC Global Workers in UKRAINE
About Aleksandr & Alyona’s work in Ukraine
DELKU (German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine) Assistant to the Bishop and President of the DELKU Synod; Director/Founder of Gloria! Evangelical Youth Ministries
Based in the southern, Odesa region village of Novogradovka, Ukraine, Pastor Aleksandr Gross and his wife, Alyona, have been very close, long-time indigenous SON ministry partners, working in Ukraine, to share and spread the Good News of the Gospel. Their ministry serves in several ways. First, their Gloria! youth ministries that reach and serve youth and families, throughout Ukraine, though Bible conferences and residential camp experiences; Second, through collaboration on ministries and leadership conferences with DELKU; Third, through a social kitchen managed by Alyona that prepares and serves meals to hundreds of shut-ins and the infirmed; and Fourth, through hosting SON English Bible Camps and leadership conferences. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, ministry efforts have been focused on serving the acute care needs of mind, body and soul. Additionally, the the Grosses are housing and providing care for 30+ refugees from the Eastern Ukraine region at the DELKU church compound in Petrodolina.
In Early March 2019, SON Executive Director, Pastor David Breidenbach; NALC Bishop Emeritus, John Bradosky; and NALC Assistant to the Bishop for Missions, Rev. Dr. Gemechis Buba hosted the first SON Regional Learning Center conference, focused on discipleship, for pastors from all three Ukrainian Lutheran Denominations (DELKU, SELKU, and ULC). In March 2020 the second annual conference was hosted in the L’viv region.
In recognition of the humanitarian relief efforts (utilizing SON Ukraine Relief Funds) through the present war:
On September 26, 2022, Oleksandr Gross, the pastor of the congregations of GELCU of the Southern region, received the Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine “For merits to the Ukrainian people.
“This is the first award for 20 years of social work. But it doesn’t belong only to me, but also to all those, with whom we served children and adults all these years. I thank everyone, who made donations and provided necessary resources. This is also your award! I thank everyone, who invested and continues to invest their time and energy in this work! I thank my wife, who was always there and whose hands oftentimes gave this help to people. I thank God, without Him, all this would probably not have happened!” – was Oleksandr’s comment on receiving the award.
The Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is an award of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for significant contribution to any sphere of state life, outstanding socio-political activity, merits to the Ukrainian people in promoting and strengthening Ukraine as a democratic, social, legal state, implementation of rights and freedoms of citizens, development of democracy, parliamentarism and civil harmony in society, and finally, active participation in legislative activities.
More About Ukraine
Pastor Scott & Lena Yount
SON Residential Missionaries to UKRAINE
About Scott & Lena’s work in Ukraine
Pastor Scott Yount has served as a missionary in Ukraine since 2014. Together with his wife Lena, who has a Master’s Degree in Special Education, they teach the Bible at the local orphanage for children with disabilities and organize and lead Bible camps for children with special needs. Other ministries include visits to the school for the hearing impaired and the Cerebral Palsy center. Additionally, they organize Night to Shine, a prom for special needs teens (in partnership with the Tim Tebow Foundation), Bible studies, youth groups and much more. They currently live in Bila Tserkva (near Kiev) and are proud “parents” to their dog, Jack and cat, Black.
Read Pastor Scott’s latest Blog update here:
Pastor Scott's Blog More About Ukraine
Dr. Slavomír (Slavo) Slávik
SON / NALC Global Worker in SLOVAKIA
About Slavo’s work in Slovakia
Dr. Slavomír Slávik is EVS Director, Theologian, author, communicator
TU Zvolen, EBF UK, Media and Communications Norway. Husband, father, preacher, manager, communicator. He doesn’t like to argue, he likes to listen to others. He longs for God’s story to inspire new people.
Based in east-central Prešov, Slovakia, Slavo Slavík has been a trusted, long-time indigenous SON ministry partner, working in Slovakia, to share and spread the Good News of the Gospel. Slavo leads an impressive Christian ministry NGO – EVS – focused on creatively reaching all sectors of people with the Gospel. In addition he helps coordinate and host SON English Bible Camps and Life & Adventure Camps for Teens,
EVS (Slovak Evangelistic Center) – Under the direction of Slavomír Slavík, serves closely with the Lutheran Church but remains an independent organization in order that they can maintain their firm conservative, evangelical foundation in an environment that is increasingly political and intent on re-writing scripture to serve its own purposes. Through their work utilizing social media, Bible apps, blogs, book publishing, international conferences, mini-conferences, church visits, prison ministry, and leadership training, EVS states: “We bring together people who want to bring a message of God’s love to this world with love, understanding and wisdom.”
NALC Bishop Emeritus, John Bradosky; NALC Assistant to the Bishop for Missions, Rev. Dr. Gemechis Buba, and SON Executive Director, Pastor David Breidenbach have all been keynote speakers at EVS Mission Conferences hosted in Slovakia.
More About Slovakia
Pastor David Michael Carrillo (DMC)
SON Residential Missionary to LATVIA
About DMC’s Work in Latvia
In 2010, SON sent Pastor David Michael Carrillo (aka: DMC) as a full-time “Music-sionary” to Latvia. DMC is a talented musician and recording artist and often uses his original music when preaching and teaching. He works all over Latvia and neighboring countries. Additionally, he leads morning prayer and devotions at Striki School several times a week as well as being the campus chaplain. DMC has unofficially adopted three Latvian children abandoned by their own fathers and is raising them to know their heavenly Father. He travels with SON Teams throughout the summer adding a special element to our camps.
Read DMC’s latest Blog post here:
DMC's Blog More About Latvia
Dan & Dawn Hall
SON Missionaries to ALBANIA
About the Hall’s Work in Albania
In 2014 Dan and Dawn Hall answered the call to move to Albania to help start an English-speaking private school in Peshkopi; a small rural village near the Macedonian border. Educators by trade, but also the son of a Lutheran pastor and daughter of Lutheran missionaries, Dan and Dawn soon realized that their true calling was to bring their love of Jesus to Albania. They worked alongside Alpha Omega Church (the only Christian church in the area) and founded an Albanian organization – Hope for Diber – that has allowed them to start Christian outreach centers and congregations in surrounding rural villages.
After dedicating 9 years working full-time in the Albania mission field, the Halls returned to the U.S., in late 2023, to spend more time with family and continue encouraging and coaching the indigenous, Hope for Diber team they established in Albania. Here is a recent update regarding that team:
“Our experience in Albanian villages is that the men seem to be the most difficult to reach with the Gospel, and yet the men are the village leaders. Recently, the men on our team have connected with men in the village first through their children, and then through playing soccer a few times a month. This has turned into building friendships beyond just playing soccer. They are spending individual time with the men, and even helping each other with work they need to do. Please pray that there would be a breakthrough in this area that seems to be opening up.
Denis & Enio have started taking classes through a school in Kosovo especially for equipping Christian leaders in the Balkans. Pray that this would be a great opportunity for them to grow personally and professionally and equip them to be more effective in ministry.
In all, please continue to pray that the work of our team would bear fruit for God’s Kingdom. That more and more people would hear the Gospel and respond in faith to accept Jesus as their Savior, and become His disciples who in turn make disciples.”
More About AlbaniaAbout Missionaries Serving with SON
As a sending agency, Spiritual Orphans Network (formerly East European Missions Network) has placed career missionaries in Poland, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Albania, Turkey and Dubai, UAE. We also strive to equip our international ministry partners to serve as indigenous missionaries within their own cultures. This is an important distinction, as most gauge the “success” of a mission organization by the number of full-time American missionaries that are placed overseas. Not all of our ministry partners want nor do they need full-time Americans serving alongside them. The best full-time missionaries are those who natively speak the local language and truly understand the culture in which they are serving because they grew up there! Each summer, short-term missions teams are sent to serve alongside these full time missionaries and ministry partners.
SON Network continues to develop and nurture international partnerships that produce a strong network of people, ministries, and resources between our overseas partners and North American believers. We accomplish this through sending short and long-term missionaries (when and where appropriate), hosting English Bible schools, camps and retreats, equipping & mentoring leadership through seminars, seminary support, evangelism and prayer. This is how relationships are strengthened, disciples are made, and the Body of Christ is equipped for Kingdom building.
How YOU can get involved:
- Pray for SON missionaries, partners, and projects
- Serve on a short-term mission team
- Support SON Full-time Residential Missionaries
- Contribute to Area of Most Need
If you would like to find out more information about serving as a SON missionary or supporting and partnering with a SON full time missionary or ministry partner let us know how we can help!
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