They were born in a small village of Gruzyatin in the Menevitskiy region of Volynsk, Ukraine, to parents who were simple farm workers. They both have a brother and a sister. They came to Christ in a small church of this village where Vitaliy eventually became a youth pastor. His grandfather was always praying for him to become a preacher of the Gospel, and God answered his prayers. It is also in this small village church that God called Irina to missions.
On Spetember 11, 2011, Vitaliy and Irina got married and began their new life together in Lutsk, where they were working at the time. Vitaliy is a mechanical engineer by vocation who worked in the auto service, and later on he opened up his own company in cane roofing. Irina is a nurse by vocation and worked in a hospital until the time of giving birth to their first child. Right now they have three children: Evalyn, Ustim, and Lukas.
In 2014, they both enrolled into the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary to study missions. They received their degrees in 2021, and with the unique calling of God, they became missionaries to Brazil.
After much prayer, initial doubts, difficulties, and being led by God, they began to serve in Brazil on December 20, 2021. Their main ministry goal is to plant Evangelical churches in Prudentopolis. This city has the largest number of migrants from Ukraine. About 85% of the city’s population are of Ukrainian descent, however, only a few people there who do are mainly older speak Ukrainian. By the time the Arshulik family arrived there, there were two previous attempts to plant a new church but were unfortunately not successful. The preservation of the Ukrainian culture is closely connected to the influence of the Catholic church. Everyone who claims to be Ukrainian are Catholics.
God showed Himself in an amazing way in the life and ministry of the Arshulik family. This year the newly-planted Baptist church in Prudentopolis will be celebrating their three-year anniversary. This is a great blessing from God and a great joy for the Arshuliks. Looking back, it seems unrealistic for one family of foreigners to change something in this city. But God is so much greater than our expectations.
The church has a lot of different ministries:
- Prayer ministry: prayer meetings
- Education: discipleship, baptism classes, Bible study, home groups, and youth gatherings
- Evangelism: soccer, family ministry, café for women, and children’s ministry
- Social: free lunches for the homeless, giving away of food and clothes for the needy.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Youth leader
- Wisdom from God in leading the church
- Church growth and leadership team
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Phone: +55 (42) 99852-8930;
Email:
Instagram: pibprudentopolis, vitalikarshulik;
Facebook: Primeira Igreja Batista de Prudentópolis
