MINISTERS OF THE WORD AND SACRAMENTS
«That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake»
Augsburg Confession, Article V V
«And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers…»
Ephesians 4:11 (NKJV)
So Jesus said to them again, «Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you». And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, «Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained»
Gospel of John 20:21-23 (NKJV)
Ihor Shemihon
Parish Pastor
Born in 1981 in the village of Drabli, Cherkasy region, Ukraine. In August of the same year, he was baptized in St. Catherine’s Orthodox parish in the village of Velykyi Khutir, also in Cherkasy region. In 2010, he was confirmed in the Evangelical Lutheran community of St. Catherine in Kyiv, Ukraine. Married to Olga since January 11, 2020. Director of the public organization «House of Mercy – Kyiv».
Theological Education
He received his theological education at the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Novosaratovka, Russia) from 2008–2011 in the advanced Evangelical theology program. He continued studies at the Evangelical Reformed Seminary (Kyiv, Ukraine) from 2014–2016. From 2019–2021, he attended the pastoral course of the Society of Aid and Pastoral Psychology in Poland.
Church Service
In 2011, he was blessed for the service of a deacon in the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine (GELCU) and served as coordinator of the Youth Ministry of GELCU from 2011–2015.
In 2015, he was ordained as a pastor of GELCU. In 2019, he began organizing the St. Martin of Tours congregation in Kyiv. Since 2020, he has been the parish pastor of St. Martin’s community.
Since 2024, he has been the visiting pastor of the Lord’s Transfiguration congregation in Bila Tserkva.
In addition to parish ministry, Pastor Ihor serves as secretary of the Synod Committee of GELCU and deputy to the Bishop for interchurch relations, representing the Church in the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO).
Interests and Hobbies
- Volunteering and cooking;
- Favorite books: The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz, Luther’s Large Catechism, and Household Postils by Dr. Martin Luther.
Favorite Bible Verse:
«…I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me» (Matthew 25:40, NKJV)
Volodymyr Batukhtin
Missionary Pastor
Born in 1960 in Narva, Estonia, into a family with Finnish national and Baptist heritage; not baptized as an infant or child. In 1992, he received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism in the Evangelical Lutheran parish of Pushkin (Russia), part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria (ELCI). Married, with an adult son and a young grandson.
Theological Education
In 2000, he completed the full pastoral and theological course at the Theological Institute of the Church of Ingria.
Church Service
In the same year, he was consecrated as a deacon and assigned to the parish in Pushkin; in 2001, he was ordained as pastor of the same parish. From 2002, he served as rector of the church in Pushkin.
He also began missionary work in Narva, Estonia, regularly leading Evangelical services in Finnish. He served as rector of St. John’s Church in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since 2013, he has been a permanent pastor in Narva, conducting the Holy Liturgy in Estonian, Finnish, and Russian. He serves as chaplain in a care home with about 130 residents. In spring 2025, he volunteered with the public organization «First Ukrainian Battalion of Military Chaplains».
Interests and Hobbies
- Practiced judo in youth; still enjoys sparring on the tatami;
- Creative work: paints in contemporary art style;
- Interested in the history of Ingria; has a personal library and rereads Born in Estonian Ingria by Nikolai Pader, which details many childhood-related places;
Favorite Bible Verse:
«Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know» (John 14:1-6, NKJV)
