Commissional Corner: Alumnus Russell Chun

Since graduating from the MA in Global Leadership program in December 2017, Russell Chun has become the director of GoodSports International (GSI) Ukraine. GoodSports is "a non-profit missions organization, dedicated to reaching children with the love of Christ through sports, recreational and educational activities." In just the past few months, his travels have taken him through multiple cities in Ukraine during these challenging times.

Chun's work in Ukraine has focused on networking and partnering with other organizations, including Calvary Chapel and Youth With A Mission (YWAM), also ministering in the country. He stated, "The goal was to identify like-minded sports ministries with which GSI Ukraine could partner. All the meetings seemed like divine appointments." Additionally, several relief ministries were encountered that constantly needed volunteer teams. One example is the Hugs winter coat factory, which sews winter coats for orphans. This year's goal is 4,000 coats, and Texas Baptist Men will be one of the partner organizations that will help with the distribution.

Chun's journey also allowed him to connect with Shelter Plus, an umbrella organization for the Punuel Futball Club. He said, "Before the war, the club had about eighty children. They now have 300." During the visit, they baptized coaches and staff who had accepted Christ.

One of the trip's highlights was reconnecting with the MultiSport Association, which has a 20-year history in Ukraine and has worked with the Ukrainian Ministry of Education. They currently have ten high-end trailer cabs that house the eight sports that the Ministry of Education has used to introduce sports to schools. Chun also mentioned that "church teams come to the Ukrainian Christian Sports Academy, where they are trained in 8 sports. These teams return the trailers to the church locales for 4-day camps introducing these sports to their communities."

Chun's conclusion from the trip is, "Ukrainian Christians are leaping to the tasks God has set before them. GoodSports does not need to reinvent itself in Ukraine, but simply needs to come alongside those who are doing the work."