Web site will raise awareness of Bible Society work
Focus on Southern Ukraine

Photo: Rostyslav Stasyuk, a member of the publishing team at the Ukrainian Bible Society [photo: UBS/Dag Smemo WR404/7 UKR06DJ-150]

UKRAINE — “It’s very important for us to develop an attractive, user-friendly web site that will really inform people about our work,” says Rostyslav Stasyuk, a member of the publishing team at the Ukrainian Bible Society. Although internet usage is still relatively low in Ukraine compared with some other countries, it is growing rapidly. This means that the Bible Society needs to update and expand its existing quite basic site, launched in 2000.

“Having a better web site will be a cost-effective way of promoting the Bible Society,” says Mr Stasyuk. “Young people are very keen users of the internet, and even a few older people are now starting to use it, too.”

New site

The technical and design tasks associated with setting up the new site have been completed, so now Mr Stasyuk and his colleagues will turn their attention to the content.

“Obtaining information from our regional offices and from outside sources, processing it and updating the site on a daily basis will be the biggest challenge,” he says. “Currently, our web site is only available in Ukrainian, but in future we will need to offer all the material in Russian as well, so that it appeals to people in all parts of the country. Ideally, some of the content should be translated into English, too, so that donors from other countries can read about the work they support.

“There are other features we could include in the longer term. A discussion forum, perhaps, and the opportunity to buy Scripture products online.”

Although he is only 22, Mr Stasyuk, the son of an Adventist pastor, has a long association with the Bible Society.

Volunteer

“I first worked for the Bible Society as a volunteer at the age of 12,” he recalls. “I went in my summer holidays for three years to help build the Western Region office in Lviv and saw the first Bibles being delivered there by truck.

“Later, when I was studying publishing and editing at university, I began working part time for the Bible Society. I was attending classes during the day and working at the Bible Society in the evening. They were very long days! Now I’m about to receive my diploma and I’m looking forward to just working normal office hours at the Bible Society.

My own faith