Wise made a similar trip to Ukraine three years ago.
The country, particularly the capital of Kiev, was in turmoil in recent months following evidence that a presidential election in late November was the target of massive voting fraud.
Wise originally had scheduled his trip for late November, but rescheduled after residents and students from around the country organized massive protests — the event was dubbed the "Orange Revolution" — in Kiev, where the country's international airport is located.
Wise flew to Kiev on Jan. 28.
On his last trip, Wise noticed that the country, part of the former USSR, is slowly westernizing, and both capitalism and religious freedom are gaining favor.
During Soviet rule, many Ukrainian churches grew idle, and aside from the Russian Orthodox Church, religious freedom was sparse in Ukraine.
When the country gained independence after the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukrainian communities found themselves without a religious education, he said.
"Highly educated theologians didn't exist. They had to start from ground level," he said. "The secular element is tolerant now of those who want to pursue religious pursuits."
Wise is traveling with SEND International, an interdenominational mission agency, which recently graduated its first class in the master's program, he said.
Wise will teach books of the New Testament and related history to men and women in Korosten.
He also hopes to expose the community to experiences from other parts of the world since religious studies are best complemented by a broad education, he said.
"Any curriculum is going to include history, literature, even philosophy — and other courses not directly related to the Bible," he said.
Wise said he includes elements of philosophy and ethics into his classrooms. He believes ethics has often been left out of too many classrooms and that the attitude students take from any class is as important as what they learn.
On his first trip, Wise noticed signs that under Soviet rule, Kiev had been made into one of the USSR's model cities, and that Moscow had invested a large amount of money there. The capital investment did not extend far beyond the capital, however.
"When you go outside Kiev, it's another world. It's like you step back in time," he said.
Chris Eshleman can be reached at chris.eshleman@homernews.com.
Rick Wise, pastor at Glacierview Baptist Church in Homer, traveled to the eastern European country of Ukraine last week. He is now working with a translator to teach a class on the books of the New Testament in the city of Korosten, located near Ukraine's northern border with Belarus.
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