Hands, heads and hearts

A builder by trade, over the past couple of years Artem Fabryi has been combining his skills with his heart for mentoring by leading the Wise Carpenter workshop at the church in Denghi. Occupying a converted shipping container on the edge of the grounds, the workshop opens weekly during school term-time to host a group of boys interested in learning carpentry skills.

However, there is so much more going on than just the practical work. The purpose of the Wise Carpenter ministry – to engage hands, heads and hearts – means that every session starts and ends with prayer, and includes a time of bible study or Christian character and lifestyle lessons before any of the measuring, sawing, drilling and sanding can begin. Artem is in no doubt that the spiritual lessons are the most important aspect of the sessions. “Yes, you improve a boy’s skills, you can teach him how to work with a hammer. But if his soul is not saved, what's the point?”

The crisis of the most recent Russian invasion in 2022 followed by the long continuing conflict - “the grey everyday life of war”, as one Ukrainian priest describes it – has thrown into sharp focus the need for ministries such as Wise Carpenter. “Half of the boys here, they don't have father at all. Many have gone to war,” Artem says. Which means, of course, that some will not come back. Artem and his team of leaders have in many ways taken on the role of father figure for these boys, offering care, support and guidance alongside hands-on training with tools. “The goal of this ministry is so that they can build themselves as men,” Artem emphasises; a crucial endeavour as these boys will have to be the reliable and hard-working men Ukraine needs in the future to get the country back on its feet after the war.