The Team | The Rays | Erin Brassart
Meet the Rays
Who are we:
Mike, Linda, Rebekah and Hannah Ray moved to Ukraine in 1995. The first year (11 months) they lived and Kiev and studied language. In 1996 they moved to the eastern, “Donbass” region, of Ukraine and lived in the city of Donetsk, serving there for a little over 2 years. In late 1998 they moved to begin serving in Dnipropetrovsk, the city in which they still live and serve. They serve as missionaries with the International Board of the SBC. Mike serves as the Team Strategy Leader for East Central Ukraine.
The girls, Rebekah and Hannah, were 6 and 8 years old when the family came to Ukraine. They were both born in Louisiana and lived in Tennessee before moving to Ukraine. They grew up in Ukraine, speak Russian, and still feel very much at home in Ukraine. They are now in the states, however, where they both studied at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA. Rebekah finished her degree in Journalism and Graphic Design in November of 2009. Hannah is still studying as a Biology and Chemistry major, and is presently (February 2010) a junior at LA Tech. Rebekah is now working at a newspaper in Monroe, LA, and Hannah is planning to attend medical school after graduation, if accepted in to medical school.
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Mike’s hometown is Crossett, Arkansas. He grew up there and graduated high school, then attended Ouachita Baptist University and Louisiana Tech. After graduating from Tech, he studied and completed a degree at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Linda’s hometown is Poplarville, Mississippi. She grew up there and graduated high school, then attended Pearl River Community College before completing her degree at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, MS.
The Ray’s met when they served as summer missionaries in 1979 and have been married since 1981. They have served together in ministry since 1980. They served churches for 15 years in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee before moving to Ukraine in 1995.
What we do:
We seek God’s leadership in working with national Ukrainian partners to see new churches planted, established, and developed in the region of Ukraine in which we serve. We are not here to start our own church, but to assist in seeing Ukrainians start Ukrainian churches.
Some key words that describe our work would be “catalysts or catalyze”… “stimulate”… “facilitate”… “nurture”… These key ideas are fleshed out in some of the following ways:
* We enlist and encourage prayer for Ukraine and her people by regularly sending out prayer requests/reminders to those who have signed up to receive them. We enlist as many people as possible to be a part of this effort.
You may sign up to receive this prayer requests by clicking on this link.
* We are involved in training of national leaders in church planting methods and ideas, in developing vision for the work, small group ministry, etc.
Some of this training is done through conferences and seminars, other times through one on one or in small groups.
* We plan evangelistic projects with our national partners, together with short term teams from the USA, to bring non-believers into environments where they will hear the gospel, and to have exposure to national Ukrainian evangelical believers. These types of projects are varied and can be read about at this link on our site.
* Seek to form partnerships with like-minded believers who God has given a heart for Ukraine, that they would pray, and come and work alongside here.
* We also have orphanage ministry that has developed over the years, due to the kindness of some churches that have partnered with us.
* Mike also serves as an adjunct member of the IMB regional training team for the European Peoples Affinity group
You can find out more current info about the Rays' ministry at Our Team Prayer Updates page.
To Contact the Rays Click Here
Telephone: (We are 8 hours ahead
of CST)
+380 56 789 3036
Postal address:
Mike Ray
Blvd. Zoryani 1 Apt. 169
Dnipropetrovsk, 49107
