CBN News

"We want to do something good, something special. We want the people here to be motivated, to see that it's possible to work and serve God without going abroad, to provide for your family right here, in your own community," Luba Griciuk told CBN News through her tears. Fifteen years ago, this young couple reached a crossroads.  "We were ordinary Christians, the kind of people who simply understood that you're supposed to go to church on Sundays, listen to whatever is being preached, have someone tell you something interesting, and feel comfortable sitting through that Sunday service," said Denis Griciuk. Newly married and full of dreams, the couple saw little reason to stay. In a village marked by poverty and unemployment, however, those dreams felt far away. Like so many others, they prepared to leave Moldova. "We had opportunities to leave. We were invited to move to the States. We also had the option to go to Turkey, with very good conditions," said Denis. Svetly was shrinking. Poverty and unemployment were common. Young people left for countries like the United States, Turkey, and elsewhere in Europe, convinced there was no future at home. That changed during a single weekend encounter. The Griciuks met Alex Belev, a leader with Mission Eurasia, through its School Without Walls initiative, a ministry training program designed to equip local believers without requiring them to leave their communities. "What set them apart was their deep thirst to understand how to carry out ministry, how to raise new disciples, how to serve wherever God sent them," Belev said. The training focused on Biblical wisdom, servant leadership, and practical ministry, not in a classroom, but lived out in everyday life. "We are here to raise new generations of church leaders, so that ministry does not stop here and now, but continues over time across generations," Belev told CBN News. That weekend, the couple says, God gave them a new vision: stay and build. "It gave us opportunities to learn, to discover new things, to put our Christianity into action, not just to be passive Christians," Denis said. "We realized that we can be useful right where we are, that we can do something not just be ordinary people, of which there are plenty around." Instead of leaving Moldova, Denis and Luba opened a small bakery with support from Mission Eurasia. Later, they added a café. Today, Colos Coffee serves premium coffee and fresh pastries in a village that once had little to celebrate. But the café is more than a business. Each day, Denis and Luba quietly provide free food to elderly residents and struggling families. Along with warm bread and coffee, they offer conversation, encouragement, and prayer. "We have the opportunity to talk with them, share a little about God, and plant a seed that we believe may one day bear fruit," Denis said. The café also employs young adults who once planned to leave, including 22-year-old Maria Gamarnic. "I had lived in Ukraine, Russia, and Poland, convinced there were no opportunities for me in Svetly," she said. "When I returned, it was only meant to be for a short while. Then I heard about the coffee shop and decided to stay." As the vision expanded, so did the needs they saw around them. First came a bicycle repair shop for children and families who couldn't afford new bikes. Used bicycles are refurbished and given new life. "I see how Denis pours his soul into this day and night, and Luba as well, on weekends and weekdays alike, they devote an extraordinary amount of time to their ministry," said Alexander Stoleicov who oversees the shop. Next, they opened a car repair shop to address transportation challenges caused by aging vehicles and costly maintenance. Luba's father, a lifelong mechanic, now runs the operation. "I've been a mechanic since 1979," he said. "We help with whatever we can." Each initiative created jobs, provided essential services, and strengthened the local economy. But the heart of their mission beats strongest elsewhere. Inside a modest building in Svetly, dozens of children gather every afternoon for homework help, meals, games, and Bible lessons. The center focuses especially on children from difficult circumstances, those raised by single parents, grandparents, or in unstable homes. "We work with children from difficult families, those left without parents," Denis explained. "Grandparents often can't manage their upbringing, education, and development on their own." Volunteers like Swiss missionary Damaris Blessing teach English and mentor students. "I care deeply about children, and I want them to know about Jesus," Blessing told CBN News. What began with a single "yes" to God has now grown into five ministries, dozens of jobs, and countless lives touched.   Alex Belev says the impact reaches far beyond Svetly. "They didn't just make life in Svetly better through the bakery, the cafe, the workshop, the car shop, and the school for children," Belev said. "They created a community that raises up other disciples who go on mission wherever there is need." In a village many had written off, the Griciuks chose to believe something different was possible. "God gave us this opportunity," Denis said. "We received the training, we learned the skills, and we decided it would be wrong to bury this talent, to keep it to ourselves." Fifteen years later, their choice continues to ripple through Svetly, one cup of coffee, one repaired bicycle, one child at a time.   

On the heels of a Super Bowl victory, the general manager for the Seattle Seahawks is sharing his faith in an unconventional way. During his team’s hometown parade on Wednesday, John Schneider threw miniature Jesus figurines to fans gathered on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle, along the parade route for the NFL victors. He tossed the figurines — each emblazoned with the simple message “Jesus loves you” — dozens at a time. Schneider, a Catholic, is at home with the Seahawks, a team full of men of faith, as CBN News previously reported. Dozens of players attend weekly Bible studies in the team’s Seattle locker room. “They bring the same seriousness they have on the field to how they live their lives according to God’s Word,” said Scott Lindsey, media relations director for Logos, after he led one of the studies. It means a lot, he told CBN News, for people like Schneider, Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp, and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye to speak openly about their Christian convictions. “You think about how popular and well-known quarterbacks are and to see young people, you know, their idol, if you will, their sports person, talking about their love of Jesus — that is so encouraging to young people to be that bold,” he said. “Every time there’s a mic in their mouth, it’s just awesome to see them giving glory to God.” https://t.co/xbrI3y2Znk pic.twitter.com/yuVKEXXVGR — Kole Musgrove (@KoleMusgrove23) February 11, 2026 As for Schneider, he has long incorporated his faith into his work. According to KCCR Radio, the Seattle general manager often hands out Jesus figurines before games. He also keeps a small statue of Jesus on his desk in his office. A gift from his mom, the statue is inscribed with a message: “With God, anything is possible.” It also came with a note, a reference to Matthew 10:27, “What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear” (NLT). After Sunday’s Super Bowl, both the Seahawks MVP and coach gave credit to God. Running back Kenneth Walker III said at the end of the game, “First and foremost, I want to thank God for this blessing to be here.” And during the trophy ceremony, coach Mike Macdonald said, “I believe God called me to be a coach and I listened to Him and I thank Him. We are incredibly blessed to be Seahawks, to be 12s. And now, we’re world champions.”

For this Valentine's Day, here is a story about true love. On the campus of Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, a 52-year love story has grown into a lifetime of service. Clarence and Kim Boyd are a remarkable couple who have dedicated their lives to developing students to reach the world for God. The vision of Oral Roberts University is to raise up students to hear God's voice, to go where His light is dim, where His voice is heard small, and His healing power is not known—even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. That focus has helped the university rank among the nation's best colleges. The Wall Street Journal lists ORU in the top 10 for student experience, which includes spiritual integrity, intellectual pursuit, and bold vision. Something good happens here. And it certainly happened for Clarence and Kim Boyd—a loving couple, married for 49 years, who first met on campus as students. I met with the couple to talk about their marriage, family, careers, and their dedication to serving God. It all began when Clarence saw Kim for the first time. **Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.*** "Kim walked in. The first time I saw her, she walked into the cafeteria, and it was unbelievable. I was glued, I was stuck. I'm looking at sisters and all of that, but I'm just staring at her and I'm like, wow, that's somebody I need to know." For Kim, the first time she saw Clarence, her reaction was more reserved. "He was all right," she recalls with an affectionate chuckle. Still, she sensed there was something special about their connection. "You know, I think we right away just developed this community. And there was a group of us that just grew to love each other and care for each other. And out of that became a friendship that was beyond what we planned, obviously, but what the Lord had planned." Three years after that first meeting, Clarence and Kim vowed to love, honor, and cherish each other at their church wedding in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Beyond their marriage, this dynamic duo began teaching and inspiring students and faculty as servant leaders. Clarence stepped into leadership roles, and Oral Roberts personally selected him as Director of the men's athletic dorm. In time, he became Dean of Students and now serves as a senior faculty member in the College of Theology. Looking back, Clarence recalls coming to ORU from his hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas. He remembers how Oral Roberts would often say, "Expect a miracle." As a freshman, Clarence watched that message come to life dramatically. "I was in chapel, and Kathryn Kuhlman was the speaker. She was doing what she does normally about the miracle ministry. And she said, 'There's a man who has cataracts. Cataracts, you're going to be healed.' That man was sitting three seats over, one row back from me. I saw the cataracts fall out, and I saw it. I know I saw it. I could not, in reality, believe it, because I was not accustomed to that. But the fact that I saw it changed my life." For 30 years, Kim has served as Dean of the College of Education. She is also Assistant to the Provost. She remembers her humble Pennsylvania beginnings and leaving home with her best friend to attend ORU, not knowing what to expect—though she carried her mother's prayers with her. "My mom, who had a third-grade education—none of her children before me had gone to college—heard about Oral Roberts University. She liked the rules. She liked that it had a curfew, that it had a dress code. She liked that it was a Christian university." During her first year as a student, Kim took a class that drew her into a deeper relationship with Christ—a class taught by Oral Roberts himself. "I can remember to this day where I was sitting in the Mabee Center when Oral Roberts taught 'Holy Spirit in the Now.' And he started teaching about the need to know the Holy Spirit and the evidence of speaking in tongues. And so that was my encounter with learning about the Holy Spirit and how He could be there with us all the time." Throughout their marriage, Kim and Clarence say God has been the center of their joy. In the family room of their home, a special wall is dedicated to pictures of the Boyd family, showing their four children—all of whom graduated from ORU. They are also proud grandparents to nine grandchildren. As educators, they are deeply committed to the school's mission to develop Holy Spirit-empowered leaders through whole-person education—spirit, mind, and body. They are helping prepare students to become leaders who hear God's voice and shine His light where the world is dim. It's a message they often share when addressing students during chapel. In one chapel service, Clarence challenged students to recognize their calling at ORU to become Spirit-empowered leaders: "That's why you're here. You must first become a whole person if you're going to lead the world in a holistic way. You can't be the problem and then try to fix the problem that you are. That's the problem with the world today. If we're no different from the world, what difference can we make?" And Kim, speaking at chapel, encouraged students to trust God to break every chain that weighs people down: "The last time I checked, God was still on the throne. The last time I checked, He is a mighty warrior on our behalf. The last time I checked, He is real. The last time I checked, He is here today. You have chains that you need to drop; drop those chains today. Get yourself some Word. Stand on the promises of God for you." Just as they exhort their students, Kim and Clarence have been practicing what they preach. They are standing on the promises of God, trusting and obeying Him in both love and marriage. For those who know them, Clarence and Kim are more than a success story—they are, truly, a match made in heaven.