Two Die, One Hurt in Ukraine Roof Collapse

The fatal accident  occurred while repairs were being made to a church-related facility.  A mission team from First United Methodist Church in Sugar Land, Texas, and Lakewood United Methodist Church, in the Houston area, were making the repairs.

David Nevotti, a member of the Sugar Land church, and Illya Onoprienko, a member of the student ministry of the University of L’viv, were fatally injured during the collapse.

The Rev. David Goran, a United Methodist missionary serving in L’viv as a student ministry director, was seriously injured.  David and his wife, Shannon,  are commissioned United Methodist missionaries to L’viv, Ukraine. They  are missionaries of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church and have received sponsorship from Versailles UMC churches in the Kentucky Conference.

David  has been moved to a hospital in Munich and his wife, Shannon is with him. When they are ready, the Gorans will reach out to the United Methodist community with more information about their personal situation. In the meantime, cards and messages of encouragement can be sent c/o Rachael Barnett, General Board of Global Ministries, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 311, New York, NY 10115.

In addition to receiving support from churches in Kentucky, both Gorans did graduate work in the state. Shannon received her Master of Arts in World Missions and Evangelism from Asbury Theological Seminary and also has a Master of Social Work from the University of Kentucky. David received his Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary.

The Gorans have two sons, Jesse and Jeremiah.