It is our mission to use the sacred classics to proclaim the Gospel to the country of Ukraine and the world.
And God has called us to more than music.
Over the years, He has opened opportunities to minister to the emerging Christian community in Kyiv through evangelism and compassionate care.
Music
The KSOC was founded and began performing sacred masterpieces of classical music in 1993. These pieces—including Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’ Requiem, and Mendelssohn's Elijah—were banned under Communist rule. As the Iron Curtain lifted and this music became known to Ukrainian musicians, they described it as “an explosion of light.”
Message
Music Mission Kiev uses sacred music to share the Gospel with a country that lived under years of spiritual suppression. This message has flourished into a dynamic evangelistic ministry that serves people in Kyiv and reaches beyond the borders of Ukraine to other countries in the former Soviet Union.
Mission
Music and evangelism come together to serve those in need. God has placed Music Mission Kiev among the many people in need of care: Widows in need of help and hope, children longing for care and connection, displaced and wounded people searching for shelter. In response, we have developed outreach programs that serve body and soul, meeting physical needs and offering hope found only in Jesus.
Our Story
Since 1992, Music Mission Kiev has served as a beacon of hope to those in Ukraine through sacred music.
Roger McMurrin
Founder/Retired
Roger first came to Kyiv in 1992 and answered God’s call to live and serve there the following year. He founded the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra and led them on 10 U.S. tours. He also planted two churches in Kyiv. Roger passed away in 2023.
Diane McMurrin
Co-founder/Retired
Diane served as Music Mission Kiev’s Director of Communications for 25 years, and has shared hundreds of stories of the ministry’s work both online and in print. She is the author of four books.
Wes Janzen
President Emeritus/Retired
Wes answered God’s call to Kyiv from 2012 to 2019, first as an interim conductor of the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and interim president of Music Mission Kiev before moving there permanently in 2013. Wes served as the Artistic Director of the KSOC, leading the chorus and orchestra for many concerts in Ukraine and internationally. He also expanded our ministry in so many ways—from partnering with other Christian organizations to starting our ministry to young widows. He and his wife Kim are now retired and live in Langley, British Columbia.
Kim Janzen
Director of Widow Ministries/Retired
Kim served as Music Mission Kiev’s Director of Communications following Diane McMurrin’s retirement and developed the ministry to more than 475 widows and sang in the KSOC under Wes’ conducting.
Cultural note: You have probably noticed the two different spellings of the word Kiev on our site. Kiev is the Russian spelling and one that is most familiar to Americans. Kyiv is the Ukrainian spelling and honors the heritage and culture of the musicians, so we use it in the name of the symphony orchestra and chorus. Learn more >
Statement of Faith
We Believe:
That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life.
In one God, the Creator; eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
That Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, and that He was and remains true God and true man.
That God created Adam and Eve in his divine image; that they sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God; and that, as a result of Adam’s sin, all human beings are now born with a sinful nature and stand guilty before God.
That the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood.
In the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into Heaven, and in His present life there for us, as high Priest and Advocate.
In the blessed hope of the personal and imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
That all who by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.
That the Holy Spirit indwells and gives spiritual life to all believers, and enables them to understand biblical truth, empowers them to godly living, and equips them for service and witness.
In the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost.
