Ukraine

Despite the war in Ukraine going through its now fifth month, our churches in the country continue to function and grow.

Approximately 50% of the people originally from our churches have evacuated to neighboring countries. Those who have stayed continue to gather in small groups and serve the people around them.

There are few of our churches who now can only meet online. Those are churches of Pastors Oleg and Viktoria in Dneprorudny and Melitopol, and also of Pastor Angela in Pokrovsk. These cities are currently under Russian occupation so they are unable to meet with people face to face. Pastor Svetlana’s churches in Kamianske and Zaporozhye, however, are still gathering and having normal services. These groups have become greatly involved in helping refugees from the other regions of Ukraine and serving families with multiple children. Aside from distributing humanitarian aid, the groups’ ministry activities include organizing summer kids’ camps and building relationships with the children’s parents, which then opens the way to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to each family.

As the events in Ukraine continue to unfold, we ask that you continue to pray for the safety of our pastors (Pastors Oleg, Viktoria, Svetlana) and the people still in Ukraine.

Half of Pastor Oleg’s church who remain in Dneprorudny gather in a group and join online ministries. The other half who moved to Dneprorudny now gather for services there. Pastor Oleg and Victoria testify that during this difficult time they have not lost any of their people.

Image: DW News

Pastor Viktoria Draynsh

Pastor Svetlana Borzenkova

Pastor Victoria's churches continue to have meetings in Zaporozhye and Melitopol, and their home groups continue to function as before and meet weekly. Despite the conflict, their people have become ever closer and are still experiencing growth. This is the great glory of God.

Pastor Svetlana's church gathers every Saturday in Kamianske, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where about fifty people are present and twenty-five join online. From the very beginning of the war, the whole church began to actively help refugees from other regions of Ukraine on an ongoing basis. Another area the church serves is by ministering to large families who receive humanitarian assistance, food packages, gifts for children and making “holidays” for them during this difficult time. This enables them to build relationships with the children's parents, which opens the possibility of bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to every family. Like with the other churches in the region, Pastor Svetlana’s continues to grow and develop, as she continues to share about the importance of building a personal relationship and prayer life with God.

Pastor Galina’s church in Sumy continues to have online meetings. In addition, one cell group in a nearby village still functions normally as people gather together. People from this Sumy church are taking care of local families and lonely mothers with disabled kids. They are also supporting an orphanage, supplying them with food and groceries every month, which paves the way for them to share Jesus with the children and their teachers.

Pastor Dmitriy, a chaplain and pastor from Kyiv, together with several people from his congregation, have organized a team that regularly travels to active areas of conflict, to share the Gospel with soldiers and volunteers on the front lines. They visit hospitals where they meet wounded soldiers and civilians, and worship meetings and outreaches for them. The share testimonies of how the soldiers received Jesus or how God miraculously protected them. They also bring humanitarian aid to the frontlines, lay hands on and pray for the soldiers.

We ask that you continue to pray for supernatural protection over Pastor Dmitriy and his team, as they go through the dangers of the front lines to share the Good News to the men and women who need it now more than ever.

Our various homegroups (images taken pre-2019)