Ukraine Crisis Response

February 20, 2023 | As we reflect on the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, will you join us – and Christians all over the world – in prayer.

• Thank God for the spiritual awakening and the thousands who are coming to Christ.
• Ask that God would open the hearts of Russians to His gospel. Praise him that Russian prisoners-of-war in Ukraine are hearing the Good News and responding.
• Ask for wisdom for the nations and their leaders who are coming to aid Ukraine.
• Pray for an end to the fighting and victory for Ukraine over the invaders.
• Pray for Ukraine’s leaders – protection, wisdom and righteousness. Pray that those who don’t know Christ would see the good works that the Church is doing and open their hearts to him.
• Pray for God’s peace and comfort for all who have lost loved ones and their homes and way of life. Pray for continued provision for those living as internally displaced people or refugees. Thank God for the outpouring of support which has come to the aid of the people of Ukraine, and pray that the Church outside Ukraine would not grow weary of doing good.

January 30, 2023, | This past November, Sasha and Olga, ministers from Almaz Church in Kiev joined us on a Sunday to share hearts for the current situation and Ukraine and allow us to pray with and for them.

Here are a few brief updates from Sasha:

1. I found out what the situation is in the church, in the city, in the country, how the war affects people, [there] are the opportunities for evangelism and discipleship.

2. It is clear that God gives an incredibly warm winter.  People [aren’t] freezing.

3. Ukrainians are an incredible people and quickly adapted to life without electricity or unstable electricity supply.

4. THE BEST PLACE for evangelism and discipleship is:

• An unfinished church building in an area where more than 40,000 people live.
• The village of Pidgayne where there is already a simple building and a new community that is growing.

• IDEA school, which now has 42 children, we reach 41 families, 38 of which do not have a Christian background.

Please lift up Sasha and Olga. Pray that the Lord would continue to protect them and their family physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Pray that God would use this time of suffering as a ripe time for evangelism and discipleship. May He grant favor and wisdom to those who are serving Him.

January 18, 2023, | It has been almost a year since the start of the war in Ukraine. Devastation and death have clouded the nation, and we continue to cry out to God for this war to end. We continue to regularly engage with our partners on the ground and send funds to support their efforts to meet the basic needs of those impacted by this crisis and sustain efforts that allow the body of Christ to meet. 

We had unfortunate news from Rich with CPTI last month that two volunteer aid workers were killed in a contested area of East Ukraine. Rich shared, “we grieve with their families and co-workers. May they be comforted. We are so thankful for those Christ followers who risk their lives to bring food and heat to so many. They are the peacemakers.” 

Denise, one of Calvary’s long-time supported missionaries on the field, told us that she spent the New Year with her discipleship group. “It was very quiet and sad. We watched President Zelensky’s address to the country right before midnight, and we all cried. One of my students said he thought it would be appropriate if each one of us prayed. The Spirit of God was among us and comforted us and gave us joy in our spirits even though on the outside it was not the case.” 

We grieve with our brothers and sisters. Selah.

Thanks to your generous donations, we have sent funds to Denise to help widows, moms with children whose husbands left them, or those serving in the war purchase wood to heat their homes throughout the winter. 

Sasha and Olga, ministers of Almaz Church, prioritized their “WARM A FRIEND” Evangelistic Project. For now, they plan to use about 10-15 homes from people at their church who have left Ukraine to invite neighbors and non-church friends to live with them during the cold winter days. Each house is working to conduct Bible studies, times of prayer, worship, conflict resolution, and communication between all of the residents. To do this, they needed to provide every home with energy, heat, and internet access to keep people warm and enable work online to maintain jobs. We fulfilled their request for support to provide these crucial resources. 

Please pray for Rich and his team, Sasha and Olga, Denise, and Amy. Pray for those we may not know by name who are doing hard work in dark places for the sake of the Kingdom. Pray for warmth, safety, and Jesus Christ to be uniquely present in this time of need. Please pray that this war ends.

Thank you for your continued engagement and heart for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.

November 30, 2022 | A few weeks back we were able to hear directly from Sasha and Olga, two ministers on the frontlines of the crisis in Ukraine. They expressed their sincere gratitude for the prayers and financial support that Calvary has provided, along with a compelling testimony that God is working in miraculous ways to save those who are lost amid this tragedy. 

The most recent newsletter we received from Sasha read,

“Pray for dire winter situation in Ukraine

Winter is coming, and it means new challenges for Ukrainians. Especially in liberated territories. When we started our ministry in one such region, in the village of Pidhaine, we planned to reconstruct this village by winter. In this letter, we’d like to tell you what we’ve done and what we’re going to do during these last days of autumn.

God richly blessed us in the summer with volunteers and finances which allowed us to reconstruct 25 buildings (glazing and roof restoration) and to build 2 modular houses for widows. That means that 27 families whose homes were destroyed by Russians now have a place to live. God miraculously allowed us to do almost everything we had dreamed about at the beginning of the summer. But not everything. There are still a few houses that need reconstruction. And we hope God will provide us with all necessary to do that.

As we wrote in August we had started to build in Pidhaine a building of a new church and a missionary center. That’s the place where we are going to conduct our regular meetings with the villagers. And where the volunteers will live during the winter (now they live in a temporary tent camp without heating and other basic amenities).

God had generously blessed us, and while it was warm, we could build a part of this building, make a roof, and put in the windows. Our humble team will move to this building because the nights are going to be very cold in a few days. Still, the building is too far from a comfortable place to stay. And needs to be prepared for the meetings as well.

This missionary center will be the place where out volunteers live duing the winter to continue construction work in the village, and then it will serve the citizens of Pidhaine and the neighboring villages.”

Thank you for your contributions to the Ukraine Relief Fund that have allowed us to support this crucial project.

Please continue to pray for:

• Please pray that Sasha and his team are able to prepare the mission center as best they can to live in this winter.
• Pray for the team, their health, spiritual condition, and willingness to continue the reconstruction of the village.
• Pray for God to provide their team with the necessary resources to finish the church and center building and that it would bring glory to God and spread the Gospel.

October 4, 2022 | Back in July, we sent Amy Richey, one of Calvary’s supported missionaries, along with four other volunteers into Ukraine to provide spiritual and tangible support. They made it back safely – thank you for praying. Please read an update from Amy below:

Blessed to be a blessing. We arrived in Ukraine easily. Drove from Budapest to Uzhgorod early in the morning to avoid congestion at the border. Cheering and a few tears commenced amidst crossing the border.

We spent 4.5 hours listening to my ministry partners who drove from the Xarkov region to spend time with us. From the very beginning of the war, they have trusted God for His provision and protection. The day after the war started Maryana and Vova walked to the store for some last minute provisions. It was a quiet morning so they left their two young daughters at home. Just before they arrived they heard and felt the impact of a large missile landing in the middle of their road. The missile did not explode. It missed the main gas line by under 10 feet. As I continue to pray for their safety daily, God reminds me of this continually. There are no guarantees but I am comforted by His continued protection and provision for them.

Here is a newsletter my friend Katie sent out after our trip about Maryana, my friend of 13 years, and Vova.

Your support has allowed Amy and her team to provide practical, emotional, and missional support as they share the gospel and the love of Christ. Because of you, we can partner with them during this ongoing crisis and continue to build the Church in Ukraine.

August 10, 2022 | Our partner, Rich, with Church Planters Training recently sent us an update. Please take a moment to read how your support is blessing their work in this crisis and continue to pray for him and his team.

Friends,

Donbas (a region in eastern Ukraine) has been a war zone since 2014. 

But now with increased combat forces on both sides- offensives and counter-offensives, the remaining civilian population is now in the crosshairs of the opposing forces. They have been asked by the Ukraine government to completely evacuate giving them freedom to counterattack the Russian forces.

Our partner, Vlad M who has visited Donbas weekly for the last 8 years, asked for funds for a larger vehicle to take more aid there and evacuate more.

We are wiring him $25,000.00 this week to meet that need.

I thank God that you have given us the ability to meet such life-saving needs with the Word and Deed. PRAY FOR VLAD AND HIS TEAM AS THEY GO IN AND OUT OF DONBAS.

PRAYING AND GIVING

CHRIST IS ALL

rich

July 8, 2022 | Next week we will be helping to send a group of four people, including Amy Richey, who many of you know as one of Calvary’s missionary partners, into a couple of sensitive areas near the crisis in Ukraine. The purpose of this trip is to provide spiritual and tangible support to fellow believers on the ground in these areas.

They will have an opportunity to visit churches and ministry leaders who have been tirelessly working to protect and cover their communities for over three months now. Fatigue and doubt can creep in during these times, so what a blessing it is to have trusted friends and family in Christ present to uplift those who are weary and in a time of great need.

Please pray for the team as they travel – for safety, good health, good communication, humble hearts, and that they know God’s presence as they go.

July 1, 2022 | Did you know that the Ukraine Crisis Committee has distributed $142,035.16 from the Relief Fund and $95,000 from other special funds? What a blessing. With your generous giving, there is $104,515.65 remaining in the Relief Fund and we continue to work with local partners to support ongoing efforts to care for people affected by the war.

Please continue to pray, specifically, we ask that you would:

• Pray for perseverance and protection for our partners.
• Pray for those who have come to faith during this crisis, that they would receive the discipleship and community they need.
• Pray that the war would end and that God would press on the powers that be to pursue resolution and peace.
• Pray for wisdom as we continue to ask the Lord how to serve and disperse funds according to his will.

June 21, 2022 | Our partner in supporting believers on the ground in Ukraine, Rich Correll of Church Planters Training, reminded us that, “The war does not and cannot stop the work of Jesus Christ. He will complete His work of gathering the saints for their reunion with Him.”

Praise God that even in the darkest of storms where hope may seem lost, there is nothing that can thwart God’s plan or keep his hand from moving powerfully.

Rich shared that their missionary network, GENERATIONS, which is made up of many Ukrainians who have become refugees on journies to discover a new place to call home, are still doing what they have been called to do – evangelizing, starting Bible studies, assisting those in need, beginning new churches reaching many who have also been displaced.  In fact, they recently reported 1,268 people who have made a choice to follow Christ so far this month!

“In spite of having one’s life turned totally upside down”, shared Rich, “there is satisfaction and even joy that [our missionaries] can still be used for His glory, regardless of the chaos of this new life in new places.”

This week, please lift up the GENERATIONS missionary network. Pray for their protection, their perseverance, and that the Lord would multiple the work of their hands.

June 6, 2022 | God works in unexpected ways to call and to save the lost. Our friends at Almaz Church in Kyiv recently shared a story of a volunteer named Tania, who came to their church in March looking to join their evacuation ministry.

“She contacted us and we gladly joined her on our team. She was helping in our cafe, making sure that our men, who are involved in the evacuation, are always fed. When she came to our shelter for the first time she knew nothing about Christ. She was an unbeliever who came to the church for the first time in her life. She soon began talking with our team, attending our Bible meetings, came to know Christ, and decided to follow Him.”

Click here to watch a sweet video of Tania’s testimony.

May 19, 2022 | Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” This is our calling and we continue to thank all of you for praying for our brothers and sisters on the ground in Ukraine and surrounding countries who are on the frontlines during this ongoing crisis.

We have shared updates from various partners over several weeks, here is a focused list of some of the projects we have been able to support through our Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund:

• Almaz Church in Kyiv as leaders have sheltered in place to protect the city and continue worship amid the chaos, assisted in clearing rubble in liberated territories, and worked to evacuate people from dangerous areas. Check out this infogaphic detailing the impacts of donations that have been received.
• All4Aid as they have built and sustain temporary refugee housing in Romania, beautifully named, the House of Grace, the House of Hope, and the House of Peace. Like and follow their Facebook page for regular updates.
• Denise Carter, one of Calvary’s long-time supported missionaries who is currently serving in the Odessa region providing care packages, offering spiritual support and guidance during this traumatic experience, an helping worship services to continue in efforts to stay focused on the Lord.
• Lodz Baptist Church in Poland as they purchase and transport food and other essential supplies to Ukrainian refugees.
• SEND International as they send funds to Kremenchuk Evangelical Seminary, one of the oldest and largest seminaries in Ukraine. This school is still operating as a seminary while transporting, feeding, housing, and comforting refugees in the name of Christ.
• Rich Correll of Church Planters Training, Intl, a Calvary member who has been involved in ministry in Ukraine for many years. He has been on the ground and helped to support Ukrainian pastors running shuttle services for people fleeing Kyiv, providing countless meals, and medical supplies, along with rebuilding efforts. An in-depth report on CPTI’s work can be found here.

We continue to pray, continue to provide support and continue to keep our eyes on the Lord as we wait expectantly for an end to this war.

May 12, 2022 | “Dear Friends, Are still with us?” starts a recent letter from our brother in Christ and partner that you are helping to support in Poland. “Yes, we are still here, with you brother“, is our response. His question is not a reflection of the support of Calvary Church, but a question likely reflected in the hearts and minds of those in Ukraine still facing dire straits, as the world continues to move forward.

In such a time as this, it’s hard to know what to do. When you have given money, prayed, and reached out to those who know you are directly impacted.  2 Thessalonians 3:13 says, “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. So, don’t lose heart, don’t give in or give up, don’t grow weary or be fainthearted. Pray, do good to others, and focus on the future – the eternal destination of your soul.”

So we tell our dear brother and ask you to not lose heart. Do not grow weary in prayer. Please continue to lift up our partners and pray this verse over them. That they may be filled with the strength of Christ to endure.

The full letter from Pastor Wakula reads:

Dear Friends,

Are you still with us? I know, after two and half months of ongoing war everyone is tired, and more and more people are losing high interest in knowing what’s new out there. On one hand – nothing new – war is still taking the lives of many people, nothing new we still are directly and deeply engaged in helping Ukrainian refugees with our humanitarian relief efforts. Hundreds of thousands of them are here – in Poland, in our city, and in our churches. This is making an impact on our daily life, on our ministry, and on how we think about the future. What future is there ahead of us? No one knows! So…not knowing what will come, we continue to do what we are called to do – love and care. In our last report, we shared our project of remodeling some of our facilities for long-term housing for refugees. This is our main way to help them to provide a home. But more and more we collect, buy and send help to our partnering churches in Ukraine. We continue driving every week with several cars to the Ukrainian border, or even into Ukraine direct to deliver our humanitarian help. The needs are growing – since the situation is getting worst and worst over there. So, please don’t abandon us, keep praying. Keep walking with us the extra mile…there will be many of them. We are with them, be with us!!! We are all aware this will be a very long run. We need each other, they need us and our help!

Thank you for holding on and standing with [us].

Please see some new pictures of our help transports delivered to Ukrainian friends.

On behalf of Lodz Baptist Church

Pastor Leszek Wakula

April 27, 2022 | This week we have some challenging updates from Calvary supported missionaries in Israel and an encouraging infographic below of ways in which financial support of Almaz Church in Ukraine has helped save lives.

Please read the update from our missionaries and pray for the ways in which this war has complicated their desire to love and serve their congregation:

April 21, 2022 | This week we have updates from three of our partners working closely with the crisis in Ukraine. Rich from CPTI and Marv and Dawn, beloved Calvary members working with All4Aid. We thank you for your continued prayers and ask that you keep lifting them up.

Rich shared:

Friends,

Marv and Dawn shared:

Hello,

April 14, 2022 |

Last week, we were able to give $15,000, because of your donations to the Ukraine Relief Crisis Fund, in order to support the efforts of a team working diligently to get help to those who are in great need in the Odessa region and surrounding areas. In this video, food and basic need items were given to a pastor who is closer to the war zone to help his people. Please pray for safety on the roads as they travel and minister to physical and spiritual needs. 

Pray also for new people who are attending church in the region where one of our Calvary supported missionaries, Denise, is serving. Many of them are afraid and discouraged during these difficult days. Please pray they will come to know Jesus! 

April 7, 2022 | This week, another one of our partners on the frontlines of the crisis sent us an update. It is a heavy reminder that while we can give thanks for the ways in which God is providing, there is still immeasurable suffering happening in Ukraine. Please read the update below and continue to pray:

Friends,

One of our partners visited a village that the Russians had just left.

They had held the villagers captive for over 30 days pillaging their stores and homes of all their food. They raped women. The villagers spent the entire period cowering in their basements fearful of exiting.

Our partner saw the deep fear and pain in their eyes – a fear which will linger for a lifetime.

Many were in shock fearing the Russians would return. They even feared going into their gardens for planting believing they could have been mined.

He was enraged by the condition of the Ukrainian soldiers – some without uniforms, protective vests, or decent shoes.

There are realities of war that cannot and should not be captured by a camera. They reside in the human soul like cancer.

Perhaps the greatest gift our partners can give beyond food and meds is the expressions of love and care given with an embrace and the assurance that God loves them. Just what our partner did bringing a flood of tears.

PRAYING AND GIVING

CHRIST IS ALL,

rich

April 4, 2022 | We are praising God after reading this note from Rodrigo, All4Aid’s managing director, who continues to update us on how God is at work amind this crisis.

Celebrate with us! Our All4Aid team just drove 700Kg of food and hygiene items into Ukraine!

A drop in the ocean in face of the huge needs, we know. But, this was the first trip, a test for the trips that will follow. Hence the importance of knowing our team was successful and returned safely!

The supplies were desperately needed by our Ukrainian colleague who coordinates the distribution of food for the residents of a small village in the South of Ukraine out of his church building.

Grateful to God!
Super proud of our team!
Extremely thankful for the prayers and support!

Please continue to pray for their team, especially those who are taking risks to bring food and supplies into Ukraine. Pray for courage, protection, and that the Lord’s presence would be felt in a powerful way.

March 23, 2022 | Check out the latest video update from one of our partners, Rodrigo Silva, the Managing Director at All4Aid, at the Ukrainian-Romanian border!

Please pray for the members of their team that has been impacted by COVID. Pray that God would give them strength and healing to continue doing the work before them.

March 21, 2022 | This past week, All4Aid, a faith-based, international, nonprofit organization Calvary has partnered with, began hosting Ukrainian refugees at their beautiful and newly set up House of Grace, in Romania. This is one of three housing units they have been working hard to set up since the beginning of the crisis, the others being the House of Peace (opening tomorrow) and the House of Hope (a large former kindergarten building for which we received concession of use by the local county to adapt into housing)

Aiming to go above and beyond minimum humanitarian standards, their idea was that the housing units should look, as much as possible, like normal houses, offering a safe and comfortable place of rest and peace for our guests. Accommodation is offered to those who are in transit to another country, but also to those who need a place to stay while they figure out their next steps.

Denise, a Calvary supported missionary, has been loaned to All4Aid to work with the Houses of Grace, Hope and Peace in Romania. She will be traveling there on Wednesday, March 23. Denise is friends with three Ukrainian pastors (Oleg, Eugene, and Ivan) who are using their churches to shelter people as well as providing food and medicine for the needy in Ukraine. 

How you can pray:

• Pray that God would provide Denise housing to rent for 90 days, a means of transportation, and quick adjustment to a totally new culture and language. Pray that she will be a blessing as she ministers to those fleeing Ukraine, which has also been her home for the past 26 years. 
• Pray for safety for the Ukrainian pastors, their families, and their churches.
• Pray for the transfer of funds to help with their work – there are many people willing to give but some problems with wire transfers into Ukraine.
• Pray that the service they are providing for their communities will result in many people turning to Jesus; Denise has great hope for revival in Ukraine as a result of the war. 

March 15, 2022 | Many ministries that operate within Russia will soon be struggling due to the cash flow problems created by the US Dollar/Euro sanctions. Please pray for wisdom.

March 14, 2022 | Pray for those who are in the battle and serving others. Pray that Christ’s hand would be upon each of these Ukrainian ministers as they work and lead. Pray for: Igor T, Pavel M, Denis K, Max R, Vlad M, Sergey T, Sveta N, Igor S, Bogdan K, Andrei S, Alexey K, Valera P, Igor B, Misha P, Sergey D, Konstantin K, Rustam I, Sasha R, Maksim M, Max D.

March 7, 2022 | As the crisis in Eastern Europe continues to worsen, our hearts cry out to God. Pray with us for evil to be restrained so there can be peace in the region. Pray that God would place a shield of protection around the Ukrainian people still living in the country. Pray for strength and comfort for the millions who have been displaced from their homes. Pray that the Russian people would know the truth and be willing to stand up against this injustice.

March 3, 2022 | Our Mercy and Missions Department and the Jerusalem Project are working to support relief efforts in and around Ukraine through our local church and mission partners. Following is a summary of our initial response to the crisis:

• Granted funds to Church Planter Training International (CPTI). CPTI has a strong network of godly churches and pastors that are working to meet needs on the ground inside Ukraine.
• Assisted Calvary-supported mission worker Denise Carter with expenses resulting from evacuating Ukraine.
• Working with local churches in Romania and Moldova for refugee relief at their borders.
• Helping Leszek and Ania Wakula at First Baptist Church in Lodz, Poland. Calvary purchased the supplies necessary for these Jerusalem Project partners to host Ukrainian refugees at their church.
• Helping Amy Richey travel to the region. A current mission partner who lived for several years in Ukraine, she will be able to provide on-site updates that will help us coordinate ongoing support.

Your giving to Calvary Church and the Jerusalem Project supports these important projects. It allows us to respond quickly in moments of need, and for that we are so grateful. As we continue to monitor the situation, if the Lord highlights additional needs we will let you know specific ways you can be involved.

Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in the region as they seek to care for all those impacted by the war. Pray for God to restrain evil. Pray for peace in the region.

If you have further questions about how to pray and offer support in the midst of this conflict, please contact missions@calvarygr.org.