[BERLIN] As explosions reverberated across Ukrainian cities like Kyiv and Kherson, CNN’s cameras captured a small group of Christians praying in the middle of a square in the eastern city of Kharkiv.
It was February 24, 2022, and Russia had begun its long-feared invasion of Ukraine. Correspondent Clarissa Ward surmised the prayerful pause encapsulated the moment’s “desperation.”
“Right now, there is truly a sense of having no idea what is coming down the pipeline,” Ward said, “what is in store for the people of Ukraine in the coming hours and the coming days.”
Since that fateful hour, Russia’s invasion has only expanded in scope and the horrors of war have been evermore evident in Ukraine — apartment complexes decimated by missiles, refugees streaming into neighboring countries like Poland and Romania, locals preparing for door-to-door fighting.
Christians can be found on all sides of the conflict. Both Russia and Ukraine have deep, diverse Christian histories and significant Christian populations. Now, as the conflict continues into its fourth week, churches are acting as emergency shelters in Poland, some pastors and prelates are advocating for peace, others are adding fuel to the fire. Christians are fleeing for their lives, fighting on the front lines, and coming to the aid of those in need.
According to the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, Ukraine is 85.8% Christian. Three out of every four Ukrainians are Orthodox, about 5% are Catholic, and just over 1% are Protestant — including Baptists, Lutherans, and Pentecostals.
“We are still the church, even as we flee, even as we fight.”
Among them is pastor Kostyantyn Tyschchenko. Tyschchenko convenes a house church in Kyiv — Ukraine’s capital — and said his small flock are now scattered like sheep. “Some have fled to Poland or Romania, others have sought shelter in their basements, some have collected weapons and are preparing to fight,” he said, “we are no longer a church in the normal sense.”
And yet, Tyschchenko said, “we are still the church, even as we flee, even as we fight.”
“If diplomacy cannot bring peace, then we must turn to prayer.”
Amidst the chaos of war Tyschchenko has been texting with the people he once gathered around his kitchen table to break bread and pray with. He sends them verses of encouragement, pictures from his daily devotions — mainly from the Psalms — and tries to send hope amid despair.
The most difficult guidance he is sharing with his flock right now? To pray for Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Despite everything, we must pray for him to stop what he is doing and choose peace.
“If diplomacy cannot bring peace, then we must turn to prayer,” he said.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Christians are persevering despite the onslaught. Reporting for Christianity Today, journalist Jayson Casper wrote that in Irpin — nicknamed Ukraine’s “Wheaton” — Christians are facing a serious siege as the city lies between Russian forces and the country’s capital.
Home to numerous international Christian ministries, from Youth With a Mission to Samaritan’s Purse, Child Evangelism Fellowship, the International Fellowship for Evangelical Students, and Youth For Christ, Irpin is an evangelical hub in Ukraine. While many local Christians have fled, some have chosen to remain, calling their service in the city their “new ministry.”
Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Christians in the U.S. have close ties with Ukraine
The number of international Christian ministries in Irpin is a stark reminder of the close ties that U.S.-based Christians have with the eastern European country. Alissa B., of California, remembers the time she spent, and the people she met, in Kyiv and Irpin back in 2011.
“The people there were some of the most hospitable, thoughtful people I’ve known,” she posted while making an appeal on Facebook, “I’ve started this post so many times over the past few weeks, but words never seem to do it justice.
“My heart aches alongside my Ukrainian friends and their families,” she said.
Kelly Young’s connection to Ukraine began in 2014 when the Houstonian became the big sister through adoption to a sibling group of three Ukrainians. While there, her family stayed with locals who sacrificed their time and resources to host them while they finalized the adoption. In 2016, Young returned to Ukraine with her ministry partner Leah McGowan, who were afterward inspired to found New Song International (NSI).
NSI serves and cares for children with medical and special needs. Based in Zakarpattya (Transcarpathia) in Ukraine’s far west, NSI partners with a network of organizations and individuals across the country. Working on establishing a community resource center and alternative care facility before the war, Young and McGowan said, “in some ways, everything has come to a screeching halt.”
In other ways, however, “it has ramped up our efforts to meet immediate needs,” they said, “now, we are just doing whatever we can for families whose needs we are hearing about every day. “Every morning, we get a flood of texts or messages from someone looking to make a connection and meet a need. Our organization has put together a crisis relief fund to support our board members and partners on the ground taking in refugees and helping at-risk families. “We are doing everything we can to support those individuals and organizations in this time of great need,” said Young and McGowan.
Responding to refugee needs
For its part, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) has been working with local ministry partners in Ukraine and other countries in Europe to care for those fleeing the conflict. Rev. James Krikava, the LCMS’s associate executive director of Eurasia and Asia Operations, has been in touch with Bishop Serge Maschewski of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine (ELCU).
In neighboring Romania, Rev. Sorin-Horia Trifa of the Confessional Lutheran Church in Romania is serving at the Siret Border Point distributing food and water as well as providing transport to refugees. Calling on U.S. Christians to support their work on the border, Trifa said, “many Americans cannot come here, but we are here already, we can do this.”
“We didn’t want to leave, but after the shelling started, we knew we had to make a decision quickly.”
Reflecting on what it means to be the church in such chaotic times, Trifa said, “God puts us here especially for such moments.”
That was also the sentiment expressed by Oleg Preobrazhensky. Standing at Berlin’s main train station with a blue and yellow sign with “two adults, three children” written in Cyrillic, Preobrazhensky believes he and his family are particularly summoned for a time such as this. “Look, we’re Russian. We know it is not easy for Ukrainian families to trust us or want to stay with us,” he said, “but before we are Russians, we are Christians. Christ calls us to welcome the stranger, especially at times like this.” After just a few minutes, Preobrazhensky is hailed by a family fresh off the train. They do not care he is Russian, they just care that he is here to help.
One of those headed for sanctuary in Germany is Andriy. On the train from Berlin to Frankfurt, Andriy is traveling with his wife, daughter, and two grandchildren. Originally from Sevastopol [in Russian-annexed Crimea], they decided to escape Ukraine before the invasion got too bad.
“We didn’t want to leave, but after the shelling started, we knew we had to make a decision quickly,” he said. Andriy and his family first made their way to Poland. Then to Berlin. Now, they are on their way to Frankfurt, Germany to stay with some of his wife’s distant relatives. They don’t know how long they will be there, but Andriy said he was thankful they have a place to go.
Echoing Tyschchenko, Andriy said, “the most difficult thing for us right now is to not hate Putin and the Russian people, but to pray for them.
“It is difficult, but that is our calling as Christians — to love our enemy, to bless those who hate us, to pray for those who mistreat us, who persecute us.”
*This report was written in collaboration with Lutheran Hour Ministries.