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HOPE FOR UKRAINE

We are seeking to raise funds to bring relief to the refugees, support to the brave pastors who remain with their churches, and make plans for rebuilding.

WHO WE ARE

Mission to the World has been working in Ukraine since the earliest days of her independence in the 1990s. Through God’s amazing providence, we have seen Him raise up 15 churches having a total of approximately 1,000 members, establish the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine (EPCU) as a new denomination, and begin a seminary. Many of the cities in which these churches exist have come under attack as Russia invades the country. We are appealing for your help for the sake of the churches, the pastors, and the people of these churches.

A pastor in Mykolaiv waits in a bomb shelter for the shelling of his city to stop. When a window of opportunity opens, he grabs his bicycle and rides off to deliver small amounts of money and a large helping of pastoral care to the families who remain. Two thirds of his congregation have evacuated to the west. His small supply of funds, from his church and his own pocket, are depleted. He is effectively out of a job – from a financial point of view. From a pastoral perspective, he has never had more to do.

By the time you read this, the statistics regarding the refugee crisis in Ukraine will have ballooned. As of today, millions of Ukrainians are crossing the borders of their homeland into neighboring countries. They have no certainty of ever seeing their homes or families again. Due to martial law, men from 18 to 60 years of age are not allowed to leave the country. As a result, many families are separated as fathers kiss their wives and children goodbye and send them westward to safety. It is widely believed that as many as 5,000,000 people will be displaced as a result of the war. Some of the refugees will evacuate the most dangerous areas of the country, but choose to remain in Ukraine. The cities in the western portion of the country have already been overwhelmed by the arrival of these refugees.

WHERE WE ARE

We are seeking to raise funds to bring relief to the refugees, support to the brave pastors who remain with their churches, and make plans for rebuilding. Our original goal was $2 million but as the crisis has evolved and escalated, we realize that there are many, many more needs than we anticipated. There are immense needs now but as the dust settles the needs will be even greater as we rebuild and replant churches. We have a large team at work in the western city of Lviv and are partnering with churches and mission teams in neighboring countries.

What follows is our vision for how we can accomplish these things. Please remember that this is our plan today. Due to the extremely fluid nature of the crisis, we expect that these plans will be revised many times.

You Can Help: Short-Term Needs

We have a mission for reaching Ukrainians in the following ways. Your gifts will contribute to the items below. This is a fast-developing crisis situation; monetary allocations may change as needs adapt.

FACILITIES

Rental expenses for hostels, hotels, empty structures; this includes utilities, equipment, and supplies.

STAFF

We need to hire support staff immediately to relieve the mission team and church members.

TRANSPORTATION

Most refugees need help getting to the locations where we can help them. Most will need help to move into other countries.

FOOD

None of the refugees will bring more than a few days’ worth of food with them.

CLOTHING

Many refugees left their homes within minutes of hearing the bombing and shelling. They have little more than the clothes on their backs.

SUPPLIES

In the event of loss of electrical power, we will need heating fuel and diesel generators.

COMMUNICATION

Helping refugees stay in touch with family and friends is vital.

MEDICAL NEEDS

Some of our refugees will need medical care and medicines.

PASTORS' SALARIES

We want the brave pastors who are staying in their cities to be able to continue to minister without concern for their finances.

DIACONAL FUNDS

We want our pastors to be able to meet critical needs in their churches and their cities.

REFUGEE COUNSELING

Refugees and those working with them are subject to significant levels of trauma. We will provide counseling for those impacted by the crisis, as well as training for lay people in grief/trauma care.

You Can Help: Long Term Needs

CHURCH PLANTING

We have already begun to hear stories of people turning to Christ in this crisis. We want to be prepared to receive them into churches where they can hear the gospel, grow in Christ, and be healed. If we cannot plant new churches in Ukraine, we will seek to train pastors in adjacent countries.

REPAIR FUNDS

When the war is over, we want to be able to supply funds for rebuilding churches and the homes of church members. We also want to help to rebuild the communities in which our churches are located. In the event that we are unable to use these funds to rebuild, we will seek to use it as aid to the underground church and for ongoing refugee work in adjacent countries.

Your Gifts Have Made A Difference!

The funds we have raised currently support two MTW crisis response teams in Lviv, Ukraine, and Krakow, Poland. These teams consist of MTW missionaries and their church plant partners who continue to preach the gospel while providing aid to civilians living in these cities. Recently, contacts of a SERGE missionary serving on MTW’s crisis response team in Krakow brought a van full of supplies collected from their community in Granada, Spain, for distribution in Ukraine. After unloading the van in a hotel storage room in Krakow, the Spanish visitors led everyone in a time of worship and praise!

Your gifts have allowed crisis response teams in Romania and Slovakia to care for refugees by supplying food, transportation, shelter, clothes, and medical resources to the displaced. We also sent funds directly to 15 Evangelical Presbyterian Churches of Ukraine and the Evangelical Reformed Seminary of Ukraine so they can attend to their congregants and communities by providing diaconal and humanitarian aid.

The need remains great, but your generosity has alleviated the distress of people removed from their homes, separated from their families, and fearful for their livelihood. MTW is committed to offering relief and sharing the hope of Christ. Thank you for giving and please continue to pray for Ukraine!

WILL YOU JOIN US?

As of this writing, the vast majority of EPCU church members in the eastern and central parts of Ukraine have left their cities, hoping for safety in the waiting arms of their brothers and sisters in the western area of their country or beyond. Although these dear ones and their families are the primary focus of our relief efforts, we will open our doors to anyone who needs our help. We want to do all we can to be the body of Christ to the vast throng of displaced and fearful Ukrainians who are probably wondering where God is right now. Please join us.

For the glory of Christ,
—Jon Eide, MTW regional director, Eastern Europe/Kyiv team leader