Ukraine (MNN) — There is Good News that no shelling can mute and no rocket can destroy.
As Ukraine reels from recent deadly attacks in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, Kyiv, Kharkiv and other places, political tensions continue to escalate. Despite ongoing peace talks — from Oval Office meetings to negotiations in Vatican — true peace remains elusive. While world leaders debate the best path forward, Russia uses the delays to intensify its attacks along the frontlines. Meanwhile, ordinary Ukrainians continue working, studying, and caring for their families, all while bearing the heavy burden of war-weariness.
Eric Mock of Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) shares: “The ceasefire has to happen! The securities need to be there. And it warps the imagination that even in these days, we are seeing senseless destruction.”
In the midst of such devastation, the need for lasting hope becomes even more urgent.
“It’s because the people that are suffering, the people that are dealing with loss, are looking for answers, and the only hope we have, both in good times and in bad — the only hope that we have is the gospel of Jesus Christ,” says Mock.
People help each other (Photo courtesy of Youssef Naddam via Unsplash)
Ukrainian churches are rising to meet this challenge. With support from SGA, they’re distributing food, medicine, generators, and other vital supplies. Mock draws a vivid comparison: “So in the middle of the darkest times, even a flicker of a candle casts off great light, and the gospel is being held forth by these churches.”
These efforts are being strengthened by international church partnerships. Through this coordinated aid, as many as 1.8 million people — many of whom had never heard the Gospel before — have now encountered it. Some are gathering in small groups that have begun to form into churches.
“These are faithful small churches with small congregations that originally were aid centers who have now found a common bond, a common love for Christ and for one another, and they’re forming as churches,” Mock explains.
This growing movement has created a new and urgent need: leadership. SGA has committed to raising up a new generation of pastors and ministry leaders. The current goal is to train 1,000 leaders over the next eleven years — a vital task as many pastors are now serving in the military or have lost their lives defending the country.
“As much as we talk about humanitarian aid, we desperately need to see new leaders who are leading these churches, and that becomes a critical thing, that God would raise them up,” says Mock.
Please pray that the Ukrainian church continues to be strategic in both its humanitarian efforts and gospel outreach. Stand with the people of Ukraine. Visit SGA website and get involved in the ministry God lays on your heart. And above all, pray for a swift and just end to this war.
Header image courtesy of Margarita Marushevska via Unsplash.
