As Wednesday marks Ukraine’s Independence Day, Christian nonprofits and churches continue those devastated by the Russian invasion as Christians around the world are suggested to set aside time to pray for an end to the war.
August 24 is the anniversary of the day Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It also marks six months after the day Russia began the invasion of its neighbor.
The World Evangelical Alliance and the European Evangelical Alliance have called on churches and believers around the world to set aside time on Wednesday to pray for God to end the war.
“As we turn to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, let us pray that hearts will be replaced and weapons silenced,” reads the World Evangelical Alliance. “Throughout history, God has replaced desperate and disastrous conditions in unexpected ways, and He can do it once again. And let us also pray for healing and reconciliation, and for Russia and Ukraine to live in peace as independent and sovereign nations. “
Churches have been at the forefront of the millions displaced by the Russian invasion that killed thousands of civilians.
CityServe International is a non-profit organization that provides churches with the resources to receive and care for refugees in times of crisis. CityServe International introduced CityServe Europe in reaction to the Russian invasion and has been supporting the Ukrainian population since the beginning of the war. in partnership with Ukrainian churches.
CityServe operates in several U. S. states, California, Michigan, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Florida. It also has a European network serving the population of the Baltic countries, such as Ukraine, Poland and Romania.
CityServe International CEO Dave Donaldson, who visited Ukraine recently, told the Christian Post that the organization works with local churches in Ukraine, which has about 1800 Ukrainian Pentecostal churches.
The organization supplies churches with food and other essential items to mobilize them in a position for women, youth and the elderly. According to its website, CityServe delivers goods to regions through a network of warehouses that sends materials to local churches called a “distribution point” (PODS).
Donaldson said this formula is also being implemented in Ukraine’s neighboring countries, such as Poland and Moldova. In addition, the organization transported food through the Odessa region, which Donaldson says accounts for millions more food delivered.
Donaldson returned this month from a week-long vacation to Ukraine, where he spent time traveling through Bucha, Kyiv and Odessa. He also spent time in Poland and Moldova. According to the president, Polish police arrested 40 alleged traffickers during their stay.
“I saw this young woman who was about the age of my daughter, crying and holding her baby in her arms,” she said. “So I gave her a hug, a fatherly hug, and when I backed off, she pulled me towards her and said in Ukrainian, ‘Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me. ‘”
While visiting the Ukraine-Poland border, Donaldson saw women and children crammed into tents set up by the Polish government, hiding from the weather but also from predators.
Donaldson revealed in the interview that he has been doing these types of paintings for about 3 decades, which has helped him to be informed to tame relationships, which he applies to build a network of church paintings. Many of CityServe’s wife churches have similar backgrounds.
When it comes to how CityServe locates wedding churches, Donaldson said, “smart news travels. ” He said the organization is also checking which churches to include in its network based on the wishes of that specific location.
“It’s a mixture of the history of running in those towns and countries and word of mouth,” he said.
The organization gained new partners during the COVID-19 pandemic when many families needed food and other products. CityServe has worked with faith communities at 2300 sites to help distribute resources to those in need.
“So right now we have a long waiting list of cities, partners, that need to affiliate with CityServe,” Donaldson said of the organization’s network in the United States.
In addition to Pentecostal churches, CityServe Europe is also connected to Pentecostal European Fellowship, which has 55 denominations.
“This is a network of boots in the box that we have the privilege of serving,” the CEO said.
CityServe in the U. S. The U. S. has increased its investment thanks to $130 million in grants it has earned over the past 14 months.
According to Donaldson, CityServe has still obtained grants internationally, but receives funding through donors.
“If you believe in a triangle, the basis of that triangle would be that individual donor, that monthly donor,” Donaldson said. In some cases, you also have churches that donate. You have a personal sponsorship to help sponsor loaded trucks.
The organization has spent more than $2. 5 million to help churches help others displaced by Russia’s attacks. Donaldson is convinced that they will exceed $5 million in the near future.
The United Nations estimates that around thirteen million people have been displaced since the invasion began on 24 February.
“The reaction of the evangelical network in Europe and around the world has been encouraging,” says the WEA. “There has been an incredible wave of help from near and far – a sacrificial provision of goods, funds, prayers and hospitality. Many others are opening their own homes to those who have fled, most from Ukraine but also those from Russia and Belarus. who reject the war and have had to flee to neighboring countries. The wishes are still great, so let us pray that the hospitality, solidarity and help will continue.
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