Our sister church the Ukrainian Lutheran Church (ULC), along with all the citizens of Ukraine, has been experiencing the hardship and suffering caused by four years of a terrible and destructive war. Families have had to flee to safer locations, homes have been destroyed, and some pastors have had to relocate to areas away from the war zones.
When the war began, WELS members responded with their own personal prayers and with prayers in their congregations. They also responded generously with gifts and offerings. Those gifts, regularly forwarded to the ULC, have been faithfully used to provide food, fuel, transportation, medicine, and clothing. And the members of the ULC did not keep those gifts for themselves. They have responded to our generosity with generosity of their own, making needed supplies available to many people in their communities who have been affected by the brutality and scarcity of war.
Vyacheslav Horpynchuk, the bishop of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, tells the story far better than I can. This is what he writes:
Here the fifth year of the full-scale Russian invasion began. Thanks be to God this winter is coming to an end. It has been the most severe winter in the recent decades: lots of snow, very low below freezing temperatures and very heavy bombardments of our electrical, heating systems and residential areas of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, as well as smaller cities and villages. Lord, have mercy.
I would like to thank all the brothers and sisters in WELS who came to help us. Many people did not have any extra warm blankets, and some people requested some help to survive that cold. We provided all our congregation members in need with extra warm blankets to survive the cold in apartments with no heat or with very little heat. We also continued to provide all the needy with thermal wear. All of them send their gratitude to all in WELS for your generous help. Thank you very much!
Yet even in these terrible times, God finds ways not only to bless his people but also to create opportunities for God’s people to carry out his mission. Through the works of love done by the members of the ULC, God has brought many non-Christians into contact with Christian love in action, but more important, with the saving gospel of Jesus and the comforting power of his Word. Many have begun to worship regularly in ULC congregations, and dozens of people have been instructed and confirmed.
Roger Neumann, our WELS liaison to the ULC, adds some of his observations:
While the war rages on and people deal with the elements of nature, the gospel ministry is not stopped. I’m very thankful to our Lord for the faith he has given our brothers and sisters in Christ in Ukraine. The ULC pastors continue to preach the gospel, help those who are in desperate need, and offer encouragement and friendship to many people. So many people suffer from depression and anxiety, not certain if they will survive this ordeal or what their futures will be like. The pastors bring them the reassurance that the Lord loves them and will continue to bless them. They also encourage the people to pay more attention to the spiritual blessings that they have in Christ and not focus on the physical needs that are lacking at this time.
While most ULC churches have lost members who have fled from the war and taken refuge in neighboring countries, there are, nevertheless, four new mission sites. Pictured below is mission work being done in one of those sites in Snihurivka.
People in those towns have welcomed pastors to share the gospel with them. In addition, a number of ULC members have taken refuge near Poznan, Poland. Bishop Horpynchuk will be making a trip there, and it’s hoped that a new mission can be started. God is certainly opening new doors and opportunities, despite the war and adversity. God be praised!
I want to thank all of you who have already responded to this need in Ukraine with your generous gifts and prayers. With the end of the war still not in sight, the need continues. Learn more about the Ukrainian Lutheran Church and how you can support it at wels.net/ukraine.
Serving with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder
