Even before Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to observe a 36-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas, the European Baptist Federation and Ukrainian Baptists planned a Christmas Eve prayer vigil for peace.
The EBF invited Baptists worldwide to join in the Jan. 6 prayer vigil via Zoom. EBF President Stefan Gisiger was scheduled to host the Christmas Eve event, featuring music from Irpin Bible Church, where Igor Bandura, senior vice president of the Baptist Union of Ukraine, is pastor.
Orthodox Christians, who follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, typically celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, as do others in predominantly Orthodox countries.
While some Christians in the Orthodox Church of Ukraine observed a Christmas feast on Dec. 25 this season—in part to distinguish themselves from the Russian Orthodox church—many in the nation planned to observe traditional Christmas on Jan. 7 or recognize both Christmas observances.
Ukrainian Baptists continue ministry
In the same update in which the EBF announced the Jan. 6 prayer vigil for peace, the federation reported “continued shelling, even during Western Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve,” along with frequent energy blackouts across the country. Even so, Ukrainian Baptists continue to provide care for people in need.
The EBF update quoted a Ukrainian Baptist leader: “Churches of Ukrainians continue to minister with greater zeal and courage despite the difficult life circumstances. We are convinced that the snowdrifts, worsening or absence of mobile communication, Internet and electricity are not solid obstacles for the ministry to God and people.”
The Ukrainian Baptist said “missiles and drones have damaged several hundreds of vital infrastructure objects.” Churches and individuals are trying to save electricity whenever possible, when it is available in short-term limited cycles, he reported.
“Power plants, enterprises, and residential buildings were hit. But we are still alive and can work with incredible gratefulness to the Lord for every day we have,” he wrote. “[God] still sits on his throne, and all the leadership, power and further history’s writing belong to him. He will not let Ukrainian people go through trials beyond our strength, so we entrust our current difficulties to him.”
The Baptist Union of Ukraine is providing workshops, training and “time of reflection” not only for pastors, but also for military chaplains, the EBF update noted.
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“Outside of Ukraine, they are working with pastors and leaders who have had to flee who are now ministering to displaced peoples across Europe and Central Asia,” EBF reported.
Offer heat and hope in cold winter
Ukrainian Baptists declared they want to see every Baptist church in the country become a “center of heat and hope” during the brutal winter. So far, the Baptist Union of Ukraine has distributed 229 generators to churches and also are providing financial assistance to help them pay utility bills.
The damage to infrastructure is most severe in the recently liberated Kherson region, but churches there are using their limited resources to provide food and heat to affected neighbors.
“These people turn to the church for help,” one pastor wrote, as reported by EBF. “We try to feed them with what we have at the church. Their needs are huge, but we don’t have enough workers to minister to them.”
Baptists in Germany, Romania, Hungary and Poland continue to send aid to churches in Ukraine, and churches in Moldova, Romania and Poland are operating centers to house Ukrainian refugees throughout the winter.
EBF noted Baptists in Belarus established a network of safe stopover sites for refugees traveling through their country and are distributing information to protect refugees from human traffickers.
Baptists in Georgia also are seeking to care for displaced Ukrainians in their country.
“Baptist partners in the region will continue to be crucial in delivering aid as resources within Ukraine continue to diminish,” the EBF update stated.
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