There is a lot of suffering, but the spirit of the nation is strong,” Bandura said. “We know that every day our soldiers are being killed and almost every day we hear civilians are being killed or injured. “Few people on this planet believed that Ukraine would survive more than three or four days, but we are still alive and we are fighting and with great courage and hope as we are waiting” for the war to end.īut Russia has continued to conduct missile attacks against Ukraine’s infrastructure, as reports suggest another major ground offensive may be imminent. The situation in Ukraine is difficult but hopeful, Bandura said. “People would like to find Christ in the midst of their terrible situation.” It is very contextual because people would like to find Christ in the midst of their terrible situation.” Their presence also has influenced the nature and content of sermons, which are “more simple, but at the same time they have to be more gospel-centered for people who are just trying to understand who Christ is, what he’s doing. Of course, there are such people, but we see men and women who are really open to the church world, to the Bible and to the meaning of prayer.” Not everybody comes to the church only because they get (aid). “Anxious people, they go to churches because they can find support and help there.”īut other visitors are staying for fellowship and asking for spiritual support, he added. Many of the newcomers to Ukrainian churches are simply in search of food and other supplies, he said. “So, you have your congregation going through all these troubles with others who are still unbelievers.” Most churches have seen half or more of their congregations flee their homes and communities.Įven in areas not occupied by Russia, most churches have seen half or more of their congregations flee their homes and communities, leaving pastors to serve the remnants plus the influx of Ukrainians who previously didn’t belong to a parish, Bandura said. “We would like to support them because we would like to keep them in their callings and in their ministry. Many of those displaced clergy who escaped those regions have insisted on ministering to others in need, Bandura said. The union also has been assisting ministers and their families from the nearly 300 Baptist churches that have been destroyed or exist in areas controlled by Russian forces. Then they go back and continue their ministries.” We bring pastors and their wives in for two or three days and just let them rest, and we minister to them with the word of God. In response, the union has launched get-aways for pastors and their wives, he explained. The ministers routinely report getting too little to eat and too little sleep as their facilities - or what’s left of them - host internally displaced Ukrainians and serve as aid stations for the wider community, he said. They are faithful, but they do much more than they did before the war to help people every day.” “You can see this when you speak with them and when you look at their eyes. “Our pastors are really tired,” Bandura replied. Scipio asked about the spiritual, emotional and physical condition of pastors who have remained in the war-torn country. Scipio’s questions, along with some from the virtual audience, ranged from the physical condition of church buildings to ways the war has altered the makeup and needs of Baptist congregations in Ukraine. 2 to huddle with supporters of the union’s efforts to be a source of strength for overwhelmed Baptist congregations and clergy in a war that has displaced millions of Ukrainians and sent at least 8 million fleeing abroad.ĭuring the visit, BWAid Director Marsha Scipio moderated a Zoom webinar featuring Bandura titled, “Special Global Briefing: State of the Ukrainian War and the Baptist Church.” Bandura visited BWA headquarters in Falls Church, Va., Feb.
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