Dear JEEP Supporters,
There does not seem to be an immediate end in sight to the conflict in Ukraine. The war weariness is becoming obvious, especially for those pastors working near the front lines or with continuing ministries to front line troops. The work is immense and a long rest for many of the pastors seems a great need. Also, many families are living separately because while women and children fled Ukraine when the full-scale invasion occurred, military aged men remain in Ukraine. These separations are of primary concern to the pastors. Even in the western portion of Ukraine, the war was obvious during our Chairman’s last visit. At the border, at bridges, checkpoints, in daily air raid sirens and jets screaming across the sky. Inflation was also apparent, as the Chairman was just in Ukraine a year ago and again in August and he could see heightened prices on everything. The faithfulness and fruitfulness were also apparent, as these men continue to minister to their flocks during these difficult times.
Please pray for the JEEP board as we begin to receive applications for the coming fiscal year and prioritize the work, we will be funding. The needs are great.
The war is clearly affecting life throughout Eastern Europe, but the men of the CREC are faithfully serving Christ and His Kingdom.
The Lord has continued to bring many blessings to our churches in Eastern Europe. Since the war began, with assistance of our donors, JEEP has provided much needed support to our five Churches and nine pastors in Ukraine. During the 2023 fiscal year (Oct ‘22-Sept 23’), JEEP provided:
- $573,000 for Pastoral support and Diaconal needs across Ukraine including food, shelter, stoves, blankets, medical supplies, water filters, candles, etc.
- $75,000 in Transportation of people and supplies including fuel, the purchase of 2 Vans, and repairs to existing vehicles in ministry service.
God has blessed the work:
- Nazareth House, a ministry of Holy Trinity Church in Ivano-Frankivsk, provides assistance and care to abandoned teens and is currently serving more than 50 young people.
- Svitlo Christian school, in Rivne, is currently educating 49 students.
- The Church in Mykolaiv has been hit very hard by Russian rockets and shelling. By God’s Providence, in the last 18 months the church has grown from 70 persons (prewar) to more than 270. This growth appears to be genuine and not “Rice Christians”.
Current Ukraine Relief needs: $320,000
- $50,000 needed for two vans and vehicle maintenance
- One van for the church Mykolaiv where the Diaconal need is extensive. Food, water, basic living needs are brought in and distributed weekly.
- One van to facilitate ministering to the teens of Nazareth House
- Current Diaconal needs, created by the war, for the coming year are estimated to exceed $120,000. This is above the normal support for the Ukrainian Pastors and Churches.
- $150,000 additional requests for Facility repairs and maintenance, Church support, and general ministry needs.
Note: Our 2024 JEEP ongoing General Fund budget for Pastoral and Church support is $146,000.
***One and Two above are the priorities.
Gratefully,
JEEP Executive Committee
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