Pictured above: the saints of Mykolaiv receive supplies.
Russia’s ongoing assault on Ukraine has resulted in devastation in many areas, as well as personal loss, injury, humiliation, and deaths for many Ukrainian citizens. Many people in heavily sieged areas, such as Mariupol, have struggled to live without electricity, water, or food, and often die from thirst or hunger. Our CREC congregations and pastors continue to minister to those who are suffering and in need, including church members, residents, and refugees in their communities.
Your generous support is a great encouragement to them. We continue to give hearty thanks to God for kindling the spirits of so many churches and individuals to give so generously. Several recent inquiries and gifts have occurred simply due to word of mouth, or the sharing of the JEEP website, or the passing on of our newsletter. Thank you to all of you who not only support and pray, but also have encouraged others to support and intercede for our Ukrainian pastors and churches as well as the JEEP Executive Committee. Along with our regular support to the pastors and projects in Eastern Europe, the JEEP Executive Committee is sending over monthly relief funds to the Ukrainian CREC churches, as well as to our churches in Poland and Hungary who are ministering to refugees in their communities.
Mykolaiv
The Russian army destroyed Mykolaiv’s main water supply line. Thankfully, JEEP was able to provide Volodya with the needed funds to provide water filters to produce clean water for immediate use. Our ability to respond to this crisis is due to our communication process functioning well and having funds on hand to send. The JEEP EC is discussing more permanent solutions to the water crises for the church and the greater community, making it possible to give cups of water in Christ name to the greater Mykolaiv community. To date, over one-third of Mykolaiv’s nearly 500,000 residents have fled. Volodya and his wife Victoria and daughter Lily have decided to stay in the city until the end and continue to serve their church and the people of Mykolaiv. Although many of their members left, by God’s grace the church continues to worship, and has grown with over 20 new attendees. Volodya expressed deep gratitude in his email for our donations and their timeliness.
Rivne
From Pastor Sergiy’s newsletter from the Svitlo School; “Christian school continues working in an online format for the 6th week in a row. We believe that by continuing with the school classes, we can serve children and parents, to look after the development and emotional state of the children. That is why during the school week students have classes such as math, grammar, reading, English, nature, history, as well as music, art, home projects, online tours and Bible lessons. Twice a week, all the children at the Svitlo school gather for an online meeting, where everyone can discuss the latest news, share their mood, or play games with the class. Children love this time perhaps the most, because they can not only learn, but also feel a sense of belonging to the school community, to enjoy conversing with each other. We still have an unstable financial situation at school. Because the school does not use the whole building (we do not have offline lessons at the moment), it has been decided to abandon 3 large classrooms in order to save money. Some parents at school also have financial difficulties: they have lost their jobs and are therefore unable to pay for tuition. Currently, 19 out of 35 parents pay tuition. Of these, 6 pay in full, 13 parents pay in part and 16 have stopped paying altogether. We understand the financial situation of each family and pray for their safety and financial well-being.”
Pidhaichky
Pastor Volodya Yakubovsky has lost his job due to the conflict. JEEP has agreed to send relief funds allowing Volodya to start his own woodworking shop. This will provide work for himself and members of the community. Volodya’s industry and forethought are a blessing to behold. The new Pidhaichyky church building is still under construction, for example. They are now in the process of completing the bell tower, one of the last major elements of the structure. About $35,000 is needed to complete the project and JEEP is working on helping Volodya raise the necessary funds for materials and discussing how best to proceed with this project.
Ivano-Frankivsk
Sadly, many of the Nazareth House children having left the country, Pastors Ihor Lishchinski and San Sanych, Jr. are working in ministering to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Thousands from Eastern and Central Ukrainian cities now live temporarily in Ivano-Frankivsk, waiting for the war to end. Another glorious result of the crisis there are the relationships Ihor and San Jr have made with Lutherans and other Christian organizations to work together, as the broader church, in relief efforts. Thankfully, Ihor’s wife Tanya and daughter returned from Diosd, Hungary, where Pastor Attila Hajdu had been caring for them for several weeks
Ihor has saved funds and through JEEP fundraising the last few years, they are on the verge of purchasing land on which to build. This will give Nazareth House a greater foothold in the community and extend their outreach, long-term, it will act as a “hub” for CREC activities in Ukraine, both as a location for Hus Presbytery meetings, as well as, for hosting conferences.
A group of saints of RCC in Oregon City were able to leverage their relationship with Nazareth House and helped one young lady come to the US.
Please continue in prayer for these dear saints, and together with the apostles, we encourage you always to “remember the poor” (Gal. 2:10).
Russia’s ongoing assault on Ukraine has resulted in devastation in many areas, as well as personal loss, injury, humiliation, and deaths for many Ukrainian citizens. Many people in heavily sieged areas, such as Mariupol, have struggled to live without electricity, water, or food, and often die from thirst or hunger. Our CREC congregations and pastors continue to minister to those who are suffering and in need, including church members, residents, and refugees in their communities.
Your generous support is a great encouragement to them. We continue to give hearty thanks to God for kindling the spirits of so many churches and individuals to give so generously. Several recent inquiries and gifts have occurred simply due to word of mouth, or the sharing of the JEEP website, or the passing on of our newsletter. Thank you to all of you who not only support and pray, but also have encouraged others to support and intercede for our Ukrainian pastors and churches as well as the JEEP Executive Committee. Along with our regular support to the pastors and projects in Eastern Europe, the JEEP Executive Committee is sending over monthly relief funds to the Ukrainian CREC churches, as well as to our churches in Poland and Hungary who are ministering to refugees in their communities.
Mykolaiv
The Russian army destroyed Mykolaiv’s main water supply line. Thankfully, JEEP was able to provide Volodya with the needed funds to provide water filters to produce clean water for immediate use. Our ability to respond to this crisis is due to our communication process functioning well and having funds on hand to send. The JEEP EC is discussing more permanent solutions to the water crises for the church and the greater community, making it possible to give cups of water in Christ name to the greater Mykolaiv community. To date, over one-third of Mykolaiv’s nearly 500,000 residents have fled. Volodya and his wife Victoria and daughter Lily have decided to stay in the city until the end and continue to serve their church and the people of Mykolaiv. Although many of their members left, by God’s grace the church continues to worship, and has grown with over 20 new attendees. Volodya expressed deep gratitude in his email for our donations and their timeliness.
Rivne
From Pastor Sergiy’s newsletter from the Svitlo School; “Christian school continues working in an online format for the 6th week in a row. We believe that by continuing with the school classes, we can serve children and parents, to look after the development and emotional state of the children. That is why during the school week students have classes such as math, grammar, reading, English, nature, history, as well as music, art, home projects, online tours and Bible lessons. Twice a week, all the children at the Svitlo school gather for an online meeting, where everyone can discuss the latest news, share their mood, or play games with the class. Children love this time perhaps the most, because they can not only learn, but also feel a sense of belonging to the school community, to enjoy conversing with each other. We still have an unstable financial situation at school. Because the school does not use the whole building (we do not have offline lessons at the moment), it has been decided to abandon 3 large classrooms in order to save money. Some parents at school also have financial difficulties: they have lost their jobs and are therefore unable to pay for tuition. Currently, 19 out of 35 parents pay tuition. Of these, 6 pay in full, 13 parents pay in part and 16 have stopped paying altogether. We understand the financial situation of each family and pray for their safety and financial well-being.”
Pidhaichky
Pastor Volodya Yakubovsky has lost his job due to the conflict. JEEP has agreed to send relief funds allowing Volodya to start his own woodworking shop. This will provide work for himself and members of the community. Volodya’s industry and forethought are a blessing to behold. The new Pidhaichyky church building is still under construction, for example. They are now in the process of completing the bell tower, one of the last major elements of the structure. About $35,000 is needed to complete the project and JEEP is working on helping Volodya raise the necessary funds for materials and discussing how best to proceed with this project.
Ivano-Frankivsk
Sadly, many of the Nazareth House children having left the country, Pastors Ihor Lishchinski and San Sanych, Jr. are working in ministering to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Thousands from Eastern and Central Ukrainian cities now live temporarily in Ivano-Frankivsk, waiting for the war to end. Another glorious result of the crisis there are the relationships Ihor and San Jr have made with Lutherans and other Christian organizations to work together, as the broader church, in relief efforts. Thankfully, Ihor’s wife Tanya and daughter returned from Diosd, Hungary, where Pastor Attila Hajdu had been caring for them for several weeks
Ihor has saved funds and through JEEP fundraising the last few years, they are on the verge of purchasing land on which to build. This will give Nazareth House a greater foothold in the community and extend their outreach, long-term, it will act as a “hub” for CREC activities in Ukraine, both as a location for Hus Presbytery meetings, as well as, for hosting conferences.
A group of saints of RCC in Oregon City were able to leverage their relationship with Nazareth House and helped one young lady come to the US.
Please continue in prayer for these dear saints, and together with the apostles, we encourage you always to “remember the poor” (Gal. 2:10).