Some church-planting experts might say that wartime is a not a good time to begin a new congregation. But God has led SGA-supported Pastor Andrei to do what might not make sense: start a new church for Ukrainians who are coming to his church for humanitarian aid!

Will you pray right now for this new congregation and ask the Lord to bless its growth? “We believe that God will provide everything for the planting of a new church,” Andrei says. Read more from his recent report . . .

We would like to share what we currently do. Since June 2022, I have been serving as a pastor in a Baptist church until March 2023. The membership of the church was not large, and the building was small. We all contributed food packages to IDPs [internally displaced persons] and all who needed them. More people came (about 160 people) than we could fit, and we had to hold several services. 

Now our family and the older brothers in the region decided to organize a new church out of the people who would come for humanitarian aid! We prayed and were looking for a building for a reasonable amount of rent, and we tried to find a place where people could easily get there. While this process was going on, we visited people and held Bible study groups. Now we have a place to hold a meeting and continue our humanitarian ministry. It is located almost in the downtown area, near a bus stop, but it needed some repairs and wiring, but we have already done all that. We worked on it quickly because people were eager to attend the service. We also put some new benches and tables in the church, and started to hold meetings for studying the Word of God.

At the moment, we are reading the Gospel of Mark. We study it verse by verse. People ask questions and there is a lively discussion. Everyone likes this format of the Sunday service. They say that this kind of study makes the Bible more understandable. Half of these people read the Bible on their own. Everyone studies the Scripture and prays. People are willing to come to the church meetings and invite their friends. We treat them with tea and pastries. There are 30 non-believers attending our services (the number we can fit so far). Out of 160 people, these are the people who have been coming to church meetings for 8 months and have been helping us with the distribution of humanitarian aid. We believe that God will provide everything for the planting of a new church.

 Thank you, dear friends for your help with the food aid for our people, who are so grateful to you as well and send their thanks! God bless you and your ministry as you do this in the Name of the Lord!

Andrei

Testimonies

Anna

Recently, the war changed my life, and I found myself alone. I lost my job, my husband has gone to work abroad, and since the beginning of the war he cannot come back home. My son is in ICU in another country.

When I heard that I could get a food package in this church, it was like a breath of fresh air for me. To my surprise, I received not only support in the form of much-needed and timely humanitarian aid, but also spiritual support. I am sincerely grateful for the people’s understanding, kindness, sympathy, generosity, and support. It’s nice to know that people in this church are so open and kind, and always there for me—and are able to take other people’s problems as their own.

I received great encouragement that God is near, He loves us and hears our prayers. Because of this, I started reading the Bible and attending church on Sundays. Thank you so much for everything!

A widow

I am a pensioner, a widow. My whole life has been hard since my childhood. I grew up with a hard-drinking father. He abused my mother in front of all of us. I was the oldest of three children, and I took care of my younger brother and sister since I was 8 years old.

My husband died young, and I raised two daughters on my own and cared for his parents. My daughter was in a car accident at the age of 23 and remains disabled and since then needs constant care, I stay with her. I am very grateful for the food packages, because it is a great help for me in such a difficult time of war.

When I heard about Christ, it changed my life. I received many answers to my questions and the unconditional love and care of the Lord that I had been so lacking all my life. I started attending meetings, Bible studies, and to be honest, I haven’t missed one yet. I have invited my friends, neighbors, and co-workers from work to Bible studies because they all need to hear what I have heard. I believe that in times like these in our country, all people need to go to church, pray, repent of their sins, and come to know Christ more intimately.

In a time of great uncertainty, God is bringing help, healing, and hope to the people of Ukraine through SGA-supported pastors, churches, a seminary, and SGA-sponsored Compassion Ministry. Be a part of God’s incredible work with your generosity and prayer support.  

Your gift of compassion helps struggling people with emergency aid that generally includes Scripture materials, food, medicine, warm clothing, and shoes.