With 40 percent of Ukraine’s power stations destroyed after drone and missile attacks in the war, more than one million households are experiencing electricity cuts and rolling blackouts.

Ukrainians are living fear as many prepare to face the harsh winter months without heat. But through our Winter Heat and Hope Project, friends like you have the opportunity to give generously so that SGA-supported churches throughout Ukraine can turn their buildings into centers of heat and hope.

We asked eight pastors with congregations in Ukraine how foreign aid with electricity, firewood, and generators will help their ministry. Here’s what they shared . . .

Pastor Vitaly:

“Our church “The Grace of God Church” is the first Baptist congregation in [a town located in the front-line zone]. Since the war began, many needy people are coming to us daily.

“At the house of prayer, we provide them beds for the night and heating for IDPs (internally displaced people) and neighbors who come to us for that.

“The situation in our town is critical; the power goes off very often, so we need a three-phase diesel power generator capable of at least ten kilowatts to power-up the church. We also need firewood for our boiler. We will be grateful for your help.”

Pastor Viktor:

“Churches of [a Ukrainian region] through preaching the Gospel became aid centers for needy people. In such difficult times, Baptists are distributing food aid wherever it’s possible throughout the whole region and providing drinking water.

“People evacuated away from the front line, and the town’s inhabitants often hide in the church premises from the explosions. Today, when a very difficult winter is approaching our region because the invaders are destroying the heating and electricity supply systems, it will be extremely difficult for the churches to provide people with bedding and heating by themselves. The whole region are in need: people need help to cover their electricity and heating bills, and they require further physical and spiritual aid.”

Pastor Volodymyr: 

“Since the prices for everything in Ukraine have exponentially grown, we need more funds than planned for the upcoming winter. Unfortunately, many churches had to spend their funds to support needy people due to hostilities.

“Any help for heating our churches (by electricity, firewood, gas, or generators) would be very useful for the ministry and will allow churches to be more effective in ministering to people and preaching the Gospel.”

Pastor Sergei:

“If we get some aid with heating for the winter, we will be able to continue to accommodate people at the House of Prayer, hold our daily meetings for IDPs, and have a Sunday worship meeting for the whole church together with IDPs. Today, when the power often disappears, and we are left in with no heating or light, it is vital to have a power generator and finances for gas and electricity!

“This kind of aid is needed, and we hope it becomes possible.”

Pastor Gennady:

“Every Tuesday in the premises of [our] church, in addition to ordinary church services, we hold evangelistic events and distributing humanitarian aid. There are 150 to 200 IDPs are coming for those meetings every week, and there are always new people there. With the power outages we will be forced to temporarily stop this ministry. The power generator seams the only logical solution in this situation. 

“Besides working with IDPs, I have pastoral responsibility for the church in [a different] village. This church mainly consists of elderly people.

“If the problem with the electricity supply continues, we will not be able to use electric heaters or even the heating boiler, since electricity is still required for it to operate. This automatically makes it impossible for us to meet for the worship. Therefore, we need a power generator to solve this problem.

Pastor Mykola:

“We do not know what the next winter holds for us. We pray, worry, and ask for help.

Our church receives 80 IDPs from the eastern, northern, and southern regions of Ukraine on regular basis. Twenty-five of those people are located on the church territory, and the other 55 are settled in the families of the church members. We weekly provide IPDs who stay in the families of church members with food for cooking and hygiene products.

“People located on the church territory receive food and hygiene items daily. Also, we provide food aid to transit immigrants to Western Europe countries who stay with us for one-to-two days. Monthly we prepare and distribute 200-300 food packages (4,000 kg) for IDPs living in our region.

“We are sure any aid with gas, electricity, firewood, and generators is vital and will help us survive the upcoming winter.”

Pastor Andrei:

“It becomes more difficult to survive the cold period in Ukraine because of the damage caused to critical infrastructure. Although at the level city council there are plans to organize 40 heating points, there is no funding for those plans right now. Churches understand they have to become heating points with hot tea and charging abilities for people. But we need the help from outside in order to accomplish this.”

“We definitely need to become centers capable of meeting people’s minimal needs. A good testimony about the church among people will be formed this way. This is a great opportunity for the church to become “a light for the world” literally.”

Pastor Bokoch:

“The electricity is turned off quite often, and pastors with request to help then to purchase generators, small stoves, and firewood for the winter contact me daily. We have a great need for this area.”

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.