We continue to be grateful for the generous response to the needs of the churches in Ukraine. We have provided over $70,000 in support.
January, 2023 Update
July 27, 2022 Video update from Pastor Vasiliy
July 24, 2022 – Video update from Pastor Vasiliy. Through July 25 we have given $67,840 to Ukraine humanitarian work with Pastor Vasiliy and the European Baptist Federation.
June 27, 2022 Video update from Pastor Vasiliy. Click here for an update from the European Baptist Federation. Thank you for your generous giving – through June 27, we have received $66,365 for Ukraine relief, 100% of your gifts go to people in need.
June 18, 2022 Update from Pastor Vasiliy and a video
One hundred and eleventh day of the war. In the morning my brother and I went to the car repair shop, we needed to find a master. Then I had a meeting with another man who had to give money in cash, because we spend extra money on transactions. Next, I went to several stores to find one thing for the office. What I realized is the fact that even in large hypermarkets today there is a small selection of goods. We live in the capital and today it is difficult to find everything that could be bought before. There are also few goods in warehouses. Life is getting harder and more expensive. Prices are rising and wages are falling. There are far fewer people in the shops. Even the price is not written on the product in the majority, so as not to scare the customer. In the evening we had a prayer in the church, as every evening, and we prayed for the preservation of the territories of our country from the occupier and other issues.
Before going to bed, a siren sounded in the yard, reminding me that there was a war in the country. One hundred and twelfth day of the war. Wednesday. Today we have a meeting of key pastors of Kyiv region with the bishop. We haven’t met for a long time, so there are a lot of questions. During the war, we experience very specific problems. For example, in my region (12 churches) most pastors have gone abroad today and have not yet returned. Some probably won’t come back. Churches have been left without key leaders, so we need to choose assistant pastors. We had a joint prayer service on Sunday and there was only one pastor out of 6 churches! And all the others are deacons. Also, not many people returned to the church. For example, in one young church before the war there were 60 people and during the war there were 7 people left and today there are 15. And 25 non-believers come. In one big church before the war there were 500 people and today there are about 200. Members of this church went to as many as 13 different countries! And there isn’t even a single guitarist in the worship group! In another big church, 60% of people are gone and it is unknown whether they will return! These are the realities of war! In the evening, a woman called me and asked for help with food. I asked her to come to the prayer service and after the service we gave her food rations.
Video from Pastor Vasiliy – June 5
Thank you for your generosity! As of May 3, we have committed over $46,000 for relief efforts in Ukraine. 100% of these funds go directly to help people in need. Pastor Vasiliy is working with Samaritan’s Purse so some of the money we have sent will help purchase/lease vehicles to get supplies to people in need. We are sending half our funds to Pastor Vasiliy through Highland Fellowship Church and half of the funds through the European Baptist Federation.
Video Update from Pastor Vasiliy – May 5,
Video Update from Pastor Vasiliy
We are sending half of the funds through the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) to the European Baptist Federation – you can read about their work in Ukraine by clicking here. Here’s the latest from the BGAV: “BGAV is working in cooperation with the global Baptist family in providing approximately 52,000 beds in 600 Ukrainian churches and 12 additional shelters in neighboring countries for those who are fleeing the conflict. In addition to a safe place to sleep, our brothers and sisters in Christ are providing hot meals, fresh water, warm showers, listening ears, and caring hearts as refugees find shelter in churches, schools, seminaries, shopping centers, and individual homes. The cost of providing this care is enormous. Current projections tell us that it costs approximately $7 per day to care for a refugee. If we care for 52,000 refugees, we need $364,000 per day! BGAV has already received over $180,000 in addition to the $20,000 provided from strategic reserves. Our funds are being combined with over $6 million dollars given by more than 30 other Baptist Unions and Conventions across the globe.”
The other half of the funds are being sent to Pastor Vasyl. As you know, Pastor Vasyl has a relationship with Highlands Fellowship Church – we partnered with them on our Christmas Mission Offering. Dan joined Jim Fleming (Executive Pastor at Highlands Fellowship) on a zoom call with Pastor Vasyl on April 4. Pastor Vasyl shared about the work his church is doing as well as other churches throughout Ukraine. The funds we are sending will be used by these churches to help refugees, to provide food/medicine to those who don’t have access or money, to keep vehicles running so they can deliver much needed supplies to these areas. We will continue to work with Pastor Vasyl and he is sending regular e-mails to us. For more information – contact Dan (dcarlton@culpeperbaptist.org)
Click here for an article from the Star Exponent about the work that our funds are supporting.
Continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and Russia.
Central Virginia Insurance in Culpeper is hosting a “Race for Ukraine” on April 21 – see details below.
