Has the Ukraine war slipped off your ‘radar’?
Vic Marsay, LPUKI media producer, writes:
I’m ashamed to say that it has for me. So listening tonight to a Ukrainian colleague, who is literally feeding the hungry (both physically and spiritually), was sobering and humbling.
Roman Soloviy – Director of the Eastern European Institute of Theology and Commissioning Editor for Langham Literature in the region – joined our monthly Langham Live Zoom call to share what life is like in Ukraine and to ask for prayer.
And Ukraine really needs our prayers. Yes, they are two and a half years into this war, but air raid sirens are a near-daily occurrence. Electricity supply is patchy. Roman is highly concerned about the forthcoming winter season.
He said: “Still all our life here is defined and determined by the war… the war would be the thing which is underneath, which is on top, which is kind of like in water, everywhere.”
‘No room to sleep’
Roman and his wife escaped to a different city when the war broke out in February 2022, but they returned to Lviv just a few days later to help internally displaced people who were pouring in.
“We had an immense amount of people coming every day. There was no room to sleep. And we were trying to feed them, to take them to the border, to provide some legal help. Medical help, psychological help, spiritual help. Right now, not so many new people are coming.”
Yet Roman and his church are still providing crucial food, clothing and hygiene packages to extremely vulnerable people affected by the war in his city. He explained that the packages are “an important ministry because they provide not only food, but they provide, so to say, hope to those people. We share with them that they are not alone here, even if they lost everything.”
Being present with people
Roman has been reflecting recently on how the war affects ministry.
“Before the war, we would think about mission just simply as preaching the gospel and proclaiming to the world, which is important, and which is vital for biblical revelation. But during the war, we became more and more convinced that there is such a ministry as co-presence, just being present with people, just sharing their experience, their emotions, their sufferings.”
“It’s about being present and sharing the feelings, the destiny, the sufferings of people around you, and trying to do whatever is possible to alleviate their suffering. So to help them. And this is what I think is extremely important in our situation, to share their lives and to be a channel of God’s love and care to those people.” This concept is on Roman’s heart constantly.
There is a thirst to know more about God during this horrendous war, Roman explained. Whereas towards the beginning, there were cries of “Where is God?”, now people understand their need for God, and want to know that there is a God who loves and cares for them.
Contextual commentary on the Beatitudes
Roman shared some interesting projects he is currently involved in, such as a contextual commentary on the Beatitudes. He said: “Ukrainian theologians are trying to explore what does it mean to have a pure heart during war? Or to be a peacemaker when your country is threatened?”
He shared many other insights into life in Ukraine, and how the Church is sharing God’s love.
I can’t do justice to this powerful interview with Roman in one short blog post! Please watch the recording on YouTube and most of all, please pray.
These are Roman’s prayer points:
- Pray for an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine and for the establishment of a stable and just peace that would allow Ukraine to restore its internationally recognized borders, facilitate the return of refugees, and aid in the restoration of war-ravaged Ukrainian territories.
- Pray for the ministry of Ukrainian churches that they remain focused on God’s mission and continue to embody the gospel amidst the challenges of war, exhaustion, a traumatized society, and an uncertain future.
- Pray for the employees and students of theological education institutions. Many have emigrated, some have been mobilized for military service, and others must be prepared for this possibility. Despite these challenges, seminaries continue their educational processes, start new programs, and strive to serve the church, the people, the military, and their families.
- Pray for the Langham authors, who often experience great stress due to military operations, missile attacks, destruction, and loss of relatives and may be mobilized for military service.
- Lastly, pray for the expansion of the ministry of Christian book publishing, as there is a growing urgent need for literature for military chaplains, serving military relatives, those who have lost relatives in the war, refugees, and displaced persons.