As the war in Ukraine passes its seventh month, Ukrainian forces have reclaimed parts of occupied territories. Fighting has intensified in the east and south. And recently, Russian attacks have included major city centers, sending many back into underground bunkers. Baptists in Kyiv commented, “It feels like we are back on Feb. 24.”
In spite of all the death and destruction, Ukrainian Baptists continue to serve as witnesses of hope, living between deep grief and thanksgiving. They grieve the recent loss of a pastor killed in Kharkiv. They grieve the church in Zaporizhzhya that was shut down as Russian soldiers stormed into worship and collected all the congregation’s information. They worry for the lives of a pastor and his wife who were kidnapped on Sept. 21 in Mariupol. They grieve the loss of 46 damaged or destroyed churches and the 200 scattered congregations that are no longer meeting. (The photo is rubble from a Baptist church in the Donbas region, hit by Russian shelling.)
Yet Ukrainian Baptists express deep gratitude for God’s continued work in Ukraine. They are grateful for the ways they have been able to serve people with food, water, energy, transportation to safety, and care. They are grateful for opportunities that the aid brought: Thousands of people have started following Jesus through the witness of Ukrainian Baptists; 2,300 baptisms have happened over the last three months, with 15,000 starting to visit churches. One church in Nikopol had to hold worship three times on a single Sunday in September because 600 people showed up to the church that could only hold 200.
Baptists in Ukraine and the neighboring countries have served an estimated 500,000 people over the past seven months. A remarkable number, since there are only 250,000 Baptists in the whole area. Many Baptists did not expect to be so involved for so long, but as leaders in Moldova commented recently, “We learn to trust in God, to be perseverant, to love God and the people in spite of all the challenges and threats.”