How churches in Ukraine became hubs of hope
19-05-2025
Opinion
Igor Bandura, CNE.news
Igor Bandura. Photo CNE, Canva.com
Opinion
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, churches in Ukraine have become hubs of hope and aid for all those affected by this war. From caring for wounded war veterans to having children draw out their fears, these actions capture a small picture of what Ukrainian churches have been doing, as Baptist Union leader Igor Bandura points out.
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The war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine has left scars on each of us. It has become an incredible test not only for our people but also for the church. Across all territories under Ukraine’s control, Baptist churches have become more than places of worship—they are beacons of hope. As a leader in the Baptist Union, I see how our communities serve veterans, widows, orphans, and those wounded by war.
Everyone is affected by this tragedy, especially children. Since February 24, 2022, when the full-scale invasion began, the church has been a hub of aid for those who have lost everything. We are not merely surviving but testifying to Christ amid the war. The Body of Christ holds a spiritual shield over our people through prayer and wages a spiritual battle, an invisible yet decisive front.
Unity in Action: The Power of Community
The war has united us. In the Kyiv region, one congregation organises daily prayers for peace, attended by Baptists and people who previously did not know Christ. These gatherings have become places where tears of grief blend with songs of hope. Another example is a small village in the Cherkasy region, where a church raised funds to buy a generator for a local hospital after shelling.
Such actions show that faith is not just words, but hands ready to serve. We preach the Gospel from the pulpit and through every act of love, as taught in Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.”
Serving Veterans: The Hands and Eyes of Christ
War returns veterans broken, traumatised, and missing limbs. The miracle is not that God gives new hands, legs, or eyes, but that Christians become their hands, legs, and eyes. In Dnipro, a church started a support group for wounded soldiers: believers drive them to hospitals, read Scripture, and assist with prosthetics. Chaplains on the frontline pray with those who have seen death, reminding them of Christ, who conquered it (John 11:25). This ministry is a testimony of active love.
Young Widows and Orphans: A Growing Need
War multiplies young widows and orphans. In every city, our churches reach out to women barely in their 30s and children, asking why their fathers did not return. In Lviv, one congregation opened a children’s club where orphans draw, sing, and hear about God’s love. Volunteers sew clothes for families who lost breadwinners. We cannot bring their loved ones back, but we can become their family, as James 1:27 teaches—to care for widows and orphans in their distress.
Helping the Traumatised: All Are Wounded
In Ukraine, no one is untouched by war, and everyone is traumatised in their own way. Adults lose homes, and children lose innocence. Churches have become centres of recovery: in Kharkiv, a congregation holds classes for kids from frontline villages. Through creative activities like drawing, children heal from constant fear. Immersion in engaging tasks distracts them from the war’s horrors. Pastors counsel parents whose sons are at the front, while sisters cook for displaced people. This care is not just aid—it preserves hope, so people don’t get lost in the darkness.
Spiritual Shield: Prayer and Warfare
The church is not only about physical support and humanitarian aid. It also fights spiritual battles. Our intercessory prayers hold a shield over Ukraine’s people. In every community—from Lviv and Kyiv to frontline Kramatorsk—people kneel, pleading with God for protection and peace. We wage a spiritual war against the evil that brought this calamity. As Ephesians 6:12 says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness.” This invisible battle may be the war’s most critical dimension.
As a pastor, I find inspiration in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” War is darkness, but the church in free territories has become a lamp. We serve veterans, widows, orphans, and the traumatised, becoming Christ’s hands where war has broken everything. We sustain hope with prayer that pierces the darkness and spiritual warfare that stands for our people.
We bring hope not because we are strong alone, but because Christ is our strength. Every hot meal for a refugee, every prayer for a soldier, is a testimony to a God who doesn’t abandon us. We are learning to be a Church that does not just wait for peace but builds it today.
I ask you, European Christians, to pray for us. Your support—whether a word or aid—gives us strength. Pray that we do not tire of being light until peace comes. For through Christ, who said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), we don’t just survive. We overcome.
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