Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site
Featured
Featured

As a pastor serves bread to the elderly in Ukraine, he prays to retain his humanity

NewsMark Wingfield  |  March 17, 2022

As Ukrainian theologian and pastor Fyodor Raychynets serves bread to the elderly imprisoned in bomb shelters, his prayer is to retain his humanity.

“I have to remind myself on a daily basis that we are humans and we are — not just remain — but it is so crucial in the midst of hell, not to lose our humanity. But to preserve it, and to show it, and to demonstrate it. Because that’s what the people need the most at this moment,” Raychynets told Miroslav Volf, a Croatian theologian who teaches at Yale Divinity School.

Fyodor Raychynets

The two men — Raychynets is a former student of Volf’s when he taught at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia — spoke on the “For the Life of the Word” podcast that is a product of Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Raychynets is head of the theology department at Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary, located on the outskirts of Kyiv.

Their 40-minute interview offers a rare glimpse into what Raychynets called the “rearguard” of the Ukrainian stand for freedom against the onslaught of war sent by Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Raychynets, who experienced the Balkans war, says he learned then that in war there is a frontline but also a rearguard. “And in these rearguards, there are so many things to do. So many things to be useful. So we decided that when the war started, we will build a small volunteers group and we will just serve to the people who suffered the most from the war. And these are the elderly people.

“We feed them because they are in the basements,” he explained. “They have no idea what’s going on outside the world. And they’re just there. Blocked. They are scared to death. So many of them could never dream that they will experience a war again in their lifetime. They are there hungry, without electricity, without water. So what we decided to do is we decided just to provide to these people.”

By now, most of the younger mothers with children have been evacuated to western parts of Ukraine, he said, and are hopefully on their way as refugees to Poland and Hungary and Croatia.

Fyodor Raychynets offered fruit and bread to an elderly woman in Urkaine.

The work of the rearguard, he said, is “to provide the necessary things. Medicine, hygiene stuff, clothing, shoes. We don’t supply the weapons or anything like that, but there are many needs beside that to be helpful with. … The rearguard matters a lot to the frontline. And if there are these people, volunteers who are helping with all the necessary things, then the people in the frontline, they feel supported. And they want to protect us. They want to fight for these people and protect us.”

Raychynets and his rearguard colleagues, particularly other clergy, also interact with the military as they pass through checkpoints and enter areas others are not allowed to enter. And in doing so, they have found needs to be met among the forces defending the Ukrainian people.

Last Thursday, Raychynets and two other clergy served Communion to a group of soldiers, an event documented by photos on his Facebook page. Volf asked him: “What’s happening at that moment? What does this communion stand for and symbolize? … What does Christ’s body, given for the life of the world, mean in that moment?”

Raychynets replied: “It was an overwhelming experience for me, because, in the Balkans, I started to believe in what we called an open Lord’s Supper, when everyone is welcomed, and when there is something scandalous in the Lord’s Supper, how it takes place. Because there are always people who should not be there by our theological perspective or our theological beliefs and so on and so forth.

“And when we went there, and, whenever I’m in that kind of situation, and I am to serve the Lord’s Supper, I always ask people — whoever, whatever church they are, or maybe they’re not church people at all — I will come to them with the bread, and I will say, ‘This is the body of Christ broken for you.’ They should just say ‘Amen.’ And I think that whenever they say ‘Amen,’ they agree. That body of Christ was broken for them as well.”

Fyodor Raychynets and fellow clergy serve Communion to members of the Ukrainian military.

As he served Communion to the Ukrainian military members, one of the soldiers appeared to have no religious background, and he asked what all this meant.

“We just said to them, ‘That’s how we do it. We just come to you and we say, “This is the blood of Christ shed for you.” And when he said ‘Amen,’ it was a moving experience. And I believe that we are just the instrument in this kind of situation. And there is a much bigger, invisible presence of God’s grace which can do something that we cannot do.”

Raychynet knows something of brokenness. Not only from the present moment by also from the death of his wife last year due to COVID-19. And now the seminary where he teaches has been bombed to bits and is occupied by the Russians. He does not know the fate of his own apartment or his church’s building.

“We cannot go there. It is now controlled by the Russian troops. But the video footage that we get daily from that city, it looks much worse than Srebrenica. So that’s the condition. Now the frontline goes through the place. Once the most beautiful part of Kyiv, which is northwest of Kyiv.”

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 9, 2022. The woman and her baby died after Russia bombed the maternity hospital where she was meant to give birth. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka,

Volf noted that Raychynet’s name means “the maker of paradise” but he now finds himself in hell.

Volf also commented that Raychynet’s current service to others reminds him of the words from 1 John: “Love conquers all fear.”

To which Raychynets responded: “Yes, I will dare to put John’s statement in different words, which is more relevant to me: It is not that love conquers fear, but it corrects the fear. It challenges your fear.”

And fighting that fear requires fighting to retain some sense of humanity, the Ukrainian said.

“I see how I, myself, am easily overwhelmed with the negative emotions. Especially when we hear some news about newborn children who suffered, mothers in the maternity houses being hit by the missiles. When I see on a daily basis our literally helpless people, who have to suffer because of someone’s obsession with power, with the desire, uncontrollable desire to crush someone’s will. And at some point I am scared for myself.”

Facing this, he must pray “that I would not, in the midst of this hell, lose that humanity.”

Despite the horrors he is seeing firsthand, he tries to offer encouragement on his Facebook posts, “because I don’t want the outrage, the negative emotion, my anger to take control over the situation. Because I think that’s what our enemy wants. And that’s what we cannot let happen.”

Volf commends Raychynet as a person of strong faith, but he demurs.

A child’s drawing of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, posted by Fyodor Raychynets to his Facebook page.

“I don’t think I’m a person of a strong faith. I’ve struggled with my faith along the way as a theologian, as a pastor. Because for me, it was always important in theology, in our conviction, to be sincere. Well, to the extent that it is possible. But it is challenging to sustain a faith in the situation where there is a sense that you cannot control anything that is happening. You cannot change anything. You cannot impact on the situation that it would change in the way you would like.

“But on the other hand, I know I will be contradictory, but that’s what theology for me is, very contradicted. … In this situation, when you have control of nothing, when you are laying in your bed and you don’t know whether the place where you stay tonight will be preserved until the morning, and when in the morning you are tired and you don’t want to do nothing, you just want to sit in some safe place, and just even not think to go out. But then you remember these people and you remember their needs, and then you get some phone calls, what they need. And you just trust the Lord that, I will go. And if I die, well, at least I die for the right cause. I was trying to help someone.”

 

Related articles:

‘The situation here is terrible,’ Ukrainian Baptist leader tells European allies

As Putin bombs children, Russian Orthodox patriarch names the root of Ukraine’s sin: Gay Pride parades

Mercer scholars explain the immense danger of Putin’s power play in Ukraine

Tags:Pastoral CareWarCommunionMiroslav VolfUkraineFyodor Raychynets
More by
Mark Wingfield
Read Next:

When conservatives today speak of ‘states’ rights,’ they likely don’t mean the popular vote; here’s a case in point

AnalysisMark Wingfield

More Articles

  • All
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Department of Justice investigating SBC on sexual abuse

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • ‘Everything is changing at the same time,’ veteran religion reporter explains

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Skepticism holds seeds of hope: The SBC and clergy sex abuse

    OpinionChrista Brown

  • Tony and Lauren Dungy know something about influence, on the field and at home

    NewsMaina Mwaura

  • Here’s what I’m learning in therapy

    OpinionMark Wingfield

  • Letter to the Editor: I also stand with Brittney Griner and kneel for the Anthem

    OpinionLetters to the Editor

  • It’s easier to be a bully today, author explains

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • A thoughtful question at Bubba-Doo’s

    OpinionCharles Qualls

  • When conservatives today speak of ‘states’ rights,’ they likely don’t mean the popular vote; here’s a case in point

    AnalysisMark Wingfield

  • Transitions for the week of 8-12-22

    NewsBarbara Francis

  • SBC president says he tried to enlist more women for sexual abuse task force but got turned down repeatedly

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • At long last, Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy appears to be dead

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • In applauding Victor Orban, U.S. conservatives call their shot

    OpinionRodney Kennedy

  • Christian nationalism is a danger to our nation

    OpinionMarvin McMickle

  • How The Jetsons and Westworld help us think about robots, personhood and faith

    AnalysisRick Pidcock

  • Some evangelical leaders see FBI visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as evidence of the religious persecution coming to them

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Advice from a sunflower

    OpinionPhawnda Moore

  • Where are the women on the SBC’s first and second sexual abuse task forces?

    AnalysisMark Wingfield

  • New study finds scammers luring migrants with false information via Facebook and WhatsApp

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • What I learned at Wake Forest Baptist Church

    OpinionDavid Ramsey

  • Progressive Baptist congregation on Wake Forest campus votes to close

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Ministry jobs and more

    NewsBarbara Francis

  • Why can’t we accept sexual and gender diversity in humans as well as in all creation?

    OpinionDan McGee

  • I’ve been unaware of my privilege, and if you are a man, you probably have, too

    OpinionRobert P. Sellers

  • South African women’s soccer team success shines a light on gender wage discrimination

    NewsAnthony Akaeze

  • Department of Justice investigating SBC on sexual abuse

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • ‘Everything is changing at the same time,’ veteran religion reporter explains

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Tony and Lauren Dungy know something about influence, on the field and at home

    NewsMaina Mwaura

  • It’s easier to be a bully today, author explains

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Transitions for the week of 8-12-22

    NewsBarbara Francis

  • SBC president says he tried to enlist more women for sexual abuse task force but got turned down repeatedly

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • At long last, Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy appears to be dead

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Some evangelical leaders see FBI visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as evidence of the religious persecution coming to them

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • New study finds scammers luring migrants with false information via Facebook and WhatsApp

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Progressive Baptist congregation on Wake Forest campus votes to close

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Ministry jobs and more

    NewsBarbara Francis

  • South African women’s soccer team success shines a light on gender wage discrimination

    NewsAnthony Akaeze

  • It isn’t a church and doesn’t have members, but it is a way to keep United Methodists in the fold as their congregations disaffiliate

    NewsCynthia Astle

  • Rural church offers community development grants through Gratitude Project

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • The church needs to do better on monkeypox than it did on HIV, faith leaders say

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Russell Moore named editor in chief of Christianity Today

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • 40 Congressmen urge IRS to reconsider classification of Family Research Council as a ‘church’

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Online religion content isn’t luring Millennials away from in-person church

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Ministry jobs and more

    NewsBarbara Francis

  • Study finds congregational leaders report LGBTQ conversations are worth the pain

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • There’s something odd about this Mary, did you know?

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Cuban government clamps down more on religion

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • September symposium will celebrate life and legacy of John Claypool

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Faith leaders urge Congress to fund help for families torn apart by Trump’s ‘cruel’ family separation policy

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • It’s possible some senior adults in your church need help with medical costs or food but won’t say anything

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Skepticism holds seeds of hope: The SBC and clergy sex abuse

    OpinionChrista Brown

  • Here’s what I’m learning in therapy

    OpinionMark Wingfield

  • Letter to the Editor: I also stand with Brittney Griner and kneel for the Anthem

    OpinionLetters to the Editor

  • A thoughtful question at Bubba-Doo’s

    OpinionCharles Qualls

  • In applauding Victor Orban, U.S. conservatives call their shot

    OpinionRodney Kennedy

  • Christian nationalism is a danger to our nation

    OpinionMarvin McMickle

  • Advice from a sunflower

    OpinionPhawnda Moore

  • What I learned at Wake Forest Baptist Church

    OpinionDavid Ramsey

  • Why can’t we accept sexual and gender diversity in humans as well as in all creation?

    OpinionDan McGee

  • I’ve been unaware of my privilege, and if you are a man, you probably have, too

    OpinionRobert P. Sellers

  • Are left-wing radicals pushing Cracker Barrel to the edge of the slippery slope?

    OpinionBrett Younger

  • To be more welcoming, let’s remove our flags

    OpinionJustin Pierson

  • News flash: Not all Baptists are Southern

    OpinionBrian Kaylor

  • Why aren’t we defending Brittney Griner?

    OpinionRodney Kennedy

  • A school administrator reflects on rebuilding relationships between schools and homes

    OpinionStanton Eugene Lawrence

  • Judging the stripper and the carouser in ourselves at the Communion table

    OpinionBrad Bull

  • After the Guidepost report, we need to know more about FBC Woodstock’s City of Refuge and NAMB’s support for it: Was ‘moral failures’ code for sexual abuse?

    OpinionJoanna Sullivan

  • Forsaking Baal for the God who is in recovery

    OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

  • Thomas Merton, Martin Luther King and Critical Race Theory

    OpinionKen Zagacki

  • What evangelicals won’t tell you about the actual sin of Sodom

    OpinionRodney Kennedy

  • Giving birth in prison: The grief of separation, the grace of presence

    OpinionKathy Manis Findley

  • Dear Denny Burk, your view of gender is not biblical, it is dangerous

    OpinionEllie Dote

  • Roger Williams, the father of American deconstruction

    OpinionAlan Bean

  • Why I’m an LGBTQ ally who won’t boycott Chick-fil-A

    OpinionMark Wingfield

  • Do the arts in church still matter?

    OpinionDoug Haney

  • Politicians seek to control classroom discussions about slavery in the US

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Despite vastly different values, evangelical ‘Hamilton’ connects secular left and Christian right

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Both Open- and Close-mindedness Increase in U.S.

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Native Americans urge boycott of ‘tone deaf’ Pilgrim museum

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Boston’s Jews are getting a ‘Jewish tavern’ to study religious text — and drink beer

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • ReAwaken Tour host says he feels harassed by NY prosecutor

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Why the largest US Lutheran denomination apologized to a Latino congregation

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • The Supreme Court Wants to End the Separation of Church and State

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Suspect in Dallas salon May shooting indicted for anti-Asian hate crime

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Anglican Division over Scripture and Sexuality Heads South

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Amy Spitalnick, who took on neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, is moving to Bend the Arc

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • New York City’s Largest Evangelical Church Plans Billion-Dollar Development

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Ben & Jerry’s fears its new Israeli owner could sell ‘Judea and Samaria’ ice cream in latest court hearing

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Why Alexander Hamilton gave his heart to Jesus at a Texas church this weekend

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Baby Blues: How to Face the Church’s Growing Fertility Crisis

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Orthodox Alaska Part 2: The Beatles, Bees And Orthodoxy Animated In One Man’s Life

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Hundreds of thousands gather for mass prayer in Baghdad

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Ukrainian seminary professor faces difficult decisions

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Nondenominational Churches Are Adding Millions of Members. Where Are They Coming From?

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • The Religious Right’s Agenda Is Center Stage Again — And It’s As Unpopular As Ever

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • After Trump, Christian nationalist ideas are going mainstream – despite a history of violence

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • At flashpoint Jerusalem holy site, whispered prayers defy unwritten accord

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Assemblies of God Ordains Record Number of Women

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck debate God’s position on abortion on ‘The View’

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Pope Francis’ Pilgrimage of Penance: A Step on the Nonviolent Journey

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

Conversations that Matter.

© 2022 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS