More than $1.12 million has been given to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Ukrainian relief fund, prompting CBF leaders to pause accepting additional contributions until investing in long-term recovery becomes viable.
CBF field personnel and others working in direct ministry to displaced Ukrainians have advised holding back a major portion of those funds for long-term rebuilding, reported Paul Baxley, CBF executive coordinator.
Even so, CBF has received sufficient funds to meet current needs and prepare for the future, he said. “We are still in the initial relief stage of releasing these funds. … The long-term relief has not even begun. The war in all its injustice is still underway.”
As one example of a needed long-term investment, he referenced the Village of Hope that is part of the ministry of CBF field personnel Gennady and Mina Podgaisky. That camp has been demolished by bombing. “Rebuilding the Village of Hope is month and months away if not years,” Baxley noted.
“We are closing active promotion of this relief fund because we have in hand enough to respond to the immediate need,” Baxley announced during the CBF General Assembly June 30. “In days to come we will be back in touch with information about ways you can participate in the longer-term response.”
The day before, the Podgaisky’s gave an update on the situation in Ukraine, where they normally live and serve. They were on a scheduled trip out of the country when the war began and have not been able to return.
“Every day all over Ukraine, sirens go off for people to go t the bunkers” as missiles are falling, Mina said. “Most of the people we know or got to minister to in the past 19 years cannot sleep in their homes. Many people’s homes were destroyed. Women and children fled the country, and men stayed behind to fight or help with humanitarian efforts.”
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