Putin’s war machine understands the power of faith and has deliberately sought to destroy Ukrainian churches. Both sides have relied upon Christian themes during the fighting — Putin to justify the unjustifiable and Zelensky to inspire the Ukrainian nation to stand firm in the…
Atlanta church welcomes a Ukrainian family and learns about the bond of love
Olena Levchenko and her Christian family barely escaped Russian forces in Ukraine and bounced from nation to nation in Europe before learning a Baptist congregation in Atlanta, was willing to sponsor them as temporary refugees in the United States. Levchenko…
In Ukraine, Baptists speak most often of ‘prayers’ and ‘gratitude’ amid the horrors of war
Reading through Facebook posts and updates from the Ukrainian Baptists, the two words most commonly used are “prayers” and “gratitude.” There are abundant reasons for our brothers and sisters to cry out in need to God and to give thanks….
Amid the chaos of war, I witnessed Ukrainians seeking safety and hoping for peace
Few people were flying into Warsaw in the first half of March. Those who were displayed a similar intensity — an unpolished, gut-level sense of mission. Russia had invaded Ukraine on Thursday, Feb. 24. A half dozen former U.S. servicemen…
Report from Ukraine: ‘In the midst of the suffering, God is at work’
As the war in Ukraine has passed its seventh month, a shift has occurred. Ukrainian forces have reclaimed parts of occupied territories causing Russian state rhetoric to become even more extreme and desperate. Fighting has intensified in the east and…
A view from the drought: How climate change and hunger and the war in Ukraine are conspiring against life in Africa
In many parts of the world today, two major issues of concern are the rising cost of goods and services, and the scarcity of food. The inflationary aspect is in part connected to the war in Ukraine and the crisis…
Advice from a sunflower
In the early morning, I watch their golden faces from my kitchen window. Often, I whisper a prayer for those in Ukraine. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost six months. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot…
War in Ukraine transforms churches into centers of care
More than 150 days of war in Ukraine have transformed Baptist congregations into much more than houses of worship. “Baptists have become centers for food, shelter, electricity and water. Equally importantly, Baptist churches are centers of respite and psycho-social care,…
Displaced by the war in Ukraine, some Nigerian medical students won’t be allowed to practice if they come home
In the last six months of his sojourn abroad as a medical student, Maurice Nwokejiezi has, on at least two occasions, come up against forces determined to thwart his ambition. The first was in Ukraine where in February, as a…