Ukrainians Reaching out for God, His Word, in the Midst of Ongoing War

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In spite of Russia turning Ukraine into a warzone, Christiana are holding fast to their faith and the church is growing at an incredible rate. There are over 100 churches that have opened since the invasion started.

“One hundred and six new churches have been started over the past four years,” Igor Bandura, a pastor and vice president of the Ukrainian Baptist Union, told the Christian Newswire. “Over 13,000 people have been baptized — significantly more than before the war.”

Bandura went on to note that churches across all denominations are seeing an increase in attendees.

Bandura’s Shift in Focus for People of Ukraine

Initially, Bandura’s job was to “build a relation between the Union and other nations across the world and our churches. But since the beginning of the war, my main duty is to organize humanitarian help and assistance when our people need it the most,” he told Defenders of Faith Ukraine.

Soldiers on the front lines are increasingly expressing an interest in Bibles and other types of Christian literature that can bring them peace in the midst of the chaos and help their faith to grow.

“A fellow pastor is currently serving as a full-time chaplain on the frontlines,” Bandura told the Christian Newswire. “In the past month, at the request of soldiers, he distributed over 300 copies of the New Testament, 27 audio Bibles, and more than 670 prayer books. That is the work of just one chaplain in a single month at the front.”

There are approximately 2000 chaplains that have been sent to the front lines in response to the requests of the soldiers.

“On the frontlines, there are those who are saying, ‘God has found us,’” Bandura said. “They ask for Gospel literature and want to learn how to pray.”

Ukrainian Church is Thriving and Evangelizing in spite of Persecution

For all the churches that are now open, there are also quite a few that closed when the invasion started. Many of those pastors and their congregations fled the country for their safety. These believers continued to embrace their faith and deepen their relationship with the Lord, and presently, there are approximately 160 new Ukrainian churches in 15 European countries because displaced people planted them there, according to the Slavic Gospel Association (SGA).

Since the beginning of the war, Putin has made a point of going after churches that are not the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). More than 67 members of the clergy have been killed, and over 630 religious sites have been destroyed. Churches that are allowed to exist in Russia must be approved by and registered with the Russian government, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

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Elizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.