Ukraine MB Church Relief Fund

TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS

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Mennonite Brethren brothers & sisters caught in the crisis in Ukraine need our help.

The Ukraine MB Church Relief Fund, established by MB Foundation, provides emergency relief and refugee assistance to the Association of MB Churches in Ukraine (AMBCU). The association includes 24 churches and 5 church plants.

DISTRIBUTIONS

TOTALING $399,500 as of 06.16.2023

AMBCU’s council determines when distributions are most beneficial. The funds provide them the opportunity to work efficiently and meet expenses due to evacuation, feeding people, equipping places for refugees, car repairs, and meeting other essential needs.

June 16, 2023 – $25,000 sent to AMBCU for medical expenses and care for MB pastors.

March 1, 2023 – $25,000 sent to AMBCU and divided between their nine centers and churches serving the needs in their communities.

December 30, 2022 – $25,000 sent for 100 stoves requested by AMBCU for families without heat. Many are installed in homes but some elect to use in the open air.

December 30, 2022 – $25,000 sent to AMBCU and divided between their nine centers and churches serving the needs in their communities.

November 8, 2022 – $25,000 sent for use by AMBCU to purchase supplies to survive the winter without heat and electricity.

Response from AMBCU: “Thank you very much for the generosity and open heart to the need in Ukraine!”

September 19, 2022  –  $25,000 sent for use by AMBCU for emergency relief and refuge assistance.

June 2, 2022  –  $25,000 sent for use by AMBCU for emergency relief and refuge assistance.

April 29, 2022  –  $25,000 sent for use by AMBCU for emergency relief and refuge assistance.

April 8, 2022  –  $40,000 sent for use by AMBCU.
Response from AMBCU:   “Thank you very much for the food resources, this amount will be spent on 40 tons of food from which food packages will be packed and sent to 8 areas of our ministries. We rented a warehouse near the city of Mukachevo in which a team of Christians from the Mennonite churches of Berdyansk and Zaporozhye, about 20 of them, will pack these boxes and send them to 8 ministries of our association where people need food. We want to pack more than 4,000 food parcels ICare per month because the need for food is huge.”

March 25, 2022  –  $40,000 sent for use by AMBCU.

March 17, 2022  –  $45,000 sent to AMBCU for the purchase of 3 vans to transport food, supplies and people.
Response from AMBCU:    “This is the answer to our prayers. We will try and buy the best cars we can find.  Thank you!”

March 9, 2022  –  $49,500 sent for use by AMBCU.
Response from AMBCU:    “We are sending the funds to occupied areas, buying essentials for people in need, fueling cars for evacuation of people. Three cars are now moving people out from there and going back, packed with relief. We’re trying to help people cross the border of Ukraine by communicating with churches of Lithuania, Germany and Hungary. We have many expenses regarding vehicle services and we are lacking cars. We are capable of sending money to occupied areas; however supplies are expensive and limited. Any funds are incredibly helpful for them. Praise God and thanks so much for your help. You enable us to be helpful for people who are lost in this crisis.”

Your Help is Needed

Your donation helps to meet the urgent needs of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.

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PERSONAL STORIES FROM AMBCU's MINISTRY

PRAISE & PRAYER REQUESTS

01.31.2022  AMBCU

  • There is a prayer need. …today the Russian military seized the building of the Mennonite church in the village of Balkovoe. The military came to the home of Aleksey Garkusha’s mother and asked for the keys, they explained that from now on the building no longer belongs to the church and will work for the Russian military. It was the largest building among all the Mennonite churches. More than 50 children and youth came to the events several times a week. The church has been very active in evangelism. Personally, I have preached many times in this church. I and other Mennonite pastors of Ukraine saw a great future in the development and influence of this church on the nearby villages. Today, this once blessed and noisy building houses Russian occupiers. I do not know what they will turn this church into, maybe they will make a military headquarters out of it, or maybe a prison where people will be tortured. It is very difficult for me and other pastors to accept that a place in which so much of our work has been invested is in the hands of invaders.
    Pray for the pastors and all the people who went to this church that they do not lose hope for better times. We pray that God will revive this place so that children can laugh in it, young people can study the Bible, old people can serve and pray.  We believe in the power of prayer.

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12.20.2022  AMBCU

  • The first 28 of the 100 requested stoves have been received by families. They were sent to the most difficult places. It is becoming more and more difficult for people to live with cold weather, we are trying to help everyone we can and warm our bodies and souls.
    One stove was installed in the home of a mother with a disabled daughter. “In their house, a window was shattered by a shell explosion. They live not far from the front line. The neighbors were killed by a shell explosion. Brothers from our church helped board up the windows with plywood and install a stove in the house. They also brought firewood and food. There are many such families on the front lines and stoves are very much needed. Thank God for your donation. Many families will be able to keep warm.”

11.08.2022  AMBCU

  • Despite the fact that the city of Berdyansk was captured by the Russian army, it was possible to hold a conference for young people there.  young people from 3 churches were invited.  It was a great time to worship God despite the danger and occupation by the troops.
  • Two years ago we rented a building for our MB church in Zaporozhye.  We made good repairs, and for about 2 years we held worship services in this place.  When the war started, I was discouraged and thought that a lot of work had been done in vain.  But now God is encouraging me that hundreds and thousands of people are receiving help in this room.  Our team of 70 volunteers works every day for the glory of the Lord.  It’s inspiring.  The city of Zaporozhye is going through difficult times, shelling every day, and often there is no electricity, water or gas.
  • AMBCU has 9 large shelters where people affected by the war can get help. We continue to divide all the resources that come to us equally between them. We understand very well that the winter will be difficult. We are actively preparing all our volunteer centers. We need to be prepared to survive the winter without heat and electricity. Therefore, resources are needed for the purchase of firewood, wood-burning stoves, generators, as well as products in which the need is now becoming more acute.

06.06.2022  AMBCU

  • Praise God for 100 children that attended the celebration at one of the centers where MB brothers and sisters are assisting refugees. The children participated in activities and were given a gift and a Bible. The event happened on June 1, International Children’s Day, and were organized for children in various locations in Ukraine for the purpose of caring for them and providing a distraction from war and worries. Parents were invited to return the next day for another event which helped the team of workers to connect with refugees and share the love of Christ with them.
  • Pray for wisdom as they anticipate other future events for children.

05.24.2022  AMBCU

  • Pray for Pastor Ivan Srepanovich who is very ill.
  • Praise for Nikolai-Polye, a small friendly community, where Christians began to actively pray to be useful in the field of God in these difficult times. God answered their prayers. Now the church has received more than forty refugees from the occupied villages of the Zaporozhye region. Christians try to be a support for the victims. They give each family iCare food aid, preach to them about the great love of God. Now the small room of the prayer house can hardly accommodate everyone who wants to come to Sunday services.
  • Pray for many pastors who lost everything they worked for before the war as they now find themselves in new ministry.

04.10.2022  AMBCU

  • Pray for safety. We are expecting a second wave of Russian offensive from Donetsk and therefore we are taking our churches out of this region. Over the past 5 days, we have taken out more than 200 people, these are women and children from the Donetsk region, whom we are now trying to place in other cities of Ukraine or send them abroad. The Russian army in some places is located about 10 km from Zaporozhye and therefore we are preparing the evacuation of all the ministers of our churches who are still in the city.
  • Praise that more than 30 people from the churches of Berdyansk and Balkove left the occupied territories and today are safe in Ukraine and Lithuania, some of them are in Mukachevo.
  • Praise for funds to help purchase 40 tons of food to be packed and distributed by a team from Mennonite churches.
  • Praise for the purchase of two minibusses that will transport supplies and evacuees.

03.22.2022  AMBCU

  • Pray for families wanting to evacuate as they choose between longer but safer routes or main highways that may be more dangerous but help them reach security faster.
  • Pray for AMBCU churches as they provide overnight accommodations, treat the wounded, give psychological counseling, and help refugees look for ways to move further from the frontlines.
  • People who escaped the shelling are disorientated and have problems navigating.  Pray for Christians who are trying to notice such lost people, giving them a hand, sharing fuel (despite having a limited amount of it themselves), providing spiritual counseling, or driving them to the place where they can eat, take a shower, and rest overnight. They are doing their utmost to be a reflection of the love of Christ for everyone who needs it.

03.16.2022  Requests from MB Pastor

  • Pray for families that are separated as many women and children are in Europe and husbands stay in Ukraine.
  • Pray that children will be safe from possible psychological issues due to the war.
  • Pray for V., a member of the work team in western Ukraine, as she was hospitalized yesterday due to an illness.
  • Pray for healthy working relationships among team members who deal with the stress of meeting needs.

03.09.2022  Pastors on the frontlines share requests during a zoom meeting:

  • One pastor made the trip by vehicle from the east to the west bringing church members to safety.  A 48 hour trip due to the traffic congestion and military activity.  He is heading back now with a car full of supplies.  Pray for his protection, for his automobile and for the ability to find fuel.  Pray for a newer and larger vehicle so he can transport more goods and people at a time.
  • Pray for one of our leaders that chose to stay in the city and is serving meals out of the bombshelter in the building where their church is.  He has been serving up to 100 people at a time, offering physical and spiritual food.
  • Pray for the children that they are able to stay strong and deal with the horror.
  • Pray for courage as people are very afraid of potential radiation.
  • Pray for unity among all the churches as they work together to serve Ukraine.

03.07.2022  Most of the $24,500 already sent out from the Ukraine MB Church Relief Fund is being directed to MB churches surrounded by the Russian military and cut off from the rest. Pray for the people receiving the funds and that their needs will be met.

03.04.2022  Pastors on the frontlines share their experiences during a zoom meeting:

  • involved with evacuating wounded and delivering aid while his family has lived in a bomb shelter for 7 days
  • taking aid to other cities, apartment buildings are attacked, everyone is sharing from what they have
  • two church communities are cut off because of Russian occupation
  • cost of potatoes has increased over 450% in two weeks, funds are low to purchase essentials
  • praying for protection and that people’s fear will lead to an openness to God

03.01.2022  There are 60-70 MBs who have gathered in a location on the western side.  Local believers are providing shelter but funds are needed to provide ongoing support. A number of children were evacuated out of Donbas.  When the fighting became intense, they had to take shelter and have ended up in an MB church that is now providing refuge and care to these children.  Funds are needed to assist this church in this effort.

02.28.2022 “Friends. We are under occupation. The city was taken. The situation is very bad. There are no resources for the purchase of water, food, essentials, medicines, fuel … In general, everything is needed. …help if you can. Thank you all!! And may God protect us all!”

02.25.2022 “A group from one of our churches, around 20 people, are headed west. It still is a very long road ahead of them and they might spend the night (because it’s getting late there now) in a city on their way. There are BIG traffic jams on the roads, especially more in the west. Many people are trying to leave the country and it’s their only way to escape. Pray for their safety. Pray for clear guidance to know where to go and for the Lord to prepare a place for them. This is an unbelievably horrible situation, absolutely heartbreaking…”