Nazar

Recently, this article was posted on Global Ministries’ website. It features an update from YAM Nazar Yatshyshyn and from missionary John Calhoun. View the original here.

Missionary John Calhoun offers an update on the political crisis in the Ukraine and how local United Methodist congregations are bringing relief to families displaced by the conflict. Calhoun serves in Kiev (Kyiv) in ministry with The United Methodist Church in Ukraine.

Dear partner churches and friends,

Greetings and peace to you from The United Methodist Church in Ukraine.

As you are aware, it has been an extremely difficult week for the people of Ukraine. The shooting down of a civilian aircraft over eastern Ukraine killed 298 innocent people from 10 countries. The intense fighting between Ukrainian military forces and separatist rebels in the region leaves many dead and hundreds displaced each day. Recent ceasefires have been short-lived, and a diplomatic path away from violence and toward peace remains elusive.

The eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk has been the site of particularly intense battles in recent days. A lay leader of the local UMC congregation in Luhansk reports that church members are safe, but that more than half of the members have fled the city, seeking shelter among relatives and friends outside the conflict zone.

Local UMC congregations in other parts of Ukraine and in western Russia are helping the displaced in ways large and small, including raising funds for relief efforts in eastern Ukraine and providing shelter and food to recent arrivals from the conflict zone.

In Kyiv, our local congregations have expanded their ministry to persons displaced by the conflict. Last week, the UMC in Ukraine received a grant from UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) to provide emergency food assistance to families who have fled Crimea in recent months and taken shelter in a refugee center in Kyiv.

Update from Kyiv

As we shared in our last email update, our ministry in Kyiv has been blessed by the service of Nazar Yatsyshyn, a Global Ministries’ Mission Fellow and Ukrainian citizen who represents our ministry at the refugee center in Kyiv housing persons displaced from Crimea and, more recently, eastern Ukraine.

Nazar has just written this update from Kyiv:

Over the past half a year it is hard to find a day when you woke up without anxiety about the events in your country. Every day I keep asking myself: “How long will this last?”

In the meantime, the refugee center we are working with in Kyiv has received new people, mainly from eastern Ukraine, making the total number of residents up to 160 people. According to the United Nations, the total number of persons displaced by the crisis has reached 100,000. Newly arrived persons to our center are from Donetsk; some of them were held hostage by the terrorists, but later freed.

The UMC in Ukraine has received a grant from UMCOR to help meet the needs of the Kyiv refugee center, in particular with food supplies. Some people I spoke with found it ‘strange’ (in a good way) that some far away church organization based in America is willing to support them. My personal hope is that through this, these people will be able to see Jesus’ love from us, and perhaps would be willing to know more about it.

As life settles down, we offer opportunities to people in learning English by providing personal lessons, but also we’ve started a movie club, where we watch different movies in English with subtitles and a short discussion afterwards. It’s interesting to point out that though it may seem very usual, for many people it is in fact a new thing. As it was mentioned previously, many people are suffering from so-called ‘victim syndrome,’ and that is the reason why many of them might have less initiative toward their lives. We hope these movie nights will help some of them to become more confident in expressing their opinions, even being more ambitious.

Among other good news, we have had two babies born, and a couple getting married. It was a small celebration, but very well attended, as all of the people live together. It is important that in this time of war, grief and sorrow, we also celebrate new life.

I would like to ask you to continue praying for our ministry and the situation in general. We are seeing great things happening in Ukraine; I believe it is meant to be so. God will use this situation for His glory and Kingdom.

In the midst of the chaos, leaders and members of the UMC in Ukraine are grateful for your ongoing prayers and support. Thanks to your ever-present spiritual witness, they know that they are not alone in their suffering, and that God hears the prayers of United Methodists around the world.

On behalf of the UMC in Ukraine, I invite you to make a financial donation in support of our church’s outreach to those affected by the ongoing conflict and displacement. Fully, 100 percent of your funds will be used to meet emerging humanitarian and spiritual needs: purchase additional food supplies for Crimeans temporarily living in Kyiv, offer shelter and food to newly displaced families from eastern Ukraine, procure books and school supplies for needy children, and grant spiritual support to those seeking comfort and solace. Specific decisions about how donations may be used will be taken in consultation with our bishop and local church pastors and lay leaders, as this crisis continues to unfold in eastern Ukraine.

As always, donations may be given online via The Advance to Eurasia Mission Initiative – Ukraine and Moldova, Advance Project #14053A, and designate your gift “Ukraine Emergency.”

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. Please be in touch with me at any time for more information about the ministry of the UMC in Ukraine.

Yours in Christ,

John

Rev. John Calhoun
Missionary of the General Board of Global Ministries, serving in partnership with The United Methodist Church, Kyiv, Ukraine

This June I had an opportunity to visit the Peace Academy Conference in Dresden. It is a gathering of Christian youth that takes place every two years. It draws attention to many issues, which are troubling the world, hence the name. The opening ceremony took place on the main square of the city, near a newly reconstructed Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), which was destroyed in the WWII and rebuilt in 2005. Therefore, it became a symbol of peace and unity.
On the first day of the Conference, when everything was being set up, I noticed 4 young street punk musicians right behind our stage. Their music wasn’t too loud, but it did interfere a bit with what our speakers had to say. “They could have been quieter” – was my thought.. “Or at least they could have moved to another place, there is plenty of room here”.
But the conference opened, and I forgot about them. Then during the intercession they somehow sneaked into our tents (though you had to have a wrist band to come in). Their behavior was a bit too noticeable as they were allowing themselves to dance around, shout some random things and just have a good time. “Ok, they got in, why don’t they keep it down? What do they want?” – Now these thoughts were going through the minds of many people around. But no one dared to say or do anything. Meanwhile they continued to be the ‘uninvited’ guests of the gathering.
The next day they were at the square in the early morning, and again were visible here and there. (They were dressed in sort punk-alternative attire). Meanwhile I already suspected them to have been drinking or on drugs.
The next morning, Sunday, I saw them trying to get into the church for the worship. The volunteers were trying to prevent them, in a way, as no one knew what they could do and they again looked a bit tipsy. But a few minutes later I saw them walking through the aisles carrying what seemed to be a box of beer. That’s where I started to get angry, but hey, the worship is about to start, put your Christian robe on! The first speaker that morning was saying some rather general things, which no one could remember afterwards, but everyone remembered that his speech was constantly interrupted by these 2 young boys and 2 young girls. They were throwing rather aching questions into the room such as: “why are we here talking about helping people instead of being with people”. “Why are we not protesting against a neo Nazi group” (there were about 500 supporters of these ideas in the town square on that day). And so on… The speaker was trying to reason with them, but they kept shouting louder and louder. 10501318_10204001400539632_2038996151_n And then they started running through the aisles and throwing papers with some text on. Then they got on the stage, grabbed the microphones and started singing “Komm Heiliger Gheist” (Come Holy Spirit) but the rock version of it. And then the organ started accompanying that rock version of their singing. And after they started stripping and changing into… ‘proper’ clothes… And spoke ‘proper’ language, with ‘Bible’ words. “Jesus was with the outcasts, lawbreakers, prostitutes, those unwelcomed and not accepted. And where were you these days, Christ-followers? Did you greet us? Did you welcome us? Did you have something to say to us? Or did you want us to disappear?” Little did we know, that the whole thing was staged.
With these words the realization of my terrible misjudgment of these people, I burst into tears. Suddenly I felt like Peter who became ashamed of Jesus 3 times. So I couldn’t but ask for forgiveness from these people, as soon as everything was finished. They are just wonderful! And their performance taught me more than many hours of youth meetings after church. Once again God showed me that Christianity without actions is empty words and nothing. “Faith without actions is dead” [James 2:17].