CDM Meeting in Clarkston, Georgia
The Committee on Diaconal Ministries met for their
stated bi-annual meetings on April 7–8. This year, they met at
Redeemer OPC in Atlanta, Georgia, the hosting church for
the Clarkston Refugee Ministry, which the CDM supports.
This meeting was an opportunity for many of the members
of the CDM to visit the refugee ministry for the first
time. “[Pastors Weldeyesus and Tamirat’s] fervor for the gospel
and their heart for people was wonderful to experience.
Clearly they have a gift for reaching into the lives of those
who have lost country, home, and precious relationships,”
shared committee member Ron de Ru.
CDM member Seth Long agreed. “I was most impressed
with sitting in the living rooms of families who have fled persecution
and danger . . . and the ways they are desiring to now
provide for their families in a land and culture much different
from their own. It was truly wonderful to see how the Lord in
his good providence is gathering families to be connected to
the gospel outreach work of the church, caring for the spiritual
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May Ukraine Crisis Fund Update
May 16, 2022
To date, the OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries has received over $623,230.00 in donations for the Ukrainian Crisis!
We thank God for the charity of his church and for all those who have sought to aid individuals and churches in crisis. As God is gracious in providing funds for the provision of the most needy across the globe, it is also needful for those resources to be stewarded wisely and in a way that is most effective in filling needs. The OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries senses the weight of this responsibility to faithfully allocate all funds received. Such a task requires a close-up look into the situation in the region and personal contact with those affected by the war. Administrator for the Committee on Diaconal Ministries David Nakhla seeks to do just that during his time in Eastern Europe as he makes contact specifically with like-minded churches and ministries native to the region.
As of May 16th David, along with Rich Bout, were en route to Lithuania having just visited cities in Hungary and Poland. The Lord was faithful in providing insight along the way as they faced each new day, city, and circumstance. David reported:
“The most needy population is still in Ukraine with scarce resources, yet seeing a hotel filled with just mothers and their children outside Ukraine demonstrates how vulnerable the refugee population is as well. Keep praying for the various needs of the Ukrainian people. It has been encouraging to see the church serving in whatever ways they possibly can: gathering and shipping supplies, coordinating housing and transport, teaching languages, providing teaching and activities for children, etc. We praise the Lord in hearing about how the churches, both in Ukraine, and outside are overflowing with worshippers. It seems the Lord will use this awful situation for the spread of the gospel. Pray to that end. The gospel is truly the only hope.”
Just a few days later, David recounted the “harrowing story of survival in and escape from Mariupol” one woman shared. He conveyed the scene:
“Boiling dirty snow on the sidewalk, fearful of incoming missiles that hit without warning sirens. Due to the lack of water or heat, bathing was not an option for weeks. One lady shared that once she was able to remove her socks, it was like they had become one with her skin. To leave the city, they had to face the difficult decision of whether to brave driving through the supposed “humanitarian corridor” and be shot in the back or braving the humiliating search and interrogation procedures of the Russian army in order to pass through the front into Russia. They opted for the latter and seemed to still be shaken and humiliated by what they endured. . . They are thankful to have found a safe haven with the saints in Lithuania.”
Please keep the people of Ukraine in your prayers, as well as all those in Eastern Europe affected by the war. Specific updates on the work of missionaries and sister churches to aid refugees in the region will be provided as they become available.
Want to know more? A more detailed report of David’s visit will be included in May’s edition of the STORM Report. You can sign up for the newsletter here.
Shown is the woman’s car when they left Mariupol. They had to borrow tires from other vehicles to make their car drivable. They did share that once in Russia, they were shown kindness by some there. The windows on their car were replaced for free.
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Coming Together to Aid Ukraine
by David Nakhla, Administrator for the Committee on Diaconal Ministries
The OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries is committed to using the gifts given to the Ukraine Crisis Fund for ministry to those affected by the war in Ukraine, ideally through Presbyterian and reformed avenues—those with whom we share similar understandings of God’s word and the proper uses of diaconal funds. In seeking to determine where the funds might be used the best, we have grown in our understanding of the number of reformed and Presbyterian churches, missionaries, and organizations ministering to Ukrainian refugees in Eastern Europe.
Planned Assessment Trip of the Ministries to Refugees, May 10-16
Further, I am planning to travel to Eastern Europe for a whirlwind assessment trip of the various ministries, accompanied by Rich Bout, the URCNA Missions Coordinator. The dates for this trip are May 10-16. Please pray for the Lord’s blessing on this trip.
Mission to the World (MTW, the PCA’s mission organization), has had a presence in Ukraine since the early 90s, following the fall of the Soviet Union and communism. As a church-planting mission, MTW birthed the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine (EPCU). There are now 16 EPCU churches and/or church plants sprinkled throughout Ukraine (and one outside of Ukraine in Krakow, Poland), as seen on the map below.
Locations of Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine Congregations
Prior to the war, MTW had teams concentrated in three cities: L’viv, Odessa, and Kiev. At the outbreak of war, MTW determined to relocate most members of the team in L’viv about 200 miles west to Krakow, Poland. The team in Odessa moved its operation 350 miles west to Brasov, Romania. The team in Kiev has been dispersed to various places.
MTW established the Ukraine Crisis Church Fund with the goal of raising $4 million. In less than 8 weeks, they raised almost $4.5 million ($75,000 of that is from the OPC’s Ukraine Crisis Fund).
With the L’viv team now in Krakow, and the Odessa team now in Brasov, MTW has been able to use these funds for the facility, material, and personnel expenses related to housing, feeding, transporting, and clothing refugees in those locations. For some refugees, they have also had to provide medical care and counseling.
The funds have also been used to enable a ministry to the many sick and elderly who have been left behind in many of the cities in Ukraine. Through the faithful, tireless, and heroic efforts of some of the saints in the EPCU, truckloads of humanitarian supplies are being purchased and driven to eastern Ukraine to help care for the sick and elderly. When the vehicles return westward for more supplies, they do that transporting more refugees out of the more dangerous areas of Ukraine.
We look forward to seeing the work of MTW in Krakow, first-hand on May 12.
Please continue to pray for the safety, comfort, and care of many EPCU church members who have been left behind in many dangerous areas of Ukraine, especially the city of Kharkiv near the Russian border in the Northeast.
The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Central and Eastern Europe (RPCCEE) is another young denomination, now almost 25 years old, located in Hungary, Romania and Western Ukraine. The OPC enjoys a healthy fraternal relationship with the RPCCEE, delighted in seeing these like-minded brothers prosper in their work to establish a faithful witness in that part of the world. Being next door to Ukraine and having 3 of their 27 churches in Ukraine, the RPCCEE has been actively receiving, hosting, and helping refugees coming to their churches in Hungary. Many reformed/presbyterian churches and organizations are seeking to come alongside the RPCCEE, given their strategic location and their faithful efforts to organize in a trustworthy fashion.
According to a recent update, refugees are now being routed to detention camps by the Hungarian government. As a result, the RPCCEE reports the following: “As things stand now, it is very probable that our focus will change, from offering shelter for Refugees, to helping those who remained in Ukraine and those who settle in Hungary. There are of course many unknown factors which may turn this plan upside down, and the influx of refugees might increase again. Then we will have to make the necessary adjustments.”
We have asked how we can participate and they have invited us to send $9,900, designated for “Post-War Needs”. Those funds have been sent.
Visiting the RPCCEE labors in Budapest and Miskolc, Hungary, are our first scheduled stops, May 10 & 11, respectively.
World Witness, the foreign missions agency of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, has missionaries in several strategic locations in Europe. They are in Warsaw, Poland, 150 miles from Ukraine’s western border. They are also in Lithuania, just north of Poland. Others are in Germany and Spain. Each of these outposts are either receiving refugees or ministering to those in their area. In Warsaw, their focus has been to teach Polish to those Ukrainians desiring to settle in Poland.
Lord-willing, we will observe the work of the ARP in Warsaw on May 13 and their work in Kaunas, Lithuania, on May 14.
Hearts of Hope:An OPC deacon and his wife live in the very corner of Southwestern Ukraine, just next to the border with Romania, by the Black Sea. Greg and Bonnie Harrison have adopted some children from Ukraine and are providing foster care for others. Since the start of the war, they have been relocated into Romania, where they live as refugees and also minister to others with lodging and care, as well as providing translation assistance at the border. We will not be able to visit this family on this trip.
Tolle Lege: Another ministry located in Warsaw that has reformed connections is that of Tolle Lege and its director, Dariusz Brycko. While the focus of their ministry has been in translating reformed works into the Polish language, Tolle Lege has sought to rise to the occasion in playing a role in trucking humanitarian relief from its strategic location in Warsaw to Ukraine.
In a recent newsletter, they shared the shocking news that one of their drivers came under gunfire on his way home from a delivery in the Kharkiv area and was shot and killed, leaving behind a wife and six children. These brothers are carrying out these deliveries at great personal risk. They covet continued prayers on their behalf, for courage and safety.
Lord-willing, we will visit Tolle Lege and this operation on May 13.
There are many other ministries sending funds over. But, at this point, these are those of which we are aware at this time. Please pray that the Lord would continue to guide and direct.
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