An Update from Ukraine: The State of the Church

By Valery Zadorozhnyy - Posted at Tabletalk Magazine:

Published March 17, 2022

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am currently in Odessa, where all is still relatively well. Air raid alarms rarely sound. A couple of minutes ago, I heard shots from the sea. A rocket hit a house not far from the house where my mother is, but thankfully it did not explode. You may know what is happening in other cities from the news. My wife and children have gone to Poland, so I’m not worried.

What of other Ukrainian Christians? What is the state of the church in Ukraine currently? There are some pastors and churches that are under fire in Kyiv every day and need the prayers of God’s people. There is the pastor of the Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church in Kyiv, Pastor Ivan Bespalov, with his family. Another Reformed pastor in Kyiv, Pastor Sergey Nakul, reported that his young son recently asked, “Dad, if Putin kills us, will we go to heaven?” “Yes, son, of course we will go to heaven.”

Due to the chaos, I think that the state of the church here can be described as follows: a state of prayer, full trust in the Lord, and readiness to fight to the end. There’s a sense of pride on the part of the Ukrainian people, but also humility before the Lord, for we Christians know that our people are not sinless and need repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yesterday, for the first time, I heard our president clearly declare faith in God and the inevitability of God’s retribution. He even expressed hope in Him. This is a very good sign. But we understand that this is still only a general belief in the existence of God, and we pray that our president, like the entire nation, will know God in the true Messiah, Jesus Christ.

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