There are heartbreaking stories happening every day in Ukraine. Retired Bishop Christian Alsted tells of a father and daughter fleeing Kharkiv — dad on a train and daughter on a bus.
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“While they were talking, the bus was hit by an attack of Russian soldiers,” Alsted said. “She literally died while she was on the phone with him. … It has been really, really bad, and continues to be really, really bad.”
Russian troops invaded neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Many have fled the country since then, and United Methodists have helped by providing shelter and getting food, clothing, medical care and other help to the victims of the war.
UM News spoke via Zoom with the incoming and outgoing bishops responsible for Ukraine, as well as a United Methodist pastor helping to house refugees.
There have been distinct waves of refugees fleeing Ukraine.
“The church was very active in helping people to move on, offering them a place to stay, and then helping them as they wanted to move on to Europe,” Alsted said.
Being present reassures victims of the war that the church has not forgotten them, Alsted said.
A Russian victory is unthinkable to Ukrainians, Alsted said.
“In talking with church leaders, one of the things they are saying is that they know what it is like to live under Soviet rule,” he said. “And if Russia wins the war, the very close ties between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian government will make life impossible for all other churches.”
In addition to prayers and donations, there are other things United Methodists can do to help Ukrainians, Alsted said.
UMCOR Awards $1.5 million in Grants
The United Methodist Committee on Relief continues to work with partners in the region to support relief and recovery projects in Ukraine. UMCOR will distribute two new grants worth more than $1.5 million. One of the grants will go toward building new housing in Kremenchuk and providing support for Roma people in Uzhhorod. The second will be used in Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson Oblasts for repairing shelters and improving accessibility for disabled persons, the elderly and veterans in public places, housing and transportation.
Alsted plans to continue to be in ministry with the people of Ukraine and said he will work at least another four years until full retirement.
“I’m going to work half time with developing young missional leaders in Denmark and Norway, and then I will serve as pastor in a local church on the island Bornholm (in Denmark) and do my best, together with the leadership there, to develop a church and be a strong witness in that community.
“But none of that will prevent me from continuing to support Ukraine, rather the opposite,” Alsted said.
As Refsdal prepares for his first trip to Ukraine, he is aiming to be “a voice representing the international church and international society, supporting them in this situation, helping them to cope with the situation.”
“I think they appreciate being a part of a global church, a wider community and, in a way, I become a symbol of that,” he said. “Maybe the most important part is to just dare to go there and to be there and to listen to what they tell when they describe their situation.
“That is maybe the most important, I think.”
excerpt from a story by Jim Patterson, UM News reporter in Nashville, Tennessee.
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