From the very beginning of this terrible war, the Church of Christ the Savior in Ivano-Frankivsk has been helping people who are forced to flee from the war. At first, it was a ministry to refugees from Bucha, Irpen and other cities and villages of the Kyiv region and Kyiv itself, from Chernihiv Oblast, Sumy Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. All these people would find shelter in the church for a few days to recover physically and emotionally from the horror that suddenly destroyed their lives. Then the ministers of the church would meet people who miraculously left the occupied territories. These were people tired of the occupation and the dangerous road trip through numerous roadblocks. They stayed in the church building longer, and this gave the ministers opportunity to establish closer relationships and repeatedly share the gospel with them.

There are a lot of internally displaced persons in Ivano-Frankivsk, more than ten thousand from Mariupol alone, and the church helps them. These people are invited to meetings in small groups to fellowship, to share with them the gospel and, if necessary, to provide material assistance. Thanks to the support of the churches Community of the Good Shepherd in Rivne and Source of Life in Zdolbuniv, the church in Ivano-Frankivsk has had the opportunity to serve the displaced people more by giving them food kits in the last two months.

However, the main goal of this ministry is to bring the gospel of God’s grace to people. Now the church has a Bible study group. The church plans to continue serving these people, so we pray that God will give understanding on how to develop this ministry.
Here is the testimony of one of the participants of the ministry to the displaced:
“This service is not easy, but very valuable. It is not easy, because the number of people who have experienced so much grief is very large. And the grief that they experienced sometimes is just mind-boggling. And it is valuable because, despite all the circumstances, we can help these people materially and communicate God’s Word, the Good News. My heart marvels and rejoices every time I see people who ask questions and are interested in the Bible and God.
People who come are very different: different age categories, with different life experiences and worldviews on this world. But God gives the opportunity to witness to many. There is one woman with whom we talk on the phone from time to time. Although she is 20 years older than me, we can talk with her about how God created this world, how He designed man and how desperately she needs a Savior. I pray that God will save her and give me wisdom and courage in communicating with her.”

Pastor of the Church of Christ the Savior in Ivano-Frankivsk
Oleksandr Ignatenko