Needs in Ukraine
Benjamin Kreps:
Hey everyone. And welcome to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark, most of the guys by now have received the email you sent with the new Sovereign Grace mission video, where several different development funds were highlighted. If guys haven't seen that video, we encourage you to go and see it. We encourage you to think about using it with your church in some way so that they can hear about the good news and what's going on globally with these development funds. One of those development funds is being used to serve brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Guys may remember some time ago we talked about how we actually are connected to some pastors in the Ukraine, but what's been going on with that?
Mark Prater:
Well, as you know, the war in Ukraine rages on and especially in the Eastern part of that nation. And we've been working with a pastor in Dnipro. His name is Michael and he graduated from the Pastors College that is in Hamburg, Germany. Jeff Purswell has taught there consistently and knows Michael who's now in Dnipro, Ukraine. And Michael has really led his church to be serving the immigrants that are really coming from the east and the south and Ukraine headed to the west, trying to flee for safety. And, as I mentioned, in a previous podcast regularly receives 150 refugees a day where they feed them, and they get supplies. They've transformed their church throughout the week to have 90 beds in it. They take all those down for Sunday, so they can have their Sunday service and then they go back up. So, they are regularly receiving immigrants every day.
And we just got an update from Michael, just this week, that because of how the war is progressing, the needs there have increased. So, he writes this in his email: “In addition to the regular reception of refugees, we received hundreds of applications for food assistance from migrants from cities.” And I'm probably going to mispronounce these, names.
Benjamin Kreps:
I'm confident you will.
Mark Prater:
Right? The Luhansk and Zappos regions. He said that last week alone, they gave out 340 bags of food to people who just needed those basic supplies. And I wanted to make our listeners, and our readers of this podcast, aware of it. Due to the generosity of the churches in Sovereign Grace and due to the generosity of individual donors, we now have been able to give nearly $100,000 to relief efforts in Ukraine.
Benjamin Kreps:
Excellent.
Mark Prater:
However, the needs remain actually very real and have increased because of the progression of the war. We still have about $20,000 earmarked for Ukraine, but I wanted our listeners, our pastors and our churches to be aware of that need. And if you would consider giving to the Europe Development Fund, one of those development funds we established at the end of last year, not knowing we would have this need in Ukraine.
And when you give that gift, you can mention if you want it to be earmarked for Ukraine. Just please let us know. We're hoping to raise some more money so that we can continue to support what Michael is doing there. The needs are very, very real. So, thank you for considering it. If you have given to the Europe Development Fund for Ukraine, know that your funds have been used to meet people's real needs.
And, by the way, when he sent this email, he included some pictures. And if you saw these pictures, you would probably have a response like me. They bring tears to your eyes. They're just older women. Several pictures of older women. There's a picture of two moms with their children. And as you look at them, there's just a weariness that you see in their face. And it brings home the real difficulties and trials that people are facing. And, yet, they can go to this church and at least for a bit get a meal, have a place to sleep, feel safe, and be able to move on all because of the generosity of our churches.
Benjamin Kreps:
Yeah, that's excellent. Well, I'm confident we'll be praying across Sovereign Grace for Michael and for the church there and good work that they're doing serving those in Ukraine. You know it is deeply meaningful, I think, for us to see a continuing, increasing, expanding partnership globally that we talk about on the podcast all the time now. Any, any more thoughts about these partnerships that we continue to grow?
Mark Prater:
Well, I think what we're experiencing in Ukraine, it makes our partnerships with churches throughout the world very real. And I believe it's experiences like this that are shaping our family of churches and possibly even changing our family of churches in at least of having a more of a global mindfulness of what God is doing throughout the world, regardless of where you are a member or a pastor of a Sovereign Grace Church. And I pray that that kind of work continues. Because what it will do is strengthen this partnership, we have that exists to advance the gospel by planting and strengthening churches throughout the world for the glory of God. Because we want to give financially to meet real needs, but the real hope that we offer, we all know is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And what a joy, what a privilege, it is that we get to partner with men like Michael in Ukraine for that great cause to advance the gospel. And may God continue to bless the efforts of our small little denomination for the glory of Christ alone.
Benjamin Kreps:
Yes, that's excellent. Well, if Michael is happening to watch her read this, rest assured we stand with you and alongside you in prayer. And we thank God for our relationship, our partnership with the Ukrainian church there. And thanks for the update, Mark. Thank you for watching or reading. We'll see you here, Lord willing, next week. Bye for now.