One-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Today marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine; the most recent escalation in an ongoing conflict that was initiated in 2014 by Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas region.
It’s hard to reckon with the statistics of the grave losses resulting from the invasion – tens of thousands of military personnel and civilians have lost their lives; 13 million Ukrainians have evacuated their homes, becoming internally displaced persons or refugees outside of the country.
At Welcome Churches, we want to see all Ukrainians arriving in the UK welcomed and given the opportunity to be supported by their local church community. We continue to trust that God will arise and intervene for these needy people, because the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible like gold refined seven times (Psalm 12:5 and 6). We believe that He will keep them safe and protect them.
Individuals and churches have supported Ukrainians arriving in their communities on an ongoing basis with help and guidance from our free Ukraine Welcome training This has included Ukraine Connect – a space where people can share experiences of hosting and supporting refugees, and collaboratively devise solutions to any ensuing challenges. Across the UK, churches have been responding to the Biblical mandate to welcome the stranger by offering drop-in cafes, english conversation classes, alpha courses, hosting and much more in order for Ukrainian refugees to feel at home here.
From Ukraine Connect a story was shared from a London-based church. During the COVID pandemic, the church tied coloured ribbons to its railings and offered pouches of ribbons. Each of these ribbons signified a prayer, and the ribbons ended up having to be replenished multiple times daily. At the outbreak of the Ukrainian invasion, the church collected all the rainbow ribbons and made a tapestry with them, and then tied yellow and blue ribbons to the railings in solidarity to an even more extraordinary response - including a heartfelt reaction from a tearful lady, who was a Ukrainian refugee.
Today, as the Russia-Ukraine war is highlighted, please consider how you can honour your neighbour, and show kindness to the Ukrainian refugees around you. Getting involved with Welcome Church’s Ukraine Welcome project may well be an excellent place to start!