Dear Harvest Bible Chapel Barrie,

It is six months to the day since Russia invaded Ukraine and prompted the most significant global refugee crisis since WWII. Within hours, Acts 29 Europe was inundated with messages from our churches around the world asking what they could do to help. A fund was rapidly set up and a team was established to assess needs and coordinate the efficient and unbureaucratic distribution of funds. As a church-planting network, we all agreed that our funding should benefit Ukrainians directly and that we should channel funds through our existing Acts 29 churches and contacts on the ground. 

In this email, we want to give you a brief update of how we have been using those funds:

€ 6,000 for Acts 29 in Ukraine – We have one church in Ukraine, Christian Bible Church in Chernihiv, located in north-central Ukraine. In the early days of the war, this area was shelled, and many people from the church fled for safety, leaving few behind. In recent weeks, it has been relatively quiet. The church has been distributing aid throughout the crisis and has resumed Sunday worship services and outreach activities. 

€ 4,000 for Ukrainian Pastor and his family – We have been working closely with Pastor Sascha & Alina Lyakhovyy (pastor of Christian Bible Church) as they reside with their 3 children in a neighboring country and consider what their next steps will be.

€ 7,000 for Acts 29 churches in neighboring countries around Ukraine (Slovakia and Romania). These churches responded quickly, many hosting refugees within days of the war breaking out. Here we also provided assistance with purchasing vehicles and funding for a dedicated refugee relief worker. 

€ 2,000 for an Acts 29 church in France who has welcomed several Ukrainian families. The funds have helped with the costs of translating resources into Ukrainian and Russian.

Thank you to all donors, churches and pastors, brothers and sisters, near and far who have responded so generously to this crisis. To date, our Europe Rapid Response Fund has received € 62,410 in donations!

With over six million Ukrainians displaced across Europe, the initial focus of providing shelter and essential supplies has now switched to helping churches in Europe think strategically about long-term care for refugees in their communities. We remain committed to providing funding for Acts 29 churches ministering to refugees from Ukraine.