Ukraine Response… April 2023

Christ calls us to care for our neighbors. Who are our neighbors? Yes, they’re the people who live next to us. But they’re also the people in our community, the people in our state, the people in our nation & the people in communities across the globe. Jesus loves them all, and He calls us to do likewise.

This Lenten season, we collected money and household items for two amazing organizations: International Partnerships and World Relief Triad. Every penny we raise will be used to help our brothers and sisters in Christ struggling for survival in war-torn Ukraine or refugees who have been forced to escape their homes and who have found themselves having to start a new life in the High Point/Triad area. What a fantastic opportunity for us to help our neighbors, near and far!

Thank you for praying for this special mission, that God’s hand will be upon it and that we might, together, be a true blessing to those in need.
 
 

Ukraine Response

All of us have watched the news stories that have shown us the horrors of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many have died unnecessarily on both ends of the battle, and there are many displaced families who live as refugees in the surrounding countries. What are we as Christians in America to do in the midst of such oppression? Certainly, we are called to pray for all who are affected; to pray to for an end to this war. But we are also called to do justly, and to be merciful in tangible ways. Below you will find the response of our Mission Committee, on behalf of our congregation, to provide aid that will serve the oppressed as the war continues. I’m grateful for their wisdom, for their discernment, and for their compassion to be proactive in assisting with the relief efforts. I’m also grateful for the generosity of this church family who understands the importance of caring for the least no matter where they are. May we continue to pray for an end to the war and for the redemption of the Ukrainian country.


UKRAINE UPDATE

The Mission Committee has prayerfully considered our church’s response to the crisis in Ukraine. We have decided to distribute $5,000.00 each to two Ukrainian Christian organizations that have been actively involved in providing food, supplies, and transportation to refugees in the name of Christ. Organizations that we supported are:

International Partnerships
International Partnerships is based in Kyiv and has been serving the people of the war zone of eastern Ukraine since 2014 though providing food and supplies to the ethnically Russian peoples of the area. They have close ties to Boone through Gerald Parker, a retired Appalachian State professor, who has been a mentor to several in our congregation. He has lived in Ukraine and also mentored the leaders of this group, Nick and Maia Michaluk. The Michaluks and were brought to Boone several years ago for medical care.
To learn more about International Partnerships and what they are doing in Ukraine, or to make an individual contribution, visit their website https://ipministry.org/

Harvest House Ukrainian Relief
Harvest House Christian Fellowship in Boone is partnered with a sister church located in Vinnytsia, Ukraine called “Church of the Risen Christ” which is pastored by Frederick Ankai-Taylor. Darrell Roberts, the pastor of Harvest House, has been closely associated with Frederick since 1994. Frederick, originally from Ghana, Africa, and his wife and children have visited Boone and Frederick’s children lived in Boone in 2014 for a year due to racial tensions after the invasion of Crimea. Frederick, originally a medical student who felt called to ministry, started “Church of the Risen Christ” in 1994 which has thrived and has become a significant ministry in the Vinnytsia region with 800-1000 members. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the church has been converted to a center for refugees and provides shelter, food and humanitarian aid as well as bus transportation for 80-100 refugees daily to the Poland and Romanian borders. If you feel led to donate to this cause, visit https://hhcboone.org/

The Mission Committee urges continued fervent prayer for the people of Ukraine and an end to the war.

  • The Mission Committee