Greetings from Ukraine
Greetings from Ukraine!
For those who are wondering, “Where is Pastor Jeff? Is he raptured?” don’t worry, you were not left behind. Every July the Elders grant me the opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of LA life to quieten my spirit and seek God’s direction for our church. During this five-week session, I write the sermon outlines and themes for the coming year, the rest of 2025 and most of 2026. The impact on my marriage and our church is immeasurable. Taking time to discover God’s plan for the coming year is paramount to an effective 2026 campaign. Planning ahead also gives our ministry teams the opportunity to think strategically as they prepare the curriculum for 2026. In short, Study Break contributes significantly to the “Gestalt” of our church and the overall unity of vision.
This particular break is very special. Robin and I were afforded another opportunity to represent ONE&ALL and make an impact around the world. Through the ministry of Steve and Jennifer Curcio, long-time members of ONE&ALL now serving in Ukraine not far from the warzone, we were given the opportunity to encourage Pastors and new believers overwhelmed with the burdens of war. I am saddened by the death and devastation in Ukraine. The church feels the burden that its government does not feel. Without the churches’ assistance, the millions of displaced people have little hope of survival. As I sit here in a café in the city of Mohyliv, just across the river from Moldova, I hear the sirens warning of a coming missile. These sirens go off a few times every day. The missiles are not meant for us but are en route to the desired targets a few hundred miles away, or at least we assume. Hundreds of thousands of young and old men have been killed during this war. There is no age discrimination. White vans roam the streets looking for able-bodied men, regardless of age, to capture and transport into the warzones. This is the part of the story that we seldom, if ever, hear in the U.S. One gets the feeling that the men of Ukraine are expendable. As I walked through the memorial park, I noticed the age of some of the dead. These men look like me! Imagine being 60 years old and without much training, sent to the frontlines of battle. The average life expectancy on the frontlines is 7-9 days. Every morning at 9AM a voice blasts over the loudspeakers declaring a moment of silence for the dead. Sometimes, the voice is accompanied by caskets driven through the streets of the city on their way to burial grounds. When the announcement comes, everyone in town stops in their tracks. Business transactions cease. Cars stop in the middle of the road. Pedestrians pause their progress. Foreigners remove their hats in quiet meditation. The heavy hearts are felt throughout the city. Everyone wonders, “When will this war end?” “When will our men come home to us?” Many never will. Hundreds of thousands have died thus far and the longer this war continues the more serious the threat of the extermination of the Ukrainian male. Imagine a country losing a major portion of its male citizens. This is the direction in which this wonderful country with beautiful people is headed. Our hosts walked us down to the Dniester River bordering Moldova. I thought about a quick swim until Steve told me that many men have attempted to swim across the river into Moldova to escape the white vans. Most have been captured or shot. War is a hellish thing. It destroys families, catalyzes poverty and want, and forever wounds the souls of the survivors.
Enduring these past few days reminds me once again that Jesus is the only hope for this world. Ukrainians, like most post-Russian countries steeped in the communism of the past, possess little openness to the Gospel. War has a way of changing that. Perhaps the pain and futility of this conflict will result in an openness to Jesus and His eternal kingdom. Through compassion and empathy, the Ukrainian Christ-followers meet the needs of those impacted by the war. Hopefully and prayerfully, when the openness comes, the church will be ready. Jesus is the only real hope for lasting peace.
My mentor was once invited to attend a dinner in Damascus with the founder of Hamas and eighteen of its members. Each guest was allowed one question with no rebuttal. When my mentor’s time came, he asked a rather confrontational question, “What is your position on suicide bombs and non-military targets?” The answer given was appalling if not inhumane. Finding himself alone with the Hamas founder after the meeting, my mentor put his arm around him and reminded him that not too far from this meeting in Damascus is the Mountain where Abraham was told to sacrifice his son Isaac. “As Abraham was about to bring down the knife, an Angel of the Lord held back Abraham’s arm and said, “The Lord will provide the Lamb.” My mentor continued, “Until you and I receive the Son God has given, we will continue to sacrifice our sons and daughters on the battlefields of this world for land and power.”
This war in Ukraine is ultimately about land and power. Until man is conquered by the love of Jesus, he will try to conquer each other and will ultimately destroy everything that is good. As I contemplate what possible good I can do here in Ukraine, I remember that our hope is not in governments, politics, or any other man-driven institution. Our hope is in Christ and Christ alone. Peace coincides with the Gospel. Remarkably, the Gen Z in Ukraine are more open to the Gospel than their modern predecessors. In fact, there is an openness to the Gospel spreading through post-Christian Europe and Russia. Tomorrow, August 2, I will be having dinner with a man who read the Russian version of “Dinner with Skeptics.” He, his wife, and his young son gave their lives to Christ. Recognizing the futility of this world, they opened themselves up to discovering something “beyond.” Because they have Jesus they have peace in the midst of war. I believe that if we can return the Gospel to Post-Christian Europe, wars, for a time, will cease, or at least, significantly decrease. After all, when man discovers peace with God, he tends to experience peace with his fellow man.
See you Sunday!
Pastor Jeff