Letter from Ukrainian Baptist Convention of the U.S. to BCM/D Churches
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ of the Maryland and Delaware Baptist Convention,
My name is Roman Kapran, and I am president of the Ukrainian Baptist Convention in the U.S.
Personally, and on behalf of Ukrainian Christians, I want to thank all American churches for their prayers and other help and support for the Ukrainian people. There are good days the Lord gives us, and sometimes there are sad days we go through by His will.
This time, as a Christian and a Ukrainian, I tell you about sad days for Ukrainian Christians because of the war in Ukraine and the persecution of Christians in Europe. Unfortunately, Russian aggression in Ukraine is going into the third year. Mostly, people in the U.S. watch TV and social media news about Ukraine from military, political, and economic points of view. Less known is the religious side of this war.
Six hundred thirty churches and sacred places are destroyed and damaged. Ukrainian pastors and priests are being killed. Hundreds of churches are closed. Thousands of Ukrainian Christians are imprisoned and tortured. Millions of people are forced to flee from their homes. Read more here.
Thank you very much for your time and concern.
Blessings
Roman Kapran
Response from BCM/D Executive Director Tom Stolle:
We are saddened to hear of the devastation and the loss of life. We pray for the thousands who are imprisoned and tortured, for their desperate, hurting families, and for Christ’s comfort for parents, spouses, children, and others who are grieving the death of their loved ones. We pray for the millions of precious souls fleeing their homes. We pray for the church members whose gathering places have been destroyed or damaged, and we pray their faith grows even stronger as they cling to Jesus and depend on Him. We pray for your convention as you minister to those in the U.S. who have family members far away or who are housing and otherwise assisting Ukrainian immigrants. We pray for the churches in Ukraine and for Ukrainian churches throughout the United States and the world—for strength, faith, and courage, and that even through this horror, souls will turn to Jesus, and the church will grow stronger. We pray that this war will ultimately end and that God’s peace will prevail even now in the midst of the conflict. We pray for all the innocents caught in the middle, suffering from this war — for their protection and their salvation in Jesus.
For more information about churches in Ukraine, feel free to contact Roman Kapran at [email protected]. Kapran also serves as the senior pastor of Slavic Baptist Church, Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, which is affiliated with the BCM/D. Photo: Licensed Adobe Image