100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) and the Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church in Palatine, Illinois, to provide humanitarian relief and the clear proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your Support Provides Personalized Supply Boxes to the Soldiers on the Front Lines  Father Mykhailo Kuzma and the Parishioners of The Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic Church-Palatine provided each soldier within The Hunting Brigade 68 with a personalized supply box. Inside each kit is a prayer card hand-crafted by Mrs. Linda Phillips, a warm jacket, winter boots, a hat, mittens, war-time socks, and other useful items with goodies. They received a total of 135 sets. They also delivered needed supplies and medicine for a Field Hospital. Thanks to your donations and prayers, the soldiers feel strengthened and motivated to keep fighting for Ukraine. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.  SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians  During the week of November 7-11, SELCU Pastor Valera Verba and a young layperson from the Dnipro congregation traveled to the area of Kherson, Ukraine. This is where the congregation is located that Pastor Verba used to serve and from which Russian troops have supposedly retreated. The purpose of the trip was to meet with faithful congregants and to deliver humanitarian aid. He reported the following: “A pastor in body armor. Today, in Ukraine, in some places, this is exactly the case. And this is not an act of distrust of God. These are the rules of safety principles. It is a special blessing not to rely on circumstances but to trust God in the midst of any circumstances. When you go to de-occupied cities and villages, you try to bring a little hope and warmth. Because people have no electricity, gas, water, food and heat for a long time. And such a desire to bring it all, to bring the hope that is always in Christ Jesus. Which I believe is protecting our country. Because it is impossible without God to confront such a Goliath and still receive victory day by day! But when you talk to people, you realize that you believe in them sometimes more than you expected. And they themselves can cheer and support you. Glory be to Jesus Christ!” Please prayerfully consider donating to help Ukrainians by showing the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need!
"We are grateful to you and everyone who continues to support Ukraine and those affected by the war. Your donations help people survive in this difficult time. It testifies to them about God and His care for them." Pastor Sergey Bevz 100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief which combines the clear proclamation of the gospel. SELCU Pastor Sergey Bevz sent the following update on his ministry work in Ukraine: The last week has been very hectic. Several strong rocket strikes were carried out on our city. There are dead. There is serious damage. One of the blows came about 600-700 meters from the church building (it is in order). The hits were on residential areas of the city. The houses of some parishioners received minor damage (windows were broken). The bus depot was close to us.
We continue to maintain our rhythm in service. We are doing a few promotions every week. We continue to help the refugees of our city and local residents. We also make trips to de-occupied places. We visited the city of Izyum and the surrounding villages. The city of Izyum is the largest city liberated as a result of the Kharkiv offensive in September. We were among the first who arrived in this city after the liberation. In the city called Kharkivska Bucha in our media, several large mass graves were found - more than 400 bodies. There are several more that specialists are currently working on. The destruction of this city is terrible. The city is destroyed by 70-80%. There is no electricity, gas, drinking water, communications, or the Internet. Some of the people we gave food to hugged us and cried. They rejoiced not in the products, but in the fact that they were glad to be free from the “Russian world.” Next, we visited villages in the Izyum region. Visiting such small liberated villages is a priority for us. The fact is that many volunteers and churches go to those places that are well known. In the villages that are located in the depths, little or no help is brought, and that is why we go there. In the near future, we expect a large wave of internal refugees. They will leave their homes because of the cold snap. Many towns and villages were left without gas and electricity. They will not be able to heat their houses. Pastor Valera Verba is in Odessa now and next month. He is substituting for Pastor Oleg Shevchenko, who received permission to travel to Germany to visit his family. I also hope to get permission to visit Germany in a few weeks. If this happens, I will have the opportunity to see my family, visit and minister to our refugees, and collect humanitarian aid. We pray and hope that the active phase of this war will end in the coming months. Over the past month, most of the Ukrainian lands have been liberated. We hope this will continue in the future. However, there is only escalation on the part of Russia, despite the heavy losses they are suffering. We are grateful to you and everyone who continues to support Ukraine and those affected by the war. Your donations help people survive in this difficult time. In addition, it testifies to them about God and His care for them. May the Lord be with you! Pastor Sergey Bevz Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need!
100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief which combines the clear proclamation of the gospel.  In spite of the tragedies inflicted upon Ukraine by Russia, there are some joys to report from the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU). SELCU Pastor Oleg Schewtschenko, assigned to the congregation in Odessa, is currently in Marsberg, Germany, visiting his spouse Victoria and sons Nathaniel and Dominic. The family photo shows the reunited family. Although he holds a German passport and could have left Ukraine at the start of the conflict, he chose to remain in the country to assist the SELCU congregations and the Ukrainian people. Pastor Schewtschenko writes: “207 days away from my boys; 207 days without hugs; 207 days of prayers: ‘Protect and let our father come to us.’ What a joy of reunion after [traveling] 2,605 km!”
 It was in March of this year that he bade farewell to his family at the Ukrainian-Romanian border. He has missed many family events in the intervening months. In August, on the occasion of his older son’s birthday, he wrote the following: “Happy and Blessed Birthday, dear Nathanael Martin! Another happy and sad day. Joyful because today you are a whole five - and you are again a year older than your little brother. And it's sad because we're still far from each other. Nathanael, I fondly remember our trips. You really like to sit next to your dad, and you do not miss the opportunity to sit behind the wheel and even switch the speed, and you want to drive on the fifth gear very fast. You have incredible attention and visual memory. I appreciate how attentively you listened to stories from your favorite books and especially from your favorite Children's Bible. You love the railway (ICE) so much; even your toy cars must all be lined up - like lights, one by one. Miss you so much, love and prayers. I'm so happy to hear that you pray every day for dad and ask God [that I] meet you. God hears every word!” We rejoice with Pastor Schewtschenko as he spends some quality time in Germany, where his sons once again get to ride with their father, eat meals with him, and pray with him. Soon he will return to Odessa, Ukraine, to continue the important work there. Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need!
"I never stop thanking God for you, because through you the Lord richly blesses us, we have everything necessary to serve people, to the glory of God. We thank you for the fact that both in joy and in sorrow we are moving together for Christ. Thank you for supporting our ministry and helping us overcome all trials." SELCU Pastor Valera Verba SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief which combines the clear proclamation of the gospel. Pastor Valera Verba's Summary of His Missionary Work
Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need!
100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief which combines the clear proclamation of the gospel. It is estimated that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than half of Ukraine's 44 million populace has either left the country as refugees or become internally displaced persons within the country. A New Van Helps Pastor Yura Timerkan Serve His Community in Bashtanka, Ukraine  Congregations and pastors of the Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche (SELK), a partner church of the LCMS, have also been actively involved in supporting Ukrainian refugees and work in Ukraine. The Bugenhagen Foundation in Berlin provided 30,000 Euros for the purchase of a VW van to assist SELCU Pastor Yura Timerkan in his parish and community work in Bashtanka, Ukraine. This past week, Pastor Timerkan completed a trip to Homberg, Germany, to fetch the van and visit his family, wife, four children, and his mother. Pastor Christian Utpatel of the St. Peter Congregation in Homberg reported the following: “I have no words to express my deep respect for this young brother, Yura Timerkan. He is not conscripted; he could have stayed here legally with his mother, wife, and children. But with great joy, bravery, realistic planning, a lot of trust in God, and encouragement for us who stayed behind, he left. With him went three church members who were here somewhere in Germany and who are returning. And we stuffed all the empty seats and every conceivable crevice in the VW van - and actually managed to get everything in that needed to be taken with them. There was a devotion with prayer and Ukrainian chants, and we all cried as I sobbed and laid my hands on him and commended him to the protection of our God.” SELCU Pastor Sergey Bevz and Congregation Members Continue to Serve Their People  In Dnipro, Ukraine, and farther east, SELCU Pastor Sergey Bevz and his congregation members continue to travel widely and provide both humanitarian aid and the gospel message to those whose cities are being ravaged by the Russian invasion. His most recent report includes this story: “The atmosphere in Izumi is hard to describe in words. Broken city; no light, gas, internet, communication, enough groceries, meds, and much more. There are traces of death, destroyed houses, and bridges. People have put up with it all. As soon as we stopped downtown, one woman asked if we had a ‘humanitarian.’ She was upset and says she didn't get enough from those who came before us. Goes home empty-handed. In a minute, she holds in her hands some of God's blessings. Crying, hugs ‘us’ and says, ‘I'm so happy to see you; how would you know how much!’ Of course, ‘us’ means ‘our people.’” Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need! Please prayerfully consider donating to help Ukrainians by showing the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need!
Thank You for your support in being the hands and feet of Jesus to those suffering! 100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief which combines the clear proclamation of the gospel. It is estimated that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than half of Ukraine's 44 million populace has either left the country as refugees or become internally displaced persons within the country.  At approximately 2:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, September 11, a Russian missile destroyed apartment homes in the city of Nikolaev that are located only about 100 meters from the church facility of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine. The church itself suffered minor damage. The Rev. Aleksiy Navrotskyy is the pastor of the SELCU congregation in Nikolaev. He is a full-time missionary of the Lutheran Church-Canada serving in Ukraine who currently resides in Odessa but makes weekly visits to the besieged city of Nikolaev. The images of the destruction again demonstrate the ongoing needs of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine in the midst of a seemingly never-ending war. The plan is for Pastors Navrotskyy and Oleg Schewtschenko, Pastor of the SELCU congregation in Odessa, to travel to Nikolaev as quickly as possible in order to assist the community. Your prayers and financial support are appreciated. Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need!
SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians Are Asking For Your Continued Support Ahead Of Cold Weather Months9/6/2022
A Video Message From Pastor Sergey Bevz 100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need  SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief which combines the clear proclamation of the gospel. It is estimated that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than half of Ukraine's 44 million populace has either left the country as refugees or become internally displaced persons within the country. A Video Message from SELCU Pastor Sergey Bevz The SELCU pastors are producing a series of video presentations that summarize their work in Ukraine and offer sincere gratitude to LCC donors. In the second video of the series SELCU Pastor Sergey Bevz talks about his important work in the city of Dnipro and the entire Donbas region. Click on the video below to watch his powerful message.  Please prayerfully consider donating to help Ukrainians by showing the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need! Children from Ukrainian Orphanage Need Your Support LCC received the following request from Archpriest Mykhailo Kuzma of the Ukrainian Church in Palatine, Illinois:  Glory to Jesus Christ! The orphanage in Ivano-Frankivsk (Western Ukraine), which is affiliated with St. Nicholas Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, hosts about 40 orphaned children. Some are refugees from Eastern Ukraine who have lost their parents in the war. The orphanage is directed by sister Natalia. The spiritual director who visits regularly is Father Ivan Zhuk, administrator of St. Nicholas. Father Ivan Zhuk is appealing to you for help in purchasing 30 computers and a printer for the orphanage. The total cost of the equipment is $15,000. They are sincerely grateful and pray to God for each of you. Thanks in advance to everyone who responds to Father Zhuk's request for help. Archpriest Mykhailo Kuzma Ukrainian Church in Palatine, Illinois
Please prayerfully consider donating to help provide computers for the children in the orphanage.
100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief which combines the clear proclamation of the gospel. SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians More than 180 days have now passed since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the past six months, it is estimated that more than half of Ukraine's 44 million populace has either left the country as refugees or become internally displaced persons within the country.  One of the internally displaced persons is the Rev. Valerii Verba, a pastor of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU). The SELCU is a partner church of the Lutheran Church-Canada, which is a partner church of The Lutheran Church —Missouri Synod. Pastor Verba's home and congregation are in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, to which he cannot return. His wife, son, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew are refugees living in the town of Marsberg, Germany, together with two other SELCU pastors' refugee families in the same apartment building.  Because Pastor Verba cannot visit his congregation, he primarily assists SELCU Pastor Sergei Bevz and his congregation in Dnipro. In addition to caring for the Dnipro congregation, some two-three times each week, the two pastors load vans with humanitarian relief supplies and travel to cities and villages farther to the east in the Donbas region. At risk to their own lives, the pastors provide food for both body and soul to their fellow Ukrainians. The conflict in Ukraine will not end soon. Through the generosity of its donors, Lutheran Church Charities has been concentrating on assisting those who remain in Ukraine, whether they are still residing in their own homes or are among the internally displaced. That assistance includes both humanitarian relief and the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. LCC is pleased to partner with the pastors of the SELCU and their congregations as they carry out this important ministry. Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need!
"With the support of Lutheran Church Charities, we feed hundreds of people and we embrace hundreds of people with the Gospel.” Oleksiy Navrotskyy (SELCU pastor) 100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need  SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief which combines the clear proclamation of the gospel. The SELCU pastors are producing a series of video presentations that summarize their work in Ukraine and which offer sincere gratitude to LCC donors. The first in the series is provided by Pastor Oleksiy Navrotskyy, who is a SELCU pastor in Nikolaev and is the full-time missionary in Ukraine for the Lutheran Church-Canada. Click on the video below to watch the powerful message from Pastor Navrotskyy.  Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need!
"Our gratitude knows no bounds... And we all thank God together for everything we receive in this difficult time of war.” Valera Verba (SELCU Pastor) SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians The humanitarian needs in Ukraine continue to grow larger and larger. Many geographical areas in eastern Ukraine are in mere survival mode. Working through LCC staff member for Ukraine relief Rev. Larry Myers, the pastors and laity of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) continue to put forth outstanding efforts in proclaiming the truth of the Gospel through Word and action.  Valera Verba (SELCU Pastor) The photo shows Pastor Valera Verba in one of several vans that are used by the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine to deliver humanitarian relief. He reports the following: “And another trip! I love this time of roads, distances, new places, and new people. Everywhere there is a deficit of the Word and food. We thank all our partners, thanks to whom the service in the Donetsk region continues. Praise God; serve people!” “The Lord, in His mercy, blesses again and again. Donations from Lutheran Church Charities came. Our gratitude knows no bounds. The people of Ukraine need your support and service. And we all thank God together for everything we receive in this difficult time of war.”
Sergii Bevz (SELCU Pastor)  SELCU Pastor Sergii Bevz reports: “Received money transfer today [from Lutheran Church Charities]! We know that collecting donations has become more difficult now. Thank you for continuing to help those affected by the war! We really hoped and prayed a lot that by August, there would be positive changes and the prospect of an end to the war would be visible. But unfortunately, the war machine continues its terrible work. Now we are again seeing a large flow of refugees from the Donetsk region. There, the Russians are slowly seizing new territories. Albeit in small parts, but still. Recently, an evacuation from this area was officially announced. There are many people who will still live in their place. Valera Verba and I continue to visit the villages of the Donetsk region with different frequency. We also continue to help refugees who are in our city and its district. Now our grocery sets have become simpler. However, people are grateful for any help.”
The SELCU pastors who receive support from Lutheran Church Charities are producing video recordings that will provide updates on their ongoing ministry. Those videos will soon be available for LCC donors to view Ukrainian Church – Palatine, Illinois
Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need!
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