SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians  100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians The humanitarian needs in Ukraine continue to grow larger and larger. 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. The SELCU pastors were able to meet Sergiu Trifa in person recently. Sergiu lives in Romania, is a member of the Confessional Lutheran Church in Romania, and is the son of the Rev. Sorin-Horia Trifa of that national church body, an alliance church with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. For the past four months, Sergiu has purchased and shipped food items and other supplies from Romania to the SELCU congregations and pastors in Ukraine. Funds were provided by your donations to Lutheran Church Charities. SELCU Pastor Oleg Schewtschenko in Odessa reports: “Finally, after many times and late hours talking on the phone and lots of emails, we see each other face to face! Dear Sergiu, thank you and all the people behind the world for your support, help, and care for our people. The Lord loves you. You are truly a man of God.” Sergey Bevz (SELCU pastor)  "For a long time, I did not share what is happening with us and what we are doing now. As before, we are immersed in work and service. Every Tuesday and Thursday we receive refugees in the church building, share the Gospel with them (sermon 10-15 minutes), and bless them with food packages. On each such day, we receive about 100-130 people. For many people, this is the first time in their lives when they can listen to a sermon and hear the Word of God with an accessible and relevant explanation. Once a week, if possible, we deliver aid to the villages that are located in the frontline zone. It's the most difficult situation. Also, in the last month, we visited several villages in our region where refugee settlements are organized. As a rule, these people live in poor housing conditions and have much less help from the government than in larger cities. We also provide targeted assistance for individuals who deal with special situations. As for the situation in our city and in general, in the country, it became more dangerous. As you probably already know, the Russians have begun to strike a lot of civilian targets and civilian homes. You have probably heard about the latest high-profile events - missile attacks on a residential multi-story building in Kyiv, a shopping center in Kremenchug, and strikes in the Odessa region. Last week there was a blow to our city. The missile hit the service station and the transport park. People died. Early today, six missiles were shot down over our city by air defense. Therefore, we try to be even more careful and, if possible, avoid crowded places. Thank you for continuing to help people in Ukraine! We want you to know that your assistance helps not only to saturate the human body, it also serves to saturate hearts with the Word of God. We always try to give people more than food and basic necessities. We are always trying to share with them the gospel of our Lord and proclaim to them the hope in the Lord that will help them now. And we see how many people are very open to the Word of God. Thank you and everyone who donates. God's needed help for the body and spirit is now reaching many people." Yurii Timerkan (SELCU pastor)  "Thanks to all of those people who continue to pray and worry about Ukrainians. Unfortunately, the war is not stopped. We can see it every day. This situation teaches us to start our morning not with a cup of coffee but with Thanksgiving to God for a new day of life and trying to know that all of our relatives are okay. We continue to serve and help people around us. It is not easy and sometimes scary, but God's grace and your support give us a power and make it possible to tell people about God's love even through the war. Infinitely thank you for your open hearts. Blessings to you.” Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need!
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