Turning to God in prayer for Ukraine
Turning to God in prayer for Ukraine
7 March 2022
Salvos around the country are invited to participate in the prayer night for Ukraine on Wednesday.
A night of prayer for Ukraine will be held around the Australia Territory on Wednesday 9 March at 7pm (AEDT).
Rosy Keane, Secretary for Spiritual Life Development, says ‘Salvos Pray for Ukraine’ will give The Salvation Army community the opportunity to pray together. Eastern Europe Territory co-leader Cheralynne Pethybridge will join Commissioners Janine and Robert Donaldson in the 45-minute time of prayer held via Zoom.
The prayer meeting will include three prayers read aloud and breakout rooms for smaller groups to pray together.
“‘Salvos pray for Ukraine’ is an open gathering of like-hearted Salvos, turning to God in prayer for the situation unfolding in Ukraine,” Rosy says.
“All are welcome as we join with Christ’s body, hearing his Spirit and following our Creator as a hopeful, praying people. Going online gives us the chance to visualise the community, embrace these key voices of insight into the situation in Ukraine, and provide space for our people to engage in a ministry intercession of prayer.”
Rosy says Cheralynne is looking forward to sharing the resilience of the people of Ukraine and the faithfulness of God. “Cheralynne says she has been lifted by the prayers of Salvationists around the globe,” Rosy says.
To pray for Ukraine, go to SalvosPrayFor and join via the Zoom link. The link will be available at 6.55pm (AEDT) on Wednesday 9 March.
Relief continues for displaced Ukrainians
The Salvation Army continues to provide relief for displaced Ukrainians.
Emergency response teams across The Salvation Army’s global network continue their tireless efforts, providing critical relief, strategic planning, and emotional support through conditions of extreme challenge and distress.
Poland
“In these moments, we are all Ukrainians.” These are the words of a Salvos team member in Poland, who is helping to care for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people from Ukraine pouring across the border in search of safety from the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
“People are panicking and don’t know what to do,” they continued. “In [the course of] a couple of minutes, I received a variety of questions: Where should I sleep today? How to buy a ticket? Where is the hospital? Helping these people, I saw in them my mother, family, friends, who have been in a bomb shelter [in Ukraine] with pillows on their heads and lying on the floor for the sixth day. These photos are not about what heroes we are but to show that we are doing everything we can. The Salvation Army in Poland is there where is a need.”
Salvos teams have been providing relief parcels, information, and support at a shopping mall in southeast Poland and the railway station at Przemysl, where trainloads of refugees have been arriving.
Ukraine
In various locations across the country, Salvation Army churches and centres are supporting internally displaced people with food, bedding, and essential items. In Dnipro, Army workers prepared sweet pies and distributed them to displaced people. Bandages are also being made for a hospital treating wounded soldiers. In Lviv, Army workers stocked up their supplies and shared their contact details on social media etc, in order for displaced people to get in touch and receive the most essential items.
Moldova
During the time of the humanitarian corridor, the Salvation Army team in Moldova managed to send urgently needed medical items across the border, where a team from Ukraine received it and transported it to a children‘s intensive care unit in Odessa. These folks are true heroes.
Romania
Salvation Army teams are working alongside other organisations in the Siret refugee camp and providing social assistance to the new arrivals. The teams have also set up tents offering information about the real danger of human trafficking in current conditions, how to avoid it, and providing emergency contacts.
Russia
There are more than 60,000 displaced people in the southern part of Russia. Army teams are providing food, hygiene, and other relief items.
Other regions
The wider Salvation Army emergency response is being formulated and effected across other European countries. Leadership and response teams in Slovakia and the Czech Republic are also assessing and preparing vital aid for the certain flow of displaced people to come.
In Transnistria (a breakaway region of Moldova in which ethnic Russians and Ukrainians together outnumber ethnic Moldovans), the Salvos are working with the city administration to supply food and clothing to the refugees, as well as assistance with onward travel.
“The theme for [the Salvos in Eastern Europe] this year is ‘Faith and Courage’, said Colonel Kelvin Pethybridge, Territorial Commander, Eastern Europe. “Our officers and members are living that out, even in the midst of war.”
Kelvin also asked for prayer for peace between the nations, the safety and resilience of those caring for refugees and the refugees themselves.
“This is a terrible situation, and we need God to intervene in a miraculous way,” he said.
To donate and help provide immediate and long-term humanitarian aid for those impacted by the crisis, go through The Salvation Army World Service Office here or the Salvos International Headquarters here.
Comments
I pray for the ability to walk and practise the love of Jesus Christ for the refugees in Eastern Europe . I pray for them to live a Christ like life with his covenant of grace thru Him . Do give thanks to God who lifts up those who bend their knee to Him .