22 years ago...
Twenty-two years ago, Blacksburg United Methodist Church formed a covenant relationship with Spring of Life United Methodist Church in Kyiv, Ukraine.
With donations of over $665,000, BUMC helped Spring of Life purchase a building as well as providing money for myriad operational needs. Mission teams from each country have visited each other’s churches and homes, forming lasting bonds. When Covid hit, a mission trip from BUMC to Kyiv was canceled, and Spring of Life concentrated on developing the church’s online ministry.
Then came the Russian invasion in February of 2022. Many in Kyiv fled for safety to other areas of Ukraine or other countries in the European Union. Pastor Vladimir Khabriko moved to Poland with his wife, Mila for a time. Through the computer we purchased for them at the outset of the war, they are able to keep in touch with their dispersed parishioners. Now, remaining church members meet, and all parishioners keep community and worship via the online ministry.
BUMC’s members and friends have rallied to help their siblings in Christ: $204,000 been collected since the beginning of the war. Our gifts have allowed for money for unemployed church members, pensioners, and refugees at shelters in western Ukraine, as well as for their children to have Christmas gifts.
With donations of over $665,000, BUMC helped Spring of Life purchase a building as well as providing money for myriad operational needs. Mission teams from each country have visited each other’s churches and homes, forming lasting bonds. When Covid hit, a mission trip from BUMC to Kyiv was canceled, and Spring of Life concentrated on developing the church’s online ministry.
Then came the Russian invasion in February of 2022. Many in Kyiv fled for safety to other areas of Ukraine or other countries in the European Union. Pastor Vladimir Khabriko moved to Poland with his wife, Mila for a time. Through the computer we purchased for them at the outset of the war, they are able to keep in touch with their dispersed parishioners. Now, remaining church members meet, and all parishioners keep community and worship via the online ministry.
BUMC’s members and friends have rallied to help their siblings in Christ: $204,000 been collected since the beginning of the war. Our gifts have allowed for money for unemployed church members, pensioners, and refugees at shelters in western Ukraine, as well as for their children to have Christmas gifts.
