Ministry during war

When the invasion of Ukraine began three years ago, millions of people became refugees as they sought safety from the war. Some of them stayed within Ukraine, moving to the west of the country where many were supported by Yulia Starodubets, a pastor with the United Methodist Church there.

Since the start of the war, Yulia has been sharing her experiences with the Methodist Church in Britain. Here, she offers her reflections after three years of conflict. Her ministry is the management of the social and spiritual centre of the United Methodist Church in Ukraine, operating two shelters for internally displaced people.

After three years of war we get tired, but it's hard to complain about it, because people who are on the battlefield, they're the ones who are really tired.

In the first year of the war we had a confidence that it would not last long, three months, six months, a year? Now the mood is not so optimistic. When you drive through Ukraine, you can see the graveyards where the burial places of soldiers are marked by Ukrainian flags. You just can see how the number of flags grows. In our society, we see injured people. Each of us has personal stories related to the war, we have church members, we have relatives and friends who are fighting.

During the first six months of the war, the situation was urgent and we provided shelters. The shelters were usually short term, we gave people a place to stay, food, clothes and helped with documents. Now things are much quieter but we still have people coming. We have people who need a permanent shelter, not just for a couple of days or one week or one month, but people who need to stay somewhere for longer. At the beginning of the war, we had spaces in our church and in a school for around 120, now we are renting space that allows around 80 displaced people to have a home.

All those who are touched by the war, they pray, they want to approach God. We listen to the soldiers. They ask our churches to pray, praying for protection, for the end of the war, for the justice of peace. Last Christmas we preached about hope, and we continue preaching about hope in our churches. We need to keep our hope that God will bring His peace and His light into what feels increasingly like a place of darkness. When we help people who are not necessarily religious, we still offer them spiritual healing. We offer people in the shelters Bible studies and invite them to our church services. We do not force, but we offer them love and patience.

We still have people from eastern Ukraine whose homes were bombed out. We have people whose villages were occupied in the first days of the war and those whose homes were flooded when Russia bombed a hydro-electric power station. People cannot feel fear all the time, they get used to the bombs.

We expect our people back, the refugees who left to be safe from the war, from Britain and from other countries in Europe. We expect them back, but we realise that if the people feel that this war has not ended well, they will think it could be repeated again. That is why our prayers are for a just peace.

A prayer for Ukraine, shared by Yulia

Lord, we lift Ukraine into Your hands.
Bring peace to this land torn by war.

Protect soldiers defending their homes, give them strength and courage, and guide the government with wisdom and integrity.

Comfort prisoners of war—may they not be forgotten but treated with mercy.

Heal the wounded, strengthen the weary, and provide for those who have lost everything.

Keep civilians safe from harm, shelter the displaced, and bring relief to the suffering.

Soften hearts, open doors for reconciliation, and let justice prevail. Fill Ukraine with hope, faith, and restoration.

We trust in Your power, Lord.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen.