WELS members are giving generously to help relieve the suffering in Ukraine from the war. These gifts provide aid to and through members of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church (ULC), WELS’ sister church in Ukraine.

“Your generosity, your prayers, and your expressions of concern have been an encouragement for everyone at WELS and a tremendous source of comfort to our brothers and sisters in the ULC,” says Daniel Sims, director of WELS Christian Aid and Relief.

WELS World Missions and WELS Christian Aid and Relief have sent some of these donations to Direct Relief, an organization that is able to provide immediate medical aid and supplies where they are needed most, including to help refugees in Poland. Gifts have also been sent to the Ukrainian Lutheran Church. “Most of these gifts are sent directly to pastors or churches who help people buy food, heating fuel, gasoline, medications, and basic needs,” says Roger Neumann, WELS’ liaison to the ULC. “In some areas, prices of certain essential products and food have nearly quadrupled. While these gifts do help ULC members, they are also used to help any who they are able to help. Many people need aid, and our churches try to meet these needs as best they can.”

Neumann communicates regularly with the leadership from the Ukrainian Lutheran Church and provides updates on how the war is affecting the members in Ukraine. One message he shares is that most ULC congregations continue to hold worship, either in person or online, proclaiming the hope they have in Jesus. The church body’s bishop was even able to offer a brief devotion on National Radio that included reading John 3:16.

Says WELS President Mark Schroeder, “Even in these darkest of days, we remain confident that the Lord of lords is still ruling with his grace and power. We pray for an end to the war. We pray that God would preserve the lives of his believers in Ukraine as well as the lives of all the citizens of Ukraine. With confidence in his promises, we commend them all to his gracious care and protection.”

Learn more about what is happening in Ukraine, what WELS is doing to help, and how you can offer your support at wels.net/ukraine.

Volume 109, Number 05
Issue: May 2022