Thank you for your concern and for praying for Ukraine and the Ukrainian People
1. From church planter Sergiy Koop in Western Ukraine: “You may have heard that last week our city of Ternopil was hit by heavy shelling, and unfortunately, many people were injured. Our city is relatively far from the front line, so our region is rarely bombed. And even when it is hit, usually very little reaches us because, as I said, we are far away and most of the missiles are shot down on the way.
“However, there was a direct missile hit, and not just one. It happened early in the morning, when the city was still quiet, so every movement could be heard. As of now, 33 people have died in Ternopil because of that Russian attack, including six children. According to various news outlets, 94 people have been injured, including 18 children. Forty-six people have been rescued, including 7 children. Several more people are still under the rubble and cannot be found. Some people from our church live in that area, but one young man lives right beside the [apartment building] that was hit. First, our church went to help our brother. He was in shock, but he was not seriously injured physically. He had some bruises; maybe he hit something, but he is alive, for which we thank God. The apartment building next to his was completely destroyed. We took him away, prayed with him, fed him, and gave him something to drink. Then we went back, thinking maybe someone else needed help. Unfortunately, the impact was too powerful, and civilians were not allowed in. But we stood there and prayed for those people. This terrible missile strike, with many deaths and injuries, cannot be anything good. But we used this opportunity to tell people about Christ and provided help to those who needed it. Thank you for your prayers. Please pray for peace in our country.”
2. Sergiy Koop also shared the following experience about ministering to a brother on leave from the war front: “Friends, I want to share something that is very precious to me. Recently, a soldier from Eastern Ukraine, from the occupied region, came to Ternopil. He has been in the service for ten years. He said he just needed a change of scenery, something besides war, and to rest his soul.
“We spent his leave together. We had many conversations—not formal ones, but real, heartfelt talks. There were many questions, painful topics, things that he had been carrying inside him for a long time. We prayed together more than once.
“I took him on an excursion around western Ukraine: mountains, landscapes, silence, normal life—all the things that often simply do not exist on the front lines. I saw how he gradually let go inside, how peace came to him. It was an honor for me to be there not just as a pastor, but as a brother in faith, as a person he trusted.”
3. With the financial support of BIEM’s War Relief fund, Awakening Baptist Church in the Obolon district of Kyiv, Ukraine, reaches out to the large number of Bakhmut refugees who fled to the capital when Russian attacks destroyed their city. Through the church, refugees are receiving groceries and clean clothing. Some are finding jobs. Best of all, some are finding salvation and new hope in the Savior...
https://vimeo.com/user37287229/offering
4. Earlier this year, we announced at matching-fund opportunity for BIEM: Until the end of December 2025, all donations for our War Relief fund would be matched up to $100,000. Praise God, we have now reached that amount of $100,000, thus giving this important fund a totally of $200,000 for 2025. Thank you to each one who gave and and enabled BIEM to benefit from the full extent of this opportunity! (War Relief funds continue to be needed. We hope those who can will still give as we go into 2026.)
Sam Slobodian
President, BIEM