During the quarantine time, the second Baptist church in Bilogorodka, Ukraine, pastored by Evgeny Buyko, delivered 80 food parcels to both believing and unbelieving families in need. As they did so, church members kept in mind 1 John 3:18, “My little children, let us love not in word, or in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” In part, the Buykos’ report to BIEM says:
As in other countries, Ukraine today is going through complicated times due to the spread of coronavirus. In cities and in villages, educational institutions are closed, movement on the streets is limited, many people are out of work or have gone on unpaid time off. Besides the painful conversations about how to overcome the pandemic and not get sick, Ukrainians are extremely worried about whether there will be enough funds to pay for community services and whether they will have a means to feed their families.
And at a time when the majority are falling into panic, God’s children sense in themselves the mercy and goodness of our Heavenly Father. Our church in the village of Bilogorodka has clear confirmation of this. My heart is overflowing with joy for what I want to share with you.
Our second Baptist church in Bilogorodka numbers about 50 people who attend, including children and teens. Of those, about 15 people are of advanced age, or have disabilities, and are in need of attention and support, especially during the quarantine time.
When we recognized that there would be restrictions on public movements and that elderly ones are at-risk, some of our members got the idea of buying groceries for those who are especially in need.
By God’s mercy, for this act of care and goodness we were able to gather fairly quickly enough funds to purchase food for 80 parcels. Some of the funds came from our church budget. Brothers and sisters of the church donated more. Also, friends of our church gave, including the BIEM mission, for which we sincerely thank you!
Every package included a variety of things, such as flour, sugar, sunflower oil, tinned fish, meat paté, cookies, chocolate, and tea. Elderly and disabled believers received such blessings of food from the first and second Baptist churches, to the glory of the Creator. Some unbelievers in town also received one.
Later, in a supplemental message, Mrs. Sofia Buyko shared the following…
I personally received the task of delivering one food parcel to a Christian widow. When she opened the door and saw such a large package of food, tears appeared in her eyes. She shared that she had asked God for help. Her supplies were very meager, and she hadn’t been sure she would have anything to eat within a few days.
A different sister who’s well along in years, who herself is in difficult straits, asked whether there might be someone else who needed these groceries more than she? This showed once again how the quarantine has rallied our church. Each of us was thinking more about someone else than about self. Praise be to our loving God for that.
If God’s children always have hope despite difficulties, then people who don’t know Him have panic and hopelessness.
When a deacon was delivering food parcels to needy unbelievers in town, he saw bewilderment in their eyes. For them, his arrival was like thunder coming from a clear, sunny sky. It was hard for them to believe that others could simply care about them and bless them in such a way.
For us, this act of doing good and expressing care opened hearts for the Gospel and created an opportunity to fulfill the Word of God, in which it’s written that we should love, not in words only, but also in deeds. We thank God that His love and mercy cover us all the days of our lives.
