Date: 11 March 2022
The distressing news from Ukraine in the last two weeks has sparked an immediate reaction from a number of church communities across the diocese.
At St Mary’s Guildford, the local Orthodox Church led by Father Constantine held a service and ran a collection for Ukraine refugees. The donations go to Poland, where humanitarian aid centres are based at the moment. Ukraine then sends their couriers to load the vehicles and deliver the supply to the places where the most aid is need.
The Orthodox Church regularly use St Mary’s as a venue. On Friday over 100 people attended a vigil for Ukraine in the church and St Mary’s hopes to host similar gatherings every Friday.
Holy Trinity, Claygate has links with a number of villages and churches in the far west of the country, close to the Hungarian/Romanian border - a relationship which stretching back 15 years.
Since the crisis began, Holy Trinity and the Ukraine Christian Partnership, the independent charity which supports the links, have been in close contact with their partners in the country. In a Zoom meeting, the Ukrainians asked for prayers, but more practically they are setting up refugees centres on the Ukraine side of the border, in a very rural area, well away from any large city.
“It’s for people who don’t want to necessarily leave their country,” explained Emma Coy a member of the support team. “They are looking for refuge from the cities until it’s safe to go back home. Or if the borders close, it will be somewhere to receive people.”
This is now the focus of Holy Trinity’s Easter appeal.
Presently the Ukraine Christian Partnership, tells us that the centres in the villages can currently accommodate up to 450 refugees at a cost of seven or eight Euros a day. This buys food, toiletries and temporary accommodation including heating and security. You can make a donation https://www.ukrainecp.org/