Uncategorized
It is difficult to process all that is happening
One year ago, the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, causing death, destruction, and massive displacement. Congregations of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine (GELCU) have been providing aid to people affected in their congregations and beyond. In June 2022, GELCU became a member of the LWF. In this Voices of the ...
25.02.2023
A prayer for the anniversary of the war
Almighty God, our Merciful Father!We turn to You in times of pain and suffering.A year of the war is over,but our country still suffers from unceasing pain and harrowing wounds.It was a year of loss and death.Have mercy on us, Lord! We beg You for peace.Not for peace on the terms of the tyrant,not for humiliating peace.We beg You for fair ...
24.02.2023
Medical and psychological support for vulnerable people groups
On February 16-19, the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv held the first induction session of the one-year program "Medical and psychological support for people from vulnerable categories". The training is aimed at helping people in need of special care and attention. As part of the induction program, the participants met with organizations ...
22.02.2023
The visit of the UCCRO delegation to the Vatican
On January 24-26, 2023, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations delegation made an official visit to the Vatican. GELCU was represented by the president of the Synod Rev. Oleksandr Gross. On the first day of the visit, the delegates met with Paolo Ruffini, the prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. During the ...
26.01.2023
Conference for ministers of GELCU in Radomyshl
A conference of GELCU ministers was held in Radomyshl on January 18-20. Maksym Perevozny (recently blessed for the preacher’s ministry in the “Salvation” congregation in Shostka) and Oleksandr Napreienko from the congregation of Saint Martin in Kyiv (soon to be blessed for a preaching ministry), attended the conference for the very first time. ...
22.01.2023
Christmas 2022
Zmiivka Kharkiv Kyiv, St. Catharines Kyiv, St. Martin Bila Tserkva Zhitomir Vinnitsia Odessa Petrodolynskoe Novogradkivka Krivoy Roh Poltava Aleksandria Berdyansk Zaporizhzhya Shostka Rovne Ivano-Frankovsk
26.12.2022
Christmas fair in Odessa
On December 23, a traditional Christmas fair opened in the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Odesa. For three days residents of Odessa and guests of the city could enjoy the festive mood. Even though the courtyard of the church is decorated more modestly compared to the previous years, it still creates a feeling of warmth and coziness. At the fair you ...
24.12.2022
Сhristmas message from the bishop of GELCU
«And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.» Luke 2,10-11 Angel of the Lord speaks these words to shepherds, who saw the Glory of God. But they also relate to us today. ...
23.12.2022
The bishop of GELCU in Estonia
The bishop of GELCU Pavlo Shvarts made an official visit to Estonia. On November 23, during the Synod of the EELC, archbishop Urmas Viilma awarded bishop Shvarts with the First Rank Cross of Merit of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church on behalf of the Consistory of the Church. “For me, this award, before everything else, is a symbol ...
06.12.2022
GELCU Synod 2022
On November 19, the Synod meeting of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine was held in the premises of the Lutheran Church of St. Catherine in Kyiv. The Synod delegates decided the following: To condemn the aggression of the Russian Federation and made a statement for a just peace for Ukraine;To condemn the actions of the ...
20.11.2022
Ukraine: Lutherans in Kyiv help people in need
As Russian missiles continue to rain on cities in Ukraine, local churches do what they can to support those affected by the war. On a hilltop in the Kyiv city center sits the Church of Saint Catherine, home to a Lutheran congregation tracing back to the late 1700s, and today gathering some 350 members. The congregation, one of 18 of the ...
20.10.2022
Attack on a humanitarian aid depot
Yesterday, October 10, a warehouse in the Zazimsky territorial community of the Brovary district of the Kyiv region, where humanitarian aid from the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession of Slovakia was stored, was damaged because of shelling. One person died and several more were injured. The German Evangelical Lutheran congregation of ...
11.10.2022