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Easter message from the Bishop of GELCU
Revelation 1:18: “I was dead and, see, I am alive forever and ever! I also hold the keys of death and hell” Dear brothers and sisters, We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ against the backdrop of the war. Its acute phase began shortly before the time of Lent, and we were reflecting on the suffering of Jesus during our own ...
17.04.2022
The president of the Berdyansk Lutheran congregation detained
On April 9, the president of the Council of the German Evangelical Lutheran congregation in occupied Berdyansk (Zaporozhye oblast), Artur Kozhevnikov, was detained by the Russians while walking on Primorskaya Square and taken to the police building, where they placed their military commandant's office. He was one of the participants in the ...
16.04.2022
Shelter “Harbor” in Andriivka destroyed. A woman died
In the village of Andreevka, Bucha district, Kyiv region, there was a shelter "Harbor" of the NGO House of Mercy, which was cared for by the of St. Martin`s congregation in Kyiv and opened a mission station on its basis. By the beginning of the active phase of the war, 12 elderly homeless people with disabilities lived there, as well as GELCU ...
02.04.2022
The bishop of GELCU spoke in the Cathedral of Berlin
On 18th of March, the bishop of GELCU Pavlo Shvarts took part in the prayer for peace in the Cathedral of Berlin together with the bishop of Evangelical Church of Berlin and Brandenburg Petra Bosse-Huber, the head of the Council of Christian Churches in Germany archpriest Constantin Radu Miron, and the bishop of Evangelical-Lutheran Church of ...
19.03.2022
Road of life: Lutsk – Kharkiv
Jesus told him: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). 1st of March the Diakonia Kościoła Ewangelicko-Augsburskiego w RP - Diakonia Polska gave over to GELCU a load of humanitarian aid and a minibus for the ministry in Ukraine (purchased with donations from Germany). Situated in a relatively safe area of the country, the cities ...
17.03.2022
Polish Lutherans for Ukraine
After Bishop's Samiec appeal, some Lutheran parishes in Poland began to organize support, funds, prepare places and receive people from Ukraine Accommodation was made available by parishes or parishioners from Białystok, Bytom Miechowice, Cieszyn, Częstochowa, Dzięgielów, Gliwice, Golasowice, Kalisz, Karpacz, Kielce, Kraków, Mikołajki, ...
03.03.2022
It’s time to pray for a just peace
The time for prayers for peace is over. It's time to pray for a just peace. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. (Ps. 89:14) This morning Putin's regime launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Military objects were bombed by aircraft and cruise missiles, and troops attacked the territory of Ukraine from the ...
24.02.2022
Lego for the Sunday school
One of the most important ministries in GELCU congregations is children’s ministry, though it can take different forms. Apart from traditional Sunday school with Bible lessons and various classes, congregations have other kinds of children’s ministries. For instance, assistance for children with their homework in Novohradkivka (village in Odesa ...
11.02.2022
Reaction of international community to the crisis around Ukraine
Die beunruhigende Situation, die durch die Konzentration russischer Truppen an der Grenze zur Ukraine entstand, löste Reaktionen von Kirchen und zwischenkirchlichen Organisationen weltweit aus. Dr. Anne Burghardt, Generalsekretärin des Lutherischen Weltbundes, erklärte: „Wir haben mit wachsender Sorge verfolgt, wie die Rhetorik und die ...
09.02.2022
Ministers of evangelical churches of Ukraine came together for the time of learning and planning.
1-3 February, a conference for GELCU and CREC (Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches) ministers took place in the premises of a congregation of Holy Ascension. As always, the conference had a rich and serious learning program. Dmytro Tsolin – the head of the Sacral texts’ translation laboratory at National University of Ostroh Academy, ...
05.02.2022
Urgent prayer request from the Bishop of DELKU
“In you, Lord, I have taken refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me. Turn your ear toward me. Hurry! Rescue me! Be a rock where I take refuge, a fortified place that saves me.” Psalm 31:1-2 (EHV) Photo: Sergiy Maidukov for NewYorker Our dear brothers and sisters, friends, and partners! Our country has been ...
26.01.2022
How to be an everyday missionary?
Having small or missionary groups is a practice that gradually becomes more widespread across Lutheran churches. In my pastoral ministry I repeatedly came across this idea, but whenever I tried to launch it, I did not have enough time to lead such a group myself. After Greg Finke’s book “Joining Jesus on His Mission. How to Be an Everyday ...
20.01.2022