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 Communion, Bishop Pavlo Shvarts of GELCU talks about the situation one year later, the humanitarian work of his church, and faith in times of war.
Voices from the Communion: Bishop Pavlo Shvarts of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine
(LWI) – LWI met Bishop Shvarts in the last week of January 2023, in Kharkiv. The interview took place in one of the heating points which LWF and GELCU support – a school gym, where people can warm up, charge their phones and sometimes receive warm food. On this day however, the place was empty. It was a fairly warm and sunny day in Kharkiv, and for the time being, there was even electricity.
How is the situation in Kharkiv?
Bishop Pavlo Shvarts: Apart from the missile strikes on critical infrastructure, the situation in the city has been relatively stable during the last few months. About one million people live in Kharkiv, and most things in the city function. The only exception is the northern part which suffered greatly from the war with the Russian Federation, from missile attacks and other weapons.
How do the people feel, after one year of war and aggression?
The situation in Kharkiv is exceptional because many people have family on the other side of the border, for example, in Belgorod. That creates a difficult emotional situation because Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region are regularly shelled from Belgorod. Therefore the invasion of one state into another also creates tensions in families. Part of a family is there; the other part is here. Some families no longer speak to each other. These family breaks are quite a severe problem and will take decades to resolve.
I noticed that life is continuing here and people are returning to Kharkiv. What do you think gives them strength?
People return to the city for various reasons. Partly they return because if they have not lost their homes, there is an opportunity to live and work here. The second reason is the desire to return to their native city and, in some sense, to return to that time before the war.
I hear very different stories of how people are finding strength for themselves. Of course, if we are talking about religious people, it will be faith and connection to a congregation. But everyone is trying to find their way. It is not always possible, unfortunately. That is why quite a lot of people are experiencing depression. It is difficult to process all that is happening emotionally.
How is the situation in the congregations of your church?
We are a small church: some members of our congregations left for other cities in Ukraine, and some moved abroad. We maintain relations with both, and we also welcome new members. We categorically separated the distribution of humanitarian aid from religious services so that people would not feel obliged to attend worship.
As a church, we set up gatherings and worship services, so the congregations are like a support group where people help each other. In the same way, we involve people in some activity so that they not only receive aid but also feel like they can contribute something: unload cargo, and hand over relief goods to someone.
We provide humanitarian aid, but more in the form of direct assistance. We do not do mass distributions. Instead, we see where there is personal contact because this reduces the probability of manipulations and gives more opportunities to help those in need.
What kind of humanitarian aid are you doing?
Over the last 11 months, the needs have changed. In the early days of the war, we helped to evacuate people. We could not do this much because we did not have enough staff, but we enabled people to leave and find a new place either in Ukraine or outside Ukraine. We brought people bread; then, when there was bread again, we delivered milk. Now we distribute packaged food.
We are not trying to make huge food parcels but to have as much variety as possible. For example, we don’t give out the kind of rice issued in the UN program. For some time, we have also stopped giving out pasta because there is a lot of pasta in the UN food parcels. We also provided medicine in the spring. Later, we did not do that anymore because the pharmacies were working, and giving out medicine was complicated.
We also help with vouchers. We are currently implementing a program for 120 people. Since May, we have been holding classes for children, helping with school, and even organizing computer science classes.
Together with LWF, you have equipped some heating points. What is that initiative about?
Heating points are an all-Ukrainian initiative related to the fact that the Russian Federation has been systematically attacking our infrastructure since autumn. They are threatening to deprive people of heat and food. In the heating points, people can warm up and charge their phones. Sometimes they have access to the Internet, or, for example, they have the opportunity to eat.
It all depends on the circumstances. When the situation is calm in the city, the points are empty. When the condition is critical, or there is no electricity, they are filled with people. Also, if there is distribution of food, then, of course, people come.
What gives you the strength to continue your work during this war?
From my perspective, the answer is obvious – everything we do is grounded in our faith. Faith in Jesus Christ is the primary motivation for our work. Faith prompts us not to be indifferent and to help other people but to help with wisdom.
As I always like to repeat: it is important not to harm people with support, which is why a direct connection is essential to us. We want to avoid creating new problems, for example, by giving away things people don’t need, or that might cause them to lose their independence and expect someone to always take care of them.
What does it mean for your church, your work, you to be a part of the communion of churches?
Being a part of the Lutheran community in a crisis is vital because it gives you the feeling that you are not alone with the problem and that other people pray for you, help you, and want to hear you.
Being a part of the Lutheran community in a crisis is vital because it gives you the feeling that you are not alone with the problem and that other people pray for you, help you, and want to hear you.
LWF/ C. Kästner-Meyer, Daniel Kiss (Hungarian Interchurch Aid). Translation: LWF/ O. Batoryk