At the Annual European Regional Conference of the Lutheran World Federation, held in Prague from October 8 to 11, 2024, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine was represented by Pastor Dmytro Tsolin, a professor in the Department of Biblical Studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the most relevant directions for ministry within Lutheran communities across European countries. Addressing current challenges, representatives of church communities—bishops, pastors, deacons, and congregation members—shared their experiences in social work, the church’s involvement in addressing climate issues, and life within church communities in war zones. The main goal of the meeting was to hear feedback from various Lutheran communities across Europe, to reflect on the current state of implemented ministry initiatives, theological concepts, and social doctrines.
An important part of the meeting involved discussing the experience of life and activity of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB) within a highly secularized society, as well as familiarizing participants with the history of the Bohemian Reformation (1380–1436) and visiting historical sites in Prague related to the Protestant movement. Notably, the conference opened at the Church of St. Martin in the Wall (once part of the city’s fortifications), one of the first churches in Prague where, in the 15th century, Holy Communion was served with both Bread and Wine. Bishop Pavel Pokorny of the ECCB delivered a sermon on the role of “memory, narration, and testimony” in the church’s proclamation of the Gospel. The daily meetings took place at the ECCB church in Smíchov, a district of Prague, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Pastor Dmytro Tsolin presented a testimony titled “Faith in Times of War” discussing the challenges facing Christian kerygma and church activity during the current Russian aggression against Ukraine. His presentation focused not only on the active assistance that the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine (GELCU) provides to Ukrainian citizens and on the life and activities of Lutheran communities but also on the challenges to faith itself. This part of the presentation sparked the greatest interest and subsequent discussion. Here are some quotes from the presentation on faith in times of war.
“How do we speak of God to secular people during war, when our own established religious beliefs are put to a severe test? Should we preach repentance to them with a spirit of strict determinism, claiming that war is God’s punishment for our sins? Then what about innocent people, about sincere Christians who died from Russian bombs or missiles? How do we explain God’s silence in response to pleas for salvation? How do we speak to children about the power of prayer when God’s answers are not always apparent? Why, in one case, do we undoubtedly see God’s intervention and help, and in another, we hear only His silence? War is a time of immense tension and severe trials. But it is also an opportunity to deepen our faith, reaching its most unshakable and truthful foundations.”
“War is a very cruel reality, where God’s silence in response to prayer means not only material or even spiritual discomfort but also the brutal death of the people we are praying for. Yes, people feel God’s silence in peacetime too, when those we love die from deadly diseases or perish in car accidents. The difference lies in the incredible concentration of such painful experiences. In war, you don’t have time to catch your breath, because tomorrow you may receive another message about a death, or spend the night in a basement or bomb shelter, wrestling with death in your thoughts. This happens day after day.”
“But war is also a time when God speaks more clearly and eloquently than ever before. When the peace of Christ surrounds your being and lifts you above the dark clouds of reality, when the comfort of the Holy Spirit illuminates your heart and mind like a sunbeam, when the oppressive darkness is replaced by a calm and peaceful day, and when you see so many manifestations of God’s mercy and love in the actions of those around you, the sense of His reality overcomes all previous fear and despair.”
The testimony on faith during the war in Ukraine concluded a series of testimonies on the ministry of the Lutheran church in South Sudan and Israel, specifically from the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem, managed by the Lutheran World Federation. In addition to reflections on the nature of faith in times of crisis, Pastor Tsolin presented a report on the activities of GELCU communities in various cities in Ukraine—Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, and others.
The daily meetings began and ended with worship services, which imbued the conference with a special spiritual atmosphere of unity in Christ.
