Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in February Evangelicals Now has been inundated with stories about how UK churches and Christian groups are helping refugees and reaching out to them with the gospel. But Christians in other parts of Europe have been busy too.
Here is how Message Germany (an international hub of Manchester-based The Message Trust) has responded to the crisis.
Message Germany leader Sven Wenzel said: ‘As the conflict began, our hearts broke for what was happening and the millions forced to flee for their lives, so we began praying about what we could do to help. Quickly God started opening doors.
‘A church leader in the Czech Republic told me that they had buses filled with Ukrainians arriving in their town and they were running out of homes for them, but they didn’t want to turn anyone away. He asked if Message Germany could help.
‘We could, because God had already been preparing the way. A year ago, we met Thomas and Yvonne, who had felt called to leave their jobs and buy an old youth hostel near our base in Wolkenstein, so that it could be a place of peace for people in need. Faithfully, they spent a year renovating each of the 80 bedrooms. They immediately flung their doors open, enabling us to house 130 Ukrainian families!
‘God also provided amazing servant-hearted people like Lea, Ella and Freddy, three young women who wanted to help too. They now run kids’ clubs, complete registration paperwork and put on creative mission workshops. They also tell people about Jesus. As Lea said to me: ‘Every day we feel weak and overwhelmed, but can see how God is supporting us.
‘We are also sharing Jesus with the Ukrainian young people, so we are playing football with them and taking them to our youth group. We have even put on a mission week, featuring band Amongst Wolves.
‘Maxim is a 16-year-old lad. On arriving at the youth hostel he offered to help with translations. Since then, he’s spent almost every day helping me communicate – even translating my gospel talks! Although he used to go to church he wouldn’t call himself a Christian, so I was blown away when he came up to me and said: “Wow, I feel like God’s changed my whole picture of Him. He’s alive and with me, this is so different from the God I heard about at home.” He’s now listening to Amongst Wolves music on repeat and is excitedly asking loads of questions about Jesus!’
