How much longer?

It will soon be 40 months since the Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine and escalated the war that had been smoldering for several years. For some time now, politicians have been holding countless talks about how at least a ceasefire could be brought about, or what arms deliveries are needed - but the suffering and death in Ukraine still continues, and the longing for a just peace remains an unfulfilled longing to this day. 

When millions of people fled Ukraine in the days and weeks after the deadly war began, churches and individuals of The United Methodist Church (UMC) in the immediate and indirect neighboring countries were on hand and made their buildings available as places of refuge. With great commitment, they provided for the many people who had to leave their homes: food, clothing, medical care, accommodation, and help for their onward journey into an unknown future. Aid transports to Ukraine were also organized time and again - with food, hygiene products and blankets, for example, but also with heavy equipment for hospitals
 
Even after more than three years, the UMC churches are still active in Ukraine's neighboring countries - even if the situation has changed. On the one hand, there are no longer so many people fleeing Ukraine. And on the other hand, many people who have arrived in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, or Romania and stayed there have long since made great strides towards integration into their respective societies.
 
Pastor Jana Křížova from Prague (Czech Republic), for example, recently said: "Many people who have fled Ukraine have long since found a job and an apartment. While they are still supported by the state, they only need material help from the UMC in exceptional cases. As UMC in the Czech Republic, we are in a position to provide the help they need with our own resources." The situation is similar in Romania and Hungary. The need for accommodation is greatest in Poland - however, the number of refugees registered there is also one and a half times greater than in the Czech Republic, Romania, and Hungary combined. Of the 14 UMC churches that have housed and helped people in Poland, some are still active in this area. Szarlota Kamińska, the coordinator of this work in Poland, said: "Even if the intensity of the commitment to the people who have fled from Ukraine is decreasing, it must be emphasized that support for them and our commitment are still necessary."
 
The Polish UMC pastor Jarosław Bator is also aware of this. He has been traveling to Ukraine every month for some time now. Initially, the focus was on material aid for the needy in the north-east of the country. Now his aim is to share the power and comfort of the gospel with the people. He preaches regularly at two locations in Ukraine, one of which is a hospital. He also meets with his people online once a week.
 
District Superintendent Rares Calugar from Romania also mentions the shift from emergency aid mode to longer-term integration efforts: "Our work with people who have fled Ukraine is continuing. In Cluj-Napoca, we have the Ukrainian hub that offers a place for more than 100 children and youth in different extracurricular activities such as art, music, dance, etc. It also now offers Romanian language courses for adults. In Sibiu, we are continuing the project "Ascendent", an after-school program for teenagers where Ukrainian and Romanian youth gather together and learn life skills as well as have time for personal development."
 
But he is also aware of the need for support that goes beyond the provision of material aid and support for integration measures. On the one hand, this is reflected in the fact that people from Ukraine, for example, have long been part of the UMC church in Cluj-Napoca. On the other hand, "Faces of Courage" for women from Ukraine was a widely recognized project in the field of trauma healing. The latest project, developed in a cooperative partnership with political and church leaders, is the production of the first waterproof Bibles for the military in Ukraine to provide a "symbol of resilience and hope" to those who are exposed to the horrors of war on a daily basis. Of course, it would also be possible to make these Bibles available via application software - but because a required internet connection could make soldiers an easy target for drone attacks, those responsible for the project have opted for a special form of printed Bibles in a modern Ukrainian language.
 
The commitment to people in Ukraine with post-traumatic stress disorder is also a priority for those responsible of the UMC in the Czech Republic. They support the organization of ten-day rehabilitation retreats, in which widows of fallen soldiers and orphans in particular receive the help they need. This help includes rest, psychological and psychotherapeutic support, which is provided by appropriate specialists, as well as spiritual offerings such as worship services and pastoral care. In 2023 and 2024, a total of 24 such retreats for around 50 people each were held by the partner organization of the UMC in the Czech Republic - a further 20 are planned for 2025, evidence for the huge suffering…
 
In addition, the Church continues to support hospitals in western Ukraine, which provide important care in the field of surgery, but also enable rehabilitation measures that go far beyond this.
 
In some European countries - not only in Ukraine's immediate neighbors - people from Ukraine are now an integral part of the local UMC churches. Or they form their own congregations and meet in the church rooms of the UMC churches. Certainly the most "special" congregation in this respect is the Russian-speaking UMC congregation in Prague (Czech Republic), which consists of people of Russian and Ukrainian origin. Eduard Holtman, a member of this congregation, said: "We sing in Russian and Ukrainian. I try to alternate between these two languages so that people can see that we can have peace in Christ."
 
As mentioned, the longing for a just peace in Ukraine is still an unfulfilled longing. And the question "How much longer?" weighs on the people, tires them, torments them. But signs of hope are becoming visible again and again – not the least through the committed service of people from the UMC in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. A hope that is sustainable, that offers refuge and security, that gives space to the idea of a present and future worth living.
 
Author: Urs Schweizer, Assistant to Bishop Stefan Zürcher, Zurich (Switzerland)