“There is no peace anywhere”
How are our brothers and sisters in Ukraine doing? This is the question young Germans asked their special guest, Apostle Anatoly Budnik. Here are answers from the country that is still having to defend itself against the Russian war of aggression.
“There is no peace anywhere.” This is how Apostle Budnik summarises the situation in Ukraine in the interview. The video was taken at the end of July when Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider visited the Saarland, the south-western corner of Germany. There he and his companions were invited to an entertaining and informative meeting with young people from the area, from neighbouring Merlebach in France, and with the members of the Youth Celebration Choir who come from all over western Germany.
A direct line every Tuesday
The New Apostolic Church Southern Germany, which is responsible for the pastoral care of the congregations there, is also keeping a close eye on the worries and needs of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. This is reported by Apostle Budnik in the interview as well as on the website of the Regional Church.
“For more than a year and a half, millions of people in Ukraine have been fearing for their lives, many have lost their homes, their possessions, and livelihood,” it says. District Apostle Michael Ehrich knows how the New Apostolic Christians in Ukraine are faring. Every Tuesday he meets for a video conference with Apostle Anatoly Budnik and the district leaders.
Solidarity across national borders
“We have around 4,000 members in Ukraine, who are spread across 80 congregations throughout the country. We are happy and grateful that we can now conduct services again regularly in more than 40 congregations,” District Apostle Ehrich reports. “Unfortunately, eight churches are occupied by Russian troops,” he adds.
In order to help the Ukrainians, the aid agency of the New Apostolic Church Southern Germany supports various charities. On top of that, many members help with financial and material donations. The District Apostle is very happy about this: “I am very grateful for the help being offered and the donations of our brothers and sisters in Southern Germany. Once again, I am impressed by what active Christian love can achieve and how much solidarity there is across national borders,” the website concludes.
