A view of the Saltivka area of Kharkiv, Ukraine, where LWF has supported work to rebuild and restore damaged apartments. Photo: LWF/ Anatolyi Nazarenko
A message of solidarity to German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine after four years of war
(LWI) - “Lutherans across the world continue to accompany you in prayer and action as you endure this long winter and live through this long war.” In a pastoral letter sent to Bishop Pavlo Shvarts of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, leaders of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) deplore the recent intensification of Russian drone and missile attacks against civilians in Ukraine and reiterate the solidarity of the global communion of churches.
In the letter, marking four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, LWF President Bishop Henrik Stubkjær and General Secretary Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt give thanks for the “faithful witness” of the church in Ukraine, describing its diaconal work and pastoral care as a “strong witness to the resilience and compassion at the heart of the Gospel.”
Deliberate attacks on energy infrastructure as temperatures have dropped to -20° are reprehensible
LWF President Bishop Henrik Stubkjær and General Secretary Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt
Pointing to the recent intensification of drone and missile attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, the LWF leaders say that “deliberate attacks on energy infrastructure as temperatures have dropped to -20° are reprehensible.”
They reaffirm the continued prayers and support of the LWF, both as a global communion of churches and through the LWF country program in Ukraine. “We remain committed to supporting your ministry and the people you serve, both through this difficult winter and in the critical preparations for setting up the infrastructure you have identified,” the leaders say.
The LWF leaders conclude with verses from Lamentations 3:21-23 and the prayer that “God may grant you, your congregations and the people of Ukraine hope and renewed strength each morning.”
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine which has caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties and led to Europe’s largest refugee crisis since the end of the Second World War. The action marked a major escalation of the conflict which began in 2014 when Russia occupied Crimea and launched attacks in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
