{"id":42715,"date":"2022-06-07T14:00:44","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T05:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=42715"},"modified":"2022-06-09T09:55:28","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T00:55:28","slug":"vomk-report-208","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2022\/06\/07\/vomk-report-208\/","title":{"rendered":"UKRAINE: CHRISTIANS IN MARIUPOL AND THE DONETSK REGION RISK THEIR SAFETY TO RECONNECT DURING WAR"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”42702″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Khartsyzsk, a city in the Donetsk region, is only 130 kilometers from Mariupol. But for the past eight years, with the areas under separate control and travel between them tightly regulated, Christians in the two cities may as well have lived on opposite sides of the world. Now, as the battle lines and the control of the surrounding territories continue to shift around them, Christians from Mariupol and the Donetsk region are making the most of the present opportunity to comfort, encourage, and support each other through face-to-face visits, despite the danger.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” el_class=”headline”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Control of <\/span>Mariupol <\/span>has shifted, and control over the <\/span>Donetsk <\/span>region remains divided, but the churches in those regions remain <\/span>part of the <\/span>one body <\/span>of <\/span>Christ<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> says <\/span>V<\/span>oice of the Martyrs <\/span>Korea <\/span>Representative <\/span>Dr. Hyun Sook <\/span>Foley. \u201c<\/span>Many of the Christians in Mariupol were displaced by the fighting<\/span>, fleeing to other areas still under Ukrainian control.<\/span> E<\/span>ven though they are displaced, they are using the opportunity to visit <\/span>and bring aid and encouragement to <\/span>Christians <\/span>in the parts of Donetsk<\/span> region<\/span> under Ukrainian control.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”42705″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At the same time, says Representative Foley, <\/span>travel between <\/span>Mariupol and Khartsyzsk<\/span>, a city in the Donetsk region<\/span> under <\/span>DPR<\/span> control<\/span>,<\/span> is <\/span>now <\/span>possible for the first time in eight years<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>So <\/span>small groups of <\/span>Christians <\/span>who remained <\/span>in Mariupol <\/span>have <\/span>recently <\/span>been traveling to <\/span>Khartsyzsk <\/span>to reconnect with their brothers and sisters <\/span>after the long separation,\u201d says Representative Foley.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Voice of the Martyrs Korea <\/span>operates \u201c<\/span>\u0413\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0441<\/span> \u041c\u0443\u0447\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0432<\/span> \u2013 <\/span>\u041a\u043e\u0440\u0435\u044f<\/span>\u201d, a Russian language edition of its popular Facebook page on Christian persecution<\/span>. Representative Foley says the organization also maintains private channels of communication with Christians and churches <\/span>who are <\/span>currently in areas of armed conflict<\/span>, including <\/span>those <\/span>in <\/span>Mariupol and <\/span>Donetsk<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

According to Representative Foley, <\/span>Christians in the<\/span> areas of heavy fighting <\/span>are seeking more than <\/span>food, shelter, and safety. \u201cThey <\/span>are <\/span>seeking what the true church has always sought since Acts chapter 2<\/span>,\u201d <\/span>she <\/span>says<\/span>.<\/span> \u201cT<\/span>hey <\/span>want to <\/span>join together in one another\u2019s homes to break bread, share fellowship, pray, and devote themselves to the apostles\u2019 teaching.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”42708″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Christians who used to live in Mariupol and Christians from Donetsk region join together for mutual aid and encouragement. (Photo used with permission of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists, AUC ECB.)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0a0a|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_single_image image=”42709″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Displaced Christians from Mariupol deliver food aid to Christians in the Donetsk region
\n(Photo used with the permission of the AUC ECB.)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0a0a|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that <\/span>believers who live in places of armed conflict need more than humanitarian aid. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>They need <\/span>real face-to-face contact with other believers<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>Reports from <\/span>Christians in <\/span>the Donetsk<\/span> region<\/span> say that it is hard to know what is the greater help\u2014receiving the humanitarian aid or being able to see these brothers and sisters in Christ face-to-face.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that the motivation for the<\/span>se<\/span> visits goes much deeper than simply <\/span>delivering <\/span>aid. \u201c<\/span>Romans 13:7 says Christians are to render honor to whom honor is due<\/span>. <\/span>Mariupol Christians <\/span>have told us that they are <\/span>undertaking these trips in order to show honor to <\/span>Christians <\/span>in the Donetsk Region<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley<\/span> says that Voice of the Martyrs Korea learned of a visit by Mar<\/span>iupol <\/span>Christians to <\/span>Khartsyzsk to <\/span>see <\/span>Evgeniy <\/span>Pushkov<\/span>, <\/span>a<\/span> Christian <\/span>music minister<\/span> and <\/span>church leader who <\/span>has served in choral ministry <\/span>in the Donetsk region <\/span>for <\/span>42 years, including <\/span>11 <\/span>spent <\/span>in prison and exile for his faith<\/span> under the Soviet Union<\/span>.<\/span> \u201c<\/span>We asked the<\/span> Mariupol Christians <\/span>wh<\/span>y <\/span>they <\/span>went<\/span> to visit <\/span>Mr. <\/span>Pushkov<\/span>, and they answered simply, \u2018Because it is Mr. <\/span>Pushkov<\/span>. <\/span>H<\/span>e is a very famous preacher<\/span> to Christians in the region <\/span>who <\/span>worked very hard in the fields of the evangelism<\/span> for four decades.<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”42710″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Displaced Christians from Mariupol deliver food aid to Christians in Donetsk region.
\n(Photo used with permission of the AUC ECB.)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0a0a|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”42711″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Displaced Christians from Mariupol join Christians in the Donetsk region for worship services.
\n(Photo used with the permission of the AUC ECB.)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0a0a|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says she believes <\/span>trips like this<\/span> bring honor not only to Christian leaders but also to God<\/span>. \u201cW<\/span>hen Christians risk everything not just to deliver aid but to be together for the purpose of worship, fellowship, and <\/span>mutual edification<\/span>, we can see <\/span>how precious the body of Christ really is. F<\/span>or Christians<\/span>,<\/span> life is about more than physical<\/span> needs<\/span>. Mr. <\/span>Pushkov<\/span> recited <\/span>some of his Christian <\/span>poetry for the visitors.<\/span> For Christians, words of life are an essential form of medicine<\/span>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley <\/span>says that the <\/span>Mariupol believers <\/span>have responded to the destruction of their city as a call to mission. \u201c<\/span>Many Mariupol Christians have themselves been displaced from their homes<\/span>, and more than 10,000 deaths are still expected by the end of the year in that city of 170,000<\/span>. But <\/span>in the midst of<\/span> their difficulties the Mariupol believers have <\/span>set out on missions to aid and encourage <\/span>whichever <\/span>other believers<\/span> they are able to reach<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d says Representative Foley.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, Christians in the rest of the world should learn from these Mariupol <\/span>believers<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”42712″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Displaced Christians from Mariupol join Christians in the Donetsk region for worship services. (Photo used with permission of the AUC ECB).” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0a0a|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”42713″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Mariupol believers receive prayer from Evgeniy Pushkov, a Christian music minister and church
\nleader who has served in choral ministry for 42 years, including 11 spent in prison and exile for his faith under the Soviet Union. (Photo used with permission of the International Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists, IUC ECB.)” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230a0a0a|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cChurch attendance in many countries is still down following the COVID pandemic,\u201d says Representative Foley. \u201c<\/span>We need to re-learn what a precious privilege it is to be able to gather face-to-face. Believers in Mariupol and Donetsk <\/span>are placing <\/span>the <\/span>unity <\/span>and fellowship <\/span>of the body of Christ above <\/span>everything else<\/span>, <\/span>even <\/span>above <\/span>their <\/span>own personal safety<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that Voice of the Martyrs Korea is providing emergency assistance to local church congregations and individual Christians who are continuing to engage in faithful witness during the present Russia\/Ukraine conflict. \u201cVoice of the Martyrs Korea\u2019s calling is to help support the tiny churches <\/span>and Christians <\/span>that are faithfully <\/span>witnessing to the priority of the kingdom of God <\/span>above all earthly kingdoms, <\/span>despite the likelihood that it may cost them their lives<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> she says<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Donations can be made to the Ukraine Emergency Fund at <\/span>www.vomkorea.com\/en\/donation<\/a><\/span> or via electronic transfer to:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\uad6d\ubbfc\uc740\ud589<\/span> (KB Bank) 463501-01-243303<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\uc608\uae08\uc8fc<\/span> (Account Holder): (<\/span>\uc0ac<\/span>)<\/span>\uc21c\uad50\uc790\uc758\uc18c\ub9ac<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please include the phrase \u201cUkraine\u201d with the donation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZocR4gjzq0Q”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”42702″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Khartsyzsk, a city in the Donetsk region, is only 130 kilometers from Mariupol. But for the past eight years, with the areas under separate control and travel …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":42703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[857,235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russian-special","category-special-column","category-china-special","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}