The Rev. Serge Maschewski, bishop of the ELCU, requests funds for medicine; fuel for the evacuation of children, women and the elderly; food; and personal safety gear for pastors who work in dangerous areas.
Maschewski said that the needs are always changing: “I don’t know the exact amount of money. Today we need food. Tomorrow we need medicine. The list changes daily.”
For more details and to contribute go here.
One of the Lutheran church bodies in Ukraine is the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, which is in fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).
The Ukrainian Lutheran Church is particularly interesting because it is an example of Byzantine Rite Lutheranism, which, while highly confessional, uses a liturgy that draws on that of Eastern Orthodoxy.
For updates for the situation in the ULC–for example, some members are reporting that their homes have been destroyed–and to contribute to relief efforts, go here.
Ukraine is not the only place in the world facing catastrophic suffering. Regions of war torn Ethiopia are now also facing a devastating drought and consequent famine. The world’s largest Lutheran church body, Mekane Yesus (place of Jesus), is working to save some 420,000 people from starvation.
From Christianity Today:
“The situation is heartbreaking and painful,” said Yishak Yohanes Dera, president of the South Ethiopia Synod of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (Place of Jesus).
As the senior official of one of Ethiopia’s leading Protestant churches, with more than 10 million members, Dera is appealing for help to prevent starvation in four of country’s low-lying regions. They are in the grip of a devastating drought.
He is talking to aid agencies, faith-based organizations, and government bodies, asking them to “come to Borena and save the lives of our people.”
For details and the supporting agencies go here.
Photo: Drought in Ethiopia by UNICEF via Flckr, Creative Commons 2.0.
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