As War Rages, TCM Supports Ukrainians in Ministry

By Laura McKillip Wood 

The war in Ukraine has raged for over a year now. When Russia attacked in February 2022, ministries all over the world mobilized to provide much-needed humanitarian aid to those within Ukraine and to those Ukrainians who sought refuge in other parts of the world. TCM, which has a long history of ministry in Eastern Europe, wasted no time in working within their network of believers to help those affected by the war. 

Since its beginning in 1957, TCM has primarily focused on providing Bibles and other Christian resources and training for pastors and Christian leaders in Eastern Europe. Over the past few decades, TCM has been providing seminary education and graduate degrees for pastors in former Soviet countries. Many of their graduates now lead a variety of ministries in countries all across Eastern Europe, including Ukraine. With the onset of war, those graduates shifted gears from their usual ministries to provide humanitarian aid to people affected by the fighting.  

EMERGENCY RELIEF 

Soon after the start of the war, two pastors in southwestern Ukraine began hosting internally displaced people in their church buildings. As more and more people flooded into their city, the need grew exponentially. Eventually, these pastors obtained permission to house people in an old Soviet retreat center nearby. For the first two weeks of their stay, guests rest and recover from the trauma they experienced in their flight from their homes. For the next two weeks, these same displaced folks serve and work to refurbish the camp. During those four weeks, the camp hosts work to help their displaced guests begin to establish themselves in new lives, either inside a safer part of Ukraine or in other parts of Europe, depending on their needs.  

The two pastors who started this ministry are not TCM graduates, but they know some Romanian pastors who did study with TCM. Those Romanian pastors provide boxes of provisions called “four-by-sevens.” Each “four-by-seven” includes enough food to last a four-person family for seven days. The people in the Romanian churches assemble the boxes, fill them, and transport them. TCM provides some of the funding for the food and supplies that go into the boxes.  

Interestingly, TCM did not lead a campaign to raise money for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. People who knew about TCM’s long ministry in Eastern Europe began sending donations to the ministry at the beginning of the war, trusting they would use the money well to serve people in need.  

“It’s been great to see how God stirs people’s hearts to want to get involved and help in something,” says Tom Sears, director of global outreach with TCM. “Through this tragedy of the war, we saw so many people we hadn’t heard from for a long time re-engage in TCM’s work.”  

TCM’s donors have given over $500,000 to date. To distribute these funds, TCM is working with regional representatives in all countries where they train leaders; they contacted local ministers and ministries who were connected to the people in their communities and were already doing their best to provide for the needs of those around them. TCM asked them to submit grant requests for funding for their work. In this way, TCM is supporting the work of local people who can establish long-term relationships. The Ukrainian pastors mentioned above and many others like them have benefitted from grants received by TCM graduates. 

TRANSPORTATION AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES 

When the war started, Ukrainians began leaving their homes and flooding westward, but many people with disabilities were unable to leave. Those folks had to suffer through inadequate shelter, lack of food, and military strikes. Several TCM graduates began trying to help evacuate people with disabilities. Donations from supporters in American churches helped TCM purchase a van equipped for people with disabilities, thus providing a way to safety for these vulnerable people.  

Another TCM graduate with a diplomatic passport was able to take prescription drugs into Ukraine when others could not. TCM helped him purchase those essential medications. Others who are affiliated with TCM have provided transportation out of war-ravaged cities, housing for refugees, household supplies, medical supplies, and food to people living all over Ukraine and parts of Eastern Europe. 

A LONG-TERM PLAN 

In addition to providing for the acute needs of people in war-torn areas, TCM has plans to train Christian leaders from Ukraine who are settling in other parts of Europe to serve as chaplains in businesses, hospitals, the military, and other settings. The certificate in chaplaincy program TCM is starting is being designed to help displaced Christian leaders prepare for chaplaincy ministries to meet needs of displaced people and others in their new communities. That’s important, because as the war continues to rage, the need for people in pastoral ministry grows daily. 

TCM also hopes to support counseling centers and other long-term relief work to help people heal from the traumas experienced during the war. They want to use the resources God provides to judiciously help those in their sphere of influence. 

To learn more about TCM’s work in Ukraine, visit their website at www.tcmi.org/ukraine. 

Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, lives in Papillion, Nebraska, and writes about missions for Christian Standard.