Outnumbered and outflanked, Ukrainians have steadily lost ground while battling eroding morale after nearly 3 years since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Ukraine’s enduring defence against the encroaching occupation relies heavily on international support both on the battlefield and highly coordinated diplomatic efforts from partners like the U.S., E.U., and NATO. Their cause has been amplified by public support through the government-backed Ukraine24 campaign, which has raised more than $500 million in global contributions with the help of celebrity ambassadors like Richard Branson, Brad Paisley, Barbara Streisand, and Mark Hamill. A much smaller, more targeted effort launched last spring, focusing on a segment of Americans who could sway policy decisions in the second administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump: Christian evangelicals. As president of Defenders of Faith and Religious Freedom in Ukraine, Gary Marx is on a mission to engage with evangelicals to build a connection based on shared values like family, freedom, religious liberty, and traditional values.
In December, Marx invited a small group of American conservatives to Ukraine for a firsthand look at how the war has impacted Ukraine’s churches and most vulnerable members of society. The delegation included representatives from several Christian universities and organizations like the America First Policy Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Concerned Women of America, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, the Heritage Foundation, and the National Association of Evangelicals. CBN News was invited to document the trip, which included stops in Poland where the group met pastors and church leaders who provided food, shelter, and clothing to some of the millions of Ukrainians who fled when the war began. In Ukraine, the group visited patients and doctors at Okhmatdyt, the country’s largest children’s hospital. The medical complex, located in Kyiv, is still rebuilding after a deadly Russian missile strike in July. They later toured a shelter for rescued Ukrainian children – tragic and unwilling trophies of war who were freed after being abducted by the Russian military.
The delegation also met with university students at the Kyiv School of Economics, visiting bomb shelters that double as classrooms during frequent air raid warnings. Marx’s group is a project of the school’s Kyiv Global Outreach. During meetings at Ukraine’s parliament, they listened to lawmakers repeatedly express hope for a “just” and “lasting” peace in the wake of President-elect Trump’s re-election win. However, they spent the bulk of their time with Ukraine’s faith community, listening to fellow evangelicals recount how the war has changed their lives and exposes them as targets of the Russian army. While Ukraine’s armed forces continue to fight at the battlefront, Christian believers in Ukraine are waging war on another front. They see it as a spiritual battle for the soul of Ukraine – viewed as the Bible belt of eastern Europe – and beyond. But they’re not fighting alone. They’re locking arms with other faith traditions through the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations, which includes Jews, Muslims, and Orthodox and evangelical Christians.
Former Ohio congressman and UN ambassador Tony Hall accompanied the delegation during meetings at the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. He advocated for lawmakers to institute a state sanctioned day of prayer for Ukraine, much like the congressionally mandated National Day of Prayer in the U.S. Supporters told lawmakers “God tends to lean in” when a nation unites in prayer. Within days, the parliament drafted a bill to establish a National Day of Prayer in Ukraine. If it passes and becomes law, the annual commemoration will fall on February 24, the anniversary of the current war. CBN News has learned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is aware and open to signing the legislation. Despite much of the harsh and sobering realities the group encountered, some on the trip found signs of hope. “Wherever you see human need around the world, you don’t have to look very far to see Christians rolling up their sleeves and helping the most vulnerable,” said Daniel Darling, representing the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. “And that’s the case in Ukraine.” Pastors and church volunteers escorted the delegation throughout their time in Kyiv.
Regardless of location or the audience, the American visitors invariably heard the same two refrains from their Ukrainian hosts: “You are brave” and “Thank you for coming.” The timing of the trip came just after North Korean soldiers joined Russia’s military campaign and days after the Kremlin test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile. However, the team’s nearest brush with harm was realized after returning safely to the U.S. The group dined at Bassano Ristorante in Kyiv during their first night in Ukraine. That same restaurant was hit by a ballistic missile two weeks later. For Marx and his Ukrainian counterparts, they call this a “good versus evil” moment after Raegan’s 1983 “Evil Empire” speech to the National Association of Evangelicals. “He went to the church people who have that moral centre and understand righteous indignation and standing up against evil and looking at it in the eyes,” Marx explained. “That’s why we know that this is the most powerful voice.” They hope using a similar playbook 40 years later will help Ukraine remain as the Bible Belt of Eastern Europe and a beacon to light the world.
Source: CBNNews
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