Ukraine
The Christian community in Ukraine is present in more diverse ways than in any other nation of the former Soviet Union. That diversity spans Orthodox, Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran, Baptist and many other modern traditions. In this new era the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is engaged in a close mission partnership with the Reformed Church in Carpath–Ukraine, and relates to other growing Reformed denominations, as well as to the German Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of the Ukraine.
The PC(USA) enjoys a special relationship with the Reformed Church of Carpath-Ukraine, a largely ethnic Hungarian community in the Transcarpathian region of western Ukraine. This rebuilding denomination has over 100 congregations in both village and city settings. A primary point of mission connection is outreach to the Roma people to share the Good News and to address the issues of discrimination, poverty, and social separation of the Roma.
The PC(USA) is actively involved in the Ukrainian ministry of Mission in Unity (MIU), a joint project of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the John Knox International Reformation Centre. Multiple Reformed and Presbyterian denominations are re-emerging in Ukraine. The focus of the MIU Project in Ukraine is to encourage cooperation between these denominations and to build healthy connections with church partners abroad.
There are many mission opportunities “to come alongside” our brothers and sisters in Christ in Ukraine as they emerge from almost 75 years of state-sponsored atheism, repression, exile and martyrdom. These mission opportunities include:
- Support to orphanages
- New church development
- Ministry with Roma
- Support for soup kitchens and bakeries
- Enabling the work of the Mission in Unity Project
- Specialized medical ministry
- Training leaders for children’s ministry
- Support for Ukrainian students in seminary
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