Baptist Ukraine Response | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Updated: 28 November 2022
What is the current situation in Ukraine?
The situation in Ukraine continues to change and there is no predictable outcome to Russia’s increasingly erratic attacks. As Russia has lost ground in the east and south, civilian and critical infrastructure have become new targets of attacks. The immediate needs in the winter months and rebuilding so much damage will be great. Even as the news no longer prominently features war updates, millions continue to wrestle with their new and unstable reality. Read regular updates on the Baptist response here.
How are Baptists responding to the situation?
Since the beginning of the war, more than 600 Baptist churches in Ukraine have been set up as shelters to house internally displaced persons (IDPs). Ukrainian Baptists have channelled aid to areas in need, transported those from conflict areas to safety, supported families with food vouchers, and worked to help keep those without heat sources warm during the winter. Baptists in the neighbouring countries — Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova — have received hundreds of thousands of refugees and are actively addressing their needs with many churches and church families continuing to house those in need. Further across the EBF region, Baptists are caring for Ukrainian refugees.
Read up to date reports in our Situation Reports and subscribe to email updates here. You can also follow us on social media to get constant updates about the Baptist response from Ukraine and neighbouring countries.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ebf.org
Instagram: www.instagram.com/europeanbaptist
Are there many Baptists in Ukraine?
Ukraine has more than 2,300 Baptist churches with more than 125,000 members. Baptists form the largest Protestant denomination in Ukraine.
How can I give?
You can find information about ways to give at our website: www.ebf.org/ukraine. You can make a donation by bank transfer or by giving online here.
We encourage you to give through your local church or Baptist Union in your country. Find your union at www.ebf.org/member.
If you are giving from the United Kingdom, you may find an easier way to make a donation at www.bmsworldmission.org/appeal/ukraine-2022
If you want to give from the United States, you can make a donation at www.baptistworld.org/prayforpeace.
Is it possible to make a tax-deductible donation?
EBF encourages individuals to give through their local Baptist church or union which will have their own tax deductible statuses, depending on the country. Donations directly to EBF are not tax deductible. See "How can I give?" above for more information on giving outside of Europe.
What does the money go toward?
Your donations will help to purchase food, hygiene items, medicine, generators, gasoline, blankets, pillows, and necessary items for the internally displaced people (IDPs) as well as for those fleeing the country. There are shelters set up in many Baptist churches in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary, and your donations are essential for the local people to run these centres. Below are the current needs for winter: To run a shelter in eastern Europe for one-day costs over €11,000.
To provide a medium-sized generator for emergency use in a shelter in Ukraine costs €2,250
To provide electricity for a centre for one month in Eastern Europe during the cold winter, costs €11,000 a month / €367 a day
To provide support to volunteers running centres in Eastern Europe costs approximately €280 / month
To provide a food parcel that will feed a family of 4 in Ukraine for 7 days costs approximately €25
These costs and provisions are based on initial estimates and are likely to change as the situation develops and will vary from location to location. See more details on our Funding Appeal page.
How can we pray?
You can find ways to pray at our website: https://www.ebf.org/ukraine and join EBF for an international prayer gathering on Zoom at 19:00 CET during the last Wednesday of every month. Together, we will pray for the situation in Ukraine.
You can register below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If you have already registered, you do not need to register again to attend the next Wednesday prayer gathering.
Can I volunteer in the field?
We appreciate those who are willing to help the refugees on site, however, EBF is not directly coordinating volunteers for the situation. For volunteer opportunities you should contact your local Union or aid agency to see what is needed. EBF is in touch with many of the Unions and related aid agencies and is providing information where possible. Please keep in mind that volunteering in this context needs a significant amount of experience and there is a priority on those who can speak the local languages. For more information, please view our volunteer guidelines.
I/my church is in Europe and wants to host Ukrainian refugees. What should I do?
EBF is not able to directly link churches with refugees who are fleeing. We recommend you reach out to your local Baptist Union and other local charities to see how they are responding. We recommend Baptist Unions to take the following actions:
Contact churches to see how much capacity they have to receive refugees. Have churches that are interested appoint a church coordinator for refugees.
Appoint someone from the Union to act as lead contact point for the response.
Connect with local charities and governments to learn how the broader community is planning on taking in refugees. Consider joining an already established resettlement organisation to receive refugees.
Prepare an overview of your country and how the government is legally intending to take in refugees.
Enact safeguarding procedures for those who are planning on hosting refugees.
Prepare churches to receive refugees. Consider following this organisation in the United Kingdom’s model for welcoming refugees.
Once you have gathered this information, EBF can forward the name of your local coordinator onto leaders in Ukraine and the neighbouring countries to reach out for resettlement opportunities.
Note: Many refugees are hoping to stay closer to the border in hopes that conflict will end. Further, larger family units may desire to stay together.
I am a journalist, can I get in touch with Baptist leaders from Ukraine?
You may contact Igor Bandura (pastorbandura@gmail.com / +380674872187), Baptist Union of Ukraine Vice President Baptist Union of Ukraine (office@ecbua.info). Please note that it may take time for them to respond as they are occupied with a number of tasks.