Location:
Chernihiv, Ukraine
Pastor/Leader:
Vysotskyi Volodymyr Mykhailovych
History and Context:
First Baptist Church of Chernihiv was established over 100 years ago in 1922.
The region around the city of Chernihiv was under Russian control in February 2022 during the first days of the war. The city resisted control and the Russian army eventually withdrew from the area. The church building itself was hit by a missile while congregants were sheltering in the basement. By God’s grace, the missile didn’t explode, but the building still bears the mark of the impact.
Due to the ongoing conflict in close proximity to the city, many of the church leaders have left. Those who remain do so in faith and seek to care well for those still in the city. A large number of the congregation are elderly and/or physically unwell, which reflects the overall population left in the city. People are studying the Bible, and coming to faith in Christ.
Primary Ministries:
The church is involved in outreach, discipleship, and humanitarian ministries such as the distribution of food and other basic essentials. They seek to spread the Gospel by ministering to non-believers who need physical, emotional, and spiritual support. They also engage in small home groups designed to meet the spiritual and emotional needs within the community.
Current Needs:
- Purchase of food, medicine, and other essential items for people in need as well as families of soldiers who were killed or wounded
- Housing assistance for displaced persons
- Purchase of resources for ministry to children of internally displaced persons, disabled persons, orphans, and those affected by trauma (e.g. children’s holiday events and camps)