As part of the Stand by Me special appeal, FAIR is seeking partners for each of the Ukrainian or Polish churches we have identified. The following are descriptions of some of the ways that churches can commit to partnership. It’s up to each church to decide their level of partnership. It can be as simple as committing to send a donation or collecting an offering (option 1) for the Stand By Me appeal, or your church may decide to commit to all four options. We invite you to review the options below and identify which fit your church family best.
Option 1: Commit to a gift or offering.
Decide on a financial goal that your church, business, or group can commit to give or raise in a Thanksgiving/Christmas offering.
Some things to consider when setting your church’s goal:
- Different churches are able to raise different amounts. Set a faith goal that fits your congregation’s size and capacity, but that is also big enough to create a sense of excitement and dependence on God. Then celebrate whatever your church family is able to raise!
- Book a speaker to come visit your church/business/group and share about the Stand by Me special appeal and what God is already doing through Ukrainian and Polish churches.
- Check out the promotional resources that FAIR has made available to help promote this appeal in your context.
- Make use of FAIR’s Advent Giving Guide, which is designed to help families and individuals recognize how God has blessed them and respond in generosity. You can order physical copies by contacting FAIR, or you can download the digital version.
- Consider some of the ways that contributions to the Stand by Me appeal will help displaced Ukrainians and the churches ministering to them.
Option 2: Pray for Ukraine.
FAIR will be hosting the Pray for Ukraine prayer room on Engage Spaces starting September 5, 2024. Prayer requests will be shared weekly over the course of the following six months. Encourage your church/business/group members to join the prayer room by using the promotional resources available. Pray for your church partner and other Ukraine-related prayer requests in your Sunday or other prayer gatherings.
- FAIR is seeking to create a prayer movement of 1,000+ prayer warriors participating in the Pray for Ukraine prayer room.
- To meet FAIR’s goal of 1,000 people praying for Ukraine, we would need 10 people from 100 churches/businesses/groups to join the prayer room.
- Whether you have 1, 5, 10, 20, or more people joining the prayer room, FAIR is thankful for your participation and we know that by God’s grace, our prayers will have a real impact for Ukrainians.
Option 3: Serve with churches and organizations.
FAIR is facilitating short-term mission trips designed to help Canadians use their talents and energy to serve Ukrainian and Polish churches.
Since Ukraine is an active war zone, sending short-term mission teams into the country is not a reality. However, there are many opportunities to serve with a church partner or other churches and organizations either virtually or in person in Poland. Trips will be taking place in 2025; details to be finalized by January 2025. If there is interest in your church to send a team, you can sign up beforehand with the understanding that the specifics are still to be determined. Churches that choose this option are responsible for gathering the team and vetting participants. Contact FAIR for information.
FAIR will not be sending individuals who are not connected with a Fellowship church.
Here are some of the ways that short-term mission teams can serve:
- kids camps (counselors/leaders)
- family ministry (psychologists, counselors, pastors)
- one-week-long retreat teams (cooks, cleaning, admin, musicians, prayer, etc.)
- church visits and encouragement (youth, women, pastors, training, music, kids, prayer, evangelism, discipleship, building repair, etc.)
Option 4: Adopt a church.
One of the needs that FAIR hopes to address through the Stand by Me appeal is to build up the Church in Poland and Ukraine. FAIR is inviting Canadian churches to have a direct relationship with a church partner through digital means (e.g. email, WhatsApp, Zoom). FAIR’s role will be to make introductions and connect interested Fellowship churches with a Polish or Ukrainian church partner. After the initial introductions, it will be up to the committed Fellowship church to continue contact and determine ways to encourage the leadership.
* Please note that although language may be a barrier, there are many real-time translation options available to facilitate ongoing communication.
If you would like to partner with a Polish or Ukrainian church, take a look at the church profiles listed below and prayerfully choose which church the Lord is leading you to partner with.
Bethany Evangelical Baptist Church [Ukraine]
Church of Evangelical Christians [Poland]
Church of the Glory of God [Ukraine]
First Baptist Church [Ukraine]
First Evangelical Baptist Church in Nizhyn [Ukraine]
Lutsk Bible Church [Ukraine]
Missionary Baptist Church of Chernihiv [Ukraine]
RG Missionary Church of Evangelical Baptists [Ukraine]
Rivne Family of God Christian Church [Ukraine]
Semenivka Evangelical Baptist Church [Ukraine]
Velykyi Shchymel Evangelical Baptist Church [Ukraine]
Are you ready to commit to church partnership, or want to speak to a FAIR team member? We'd love the opportunity to connect with you!