Today, the Air Raid Siren went off and no one moved. I was in a street-side cafe working on my laptop surrounded by the constant sound of cups and saucers clinking and people whispering. People don’t talk loud over here.
No one even looked up when the Siren blared. No one on the street even broke stride.
That made me think differently about what we are doing. When I say God has asked us to empower the Ukrainian Pastor, it must mean more than simply giving humanitarian aid.
He is still a Pastor. There is a still a Church doing evangelism, discipling new believers, and worshipping the Lord.
Life just goes on.
A director of a hospital here reminded me -- “Just because there is a war, it doesn’t mean normal people don’t have normal sicknesses and problems. As a hospital we have to keep doing what we were doing, and then do more!”
It’s very similar for the Church. Pastors keep pastoring, and they need empowered.
Perhaps their greatest need is to have solid relationships with more senior Pastors. There are so many good Pastors in Ukraine, and when I talk to them they are hungry to learn and grow in the Lord. They want to know how to increase the effectiveness of their ministry, and they know they need more training. They constantly ask me to help.
If you are outside of my Church circle, may I ask: Who is your Pastor? Or, what Pastors do you know? Would they be interested in developing a solid relationship with another Pastor in Ukraine? Could you ask, or perhaps throw me a contact? I would love to call and talk to them.
I’ve been thinking on this for quite awhile, and it could be a tremendous breakthrough for Pastors on both sides of the ocean.
By the way, just hit reply to this email and I will get it – it would do me good to hear from you!
