'Justin spoke to me like a brother-in-Christ. He really understands what’s happening in Ukraine'
 

Ukrainian Baptists heartened by visit from Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in a meeting co-ordinated by British charity Dnipro Hope Mission

Earlier this year an aide from Lambeth Palace contacted Dnipro Hope Mission (DHM), a British charity that works with Baptist churches in Ukraine, to facilitate a meeting between the Archbishop of Canterbury and representatives from the Ukrainian Baptists.

DHM put Justin Welby in contact with the leader of the Baptist college in Bucha, the suburb of Kyiv where Russian soldiers committed atrocities against Ukrainian civilians at the start of the war. 

While in Bucha, the Archbishop also met one of DHM’s key ministry partners, a Baptist pastor called Alexander from the Eastern Dnipro region. In this article, DHM trustee, Joshua Searle from Spurgeon’s College, reports on the meeting of Archbishop Justin with the Ukrainian Baptists…  
 

When Dnipro Hope Mission (DHM) was established in 2016, the initial aim was simply to support the ministry of Vasylkivka Baptist Church in the Dnipro region of Eastern Ukraine, where our friend, Pastor Alexander Boiko, had a significant ministry to a local care home and orphanage. Although DHM’s reach has expanded since then and we now support twelve projects and various churches throughout Eastern and Southern Ukraine, Pastor Alexander and Vasylkivka Baptist Church remain at the core of our ministry.
 
Since 24 February 2022, the infamous day of the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pastor Alexander has been working almost non-stop to provide life-saving care to vulnerable people. Through his ministry, many lives have been saved.
 
Alexander was recently commissioned into the Ukrainian army to serve as a chaplain to the troops on the frontline in the Donetsk Region. In the past few months, he has been stationed in dangerous locations, such as Izyum, Bilhorivka and Bakhmut, that have seen intense fighting. As well as putting his own life at risk, he has had to suffer the trauma of witnessing the death and maiming of many soldiers under his care.
 
Alongside his duties as an army chaplain, Pastor Alexander somehow manages to find time, using funds provided by DHM, to purchase essential supplies of food, water, medicines and hygiene products for vulnerable people in local orphanages and care homes in the Dnipro Region.
 
It was therefore a huge and unexpected blessing for Pastor Alexander to meet with The Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, the current Archbishop of Canterbury and principal leader of the Church of England and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
 
This was a wonderful occasion for Pastor Alexander, who has a humble ministry in a relatively obscure region of Eastern Ukraine. In the course of his ministry, he has never had an opportunity to meet with prominent church leaders.
 
His meeting with the Archbishop therefore made a very favourable impression on this local Baptist pastor from the Dnipro Region. Pastor Alexander was hugely encouraged by the “simple greatness” (as he put it) of Archbishop Welby.
 
Pastor Alexander spoke with the Archbishop for around ten minutes, during which time Alexander shared about the ethical and practical challenges of being an army chaplain on the frontline in the midst of a war.
 
Alexander also reported to us that he was struck by Archbishop Welby’s empathy and concern and his genuine solidarity with the people of Ukraine: 'Today I was blessed to meet with the leader of the Anglican Church, Justin Welby. I had the opportunity to thank the people of the UK in his person, and also to tell him about our ministry in Ukraine with DHM.

'He was very happy to hear that his compatriots were involved in this ministry to Ukraine!'
 
Archbishop Justin was visiting Ukraine late last week as part of an official trip to show his solidarity and support to the Christians of Ukraine. Prior to the trip, a member of the Archbishop’s staff from Lambeth Palace had reached out to DHM in order to make contact with the Baptist, Pentecostal and other free church denominations in Ukraine.
 
DHM put Lambeth Palace in contact with our ministry partners in Irpin, including the Revd Ivan Rusyn, who is President of Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS), based in Bucha (the suburb of Kyiv, where the invading Russian forces committed multiple atrocities against the civilian population at the start of the war).
 
DHM also proposed that as part of his visit, Archbishop Welby might like to meet one of our partners, a Baptist pastor serving on the frontline in Eastern Ukraine. We were delighted when we received confirmation from the Archbishop’s team and we arranged for Pastor Alexander to travel up to Irpin to meet Justin Welby.
 
During his trip, Archbishop Justin was given a tour of Irpin and Bucha by Revd Ivan and his colleagues at UETS, who told him about the horrors they had suffered at the hands of the Russian invaders.

Following his visit to UETS, Archbishop Justin made the following statement:
 
'Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an act of evil. Being in Irpin and Bucha today has made my conviction of that even stronger. War unleashes the forces of hell and today I met people who have been through that hell. So often in places of war and conflict, the church suffers alongside the communities it serves. Today I met heroic priests, seminarians and local Christians who – even amidst their own agonising suffering through this brutal invasion – have loved, cared for and supported those around them.
 
'I feel today that I have touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak and seen his face in the faces of the people of Irpin and Bucha. It was a great honour to spend time with the faculty and students of the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary.

'I give thanks to God for their courageous faithfulness to Jesus Christ. They will remain in my prayers for a very long time – as will all the people of Ukraine.'
 

We are very grateful to Archbishop Justin and his team for their visit to Irpin and Bucha. Having since spoken to Pastor Alexander and Rev Ivan, I (Joshua) know how much it meant to them that the Archbishop came to visit them in person, to listen to their stories of trauma and hope, to pray with them and to show his solidarity with Ukrainian Christians, especially with the Ukrainian Baptist community that has suffered so much from the evil Russian invasion.
 
As Pastor Alexander said to me when we spoke about his meeting with the Archbishop: 'Justin spoke to me like a brother-in-Christ. He really understands what’s happening in Ukraine. He gets it.'


Images | Ukrainian Baptist pastor and army chaplain Alexander Boiko meets the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby  

To support the ministry of Pastor Alexander in Eastern Ukraine, information about how to donate to Dnipro Hope Mission is here: www.dniprohopemission.org/donate