The staff and congregation at Gateway Church, a multi-campus ministry headquartered in the Dallas area, were heart-broken over the war and wanted to find a way to help, so a relief fund was started.
Lawrence Swicegood, a spokesman for Gateway, says the relief fund is flowing to churches in Ukraine and to international ministries that are operating in the country and the region.
“They literally are desperate people crying out, and many have lost loved ones,” Swicegood says of Ukraine's refugees. “Many of them don't even know if their loved ones are alive or not and so that immense emotional pain is real.”
An estimated 4.6 million Ukrainians have fled their homes since war broke out in late February. A majority of those who fled their country relocated to neighboring Poland.
Ukraine is known throughout Europe for its numerous and well-established evangelical churches, and ministries such as Samaritan’s Purse are partnering with that network of churches to help.
Gateway’s financial help is providing food, shelter, and medical supplies to those churches and ministries.
Looking into the future, beyond the current crisis, Gateway and other ministries are planning for a post-war Ukraine when the rebuilding begins and when separated families will come together again.
“Ultimately, and rightfully so, these men and women and families,” Swicegood says, “want to return to their homeland.”
