GILLIAN MCDADE-HASTINGS reports on how churches in the Northern Ireland and the neighbouring Republic of Ireland are responding to the war in Ukraine, cause of Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War II…
County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK
“What an incredible witness of the love of God to those in so much need at this time.”
Supplies collected by the Parish of Christ Church and St John, Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, and destined for the Polish border with Ukraine are loaded into lorries. PICTURE: Church of Ireland.
“What an incredible witness of the love of God to those in so much need at this time.”
– Rev Jonny Campbell-Smyth, of the Church of Ireland’s United Parish of Christ Church and St John in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland.
That’s how Rev Jonny Campbell-Smyth, of the Church of Ireland’s United Parish of Christ Church and St John in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, describes his church’s response to the refugee crisis now impacting Europe as result of the conflict in Ukraine.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine was launched on 24th February, churches across the UK and Ireland have united in condemnation against the violence, in calling for prayer and in showing solidarity with the people of Ukraine through actions including vigils and the lighting of churches and cathedrals in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.
Among responses has been a statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, issued soon after the invasion. They condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine as “an act of great evil”.
“Placing our trust in Jesus Christ, the author of peace, we pray for an urgent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Russian forces. We call for a public decision to choose the way of peace and an international conference to secure long term agreements for stability and lasting peace.
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Christian leaders in both countries have also been advocating for now more than three million refugees who have fled the country. In the UK, amid initial confusion over the conditions in which refugees from Ukraine might be permitted to the UK, church leaders – including the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, and the Church of England Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun – appealed for sponsorship opportunities to be afforded to refugees on humanitarian grounds.
The British Government has since announced that under a new sponsorship scheme, the British public will be able to to offer space in their homes to refugees with no family links in the UK with households will be paid £350 per month to accommodate those fleeing the conflict. Ukrainians who are vetted for the scheme will be allowed to remain in the UK for up to three years.
A man fixes his blanket at Dumbraveni sports arena which has been converted to a temporary shelter, after he fled Ukraine through a border crossing in Romania, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Suceava, Romania, on 15th March. PICTURE: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne.
Meanwhile, responding to appeals for aid, many churches on both sides of the UK-Irish border have been acting as collection points for essential items which will be driven in containers to border areas.
Among those churches has been Rev Jonny Campbell-Smyth’s church in Ballyclare. The parish has filled a total of 25 trucks with aid to be taken to be sent to the Polish border via Hope for Youth Ministries, setting off from the central hub in the small village of Kinallen.
“I had just come home from our Sunday services on 6th March, at which, like many churches we prayed for the crisis in Ukraine,” says Rev Campbell-Smyth, explaining how the decision to help came about. “I sat down and watched the news unfolding in front of me. Deep in my heart was the desire to respond. Prayer is so important but if God responds through His words by telling us to reach out to the widows and orphans then we can’t ignore this. So, I sought out, through friends, a local guy, Colin Tinsley who was already providing a ministry near the Poland-Ukraine border.”
By the following Monday morning he had organised a collection hub for clothes, food and toiletries, and then, without understanding the logistics, Rev Campbell-Smyth said had committed to providing Colin with a 40-foot truck to transport humanitarian aid to Warsaw in Poland. A drop-off point was organised the following Saturday morning to allow people to donate.
“What happened over the following days was really just the wave of love expressed by people in the community…” he says. “What a crescendo of joy filled our hearts by the end of the day when Colin told me that they had received enough donations from around our little country to fill 30-by-40 foot lorries.”
Financial donations totalling £150,000 were also received.
In the Republic of Ireland earlier this month, five vans carrying 13 tonnes of medical supplies and aid donated by the Church of Ireland Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross left for Ukraine. The vans travelled through France, Belgium, Germany and toward the border with Poland where the team was met by members of the Redemptorist Order who brought them into Ukraine.
The Methodist Church in Ireland, meanwhile, has been supporting Methodist churches in Ukraine and neighbouring countries by offering humanitarian assistance. An initial gift of £12,500 was sent to the United Methodist Church in Poland from the Methodist Church in Ireland through its two departments responsible for global relationships, World Development and Relief and World Mission Partnership.
The church has also stated its opposition to the war. In a statement the Methodist Church in Ireland said the conflict “stands directly against the way of Jesus Christ”.
“We see in the war in Ukraine that the decisions of those in power serve to bring suffering to millions of ordinary people. President Putin is utterly wrong to invade a sovereign independent country. It is a senseless, cruel and evil act of aggression.”
Cloughjordan Methodist Church in Co Tipperary is among the churches which has responded to the crisis unfolding in Ukraine. Led by church member Sylvia Armitage, it held a book sale and coffee morning in the church hall with proceeds totalling €2,430 going to the work of the Irish Red Cross in Ukraine.
One of five vans filled with 13 tonnes of medical supplies and aid donated by the Dioceses of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in the Republic of Ireland which were taken to Ukraine. PICTURE: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision.
Back in Belfast in Northern Ireland, St Peter’s Parish Church has held an appeal for items for delivery to refugees. And two parishioners from Lisburn Cathedral in Armagh are travelling to Poland to support those fleeing the fighting in Ukraine. Sam Shaw will be driving supplies to a city just over the Polish border, while his Brazilian-born wife Silvana is currently in Poland working with women to secure safe passages for refugees fleeing Ukraine.
Belfast’s “Black Santa”, Dean Stephen Forde, has been back on the steps of St Anne’s Cathedral in the capital city for a special sit–out to raise funds. Only two months since Forde completed his annual Christmas appeal and which sees him brave the colder weather in his traditional black cloak to accept donations, this special Ukrainian appeal is being held in association with Habitat for Humanity, a non-denominational Christian movement, and will run throughout Lent.
In the County Down town of Comber, the community recently braved the cold, wet weather to come together to pray for Ukraine. Organised by the Comber Clergy Fellowship, the crowd prayed and sang under their umbrellas.
Rev Nicky Hazley, from Comber Methodist Church, says she was pleased at the turnout.
“There was a lovely atmosphere in the town. We had people who never enter a church from one year to the next, and there were people there who attend church every week. After the prayer, we opened the building for anyone who wanted to bring items or leave any financial gifts and we had a fantastic response.”
The donations left shortly afterwards for Poland.
A crisis appeal for refugees has also been launched in the UK by the international development charity, Christian Aid. The charity is working with partner organisations through the ACT Alliance, a global faith-based coalition, and already more than 25 tonnes of food and supplies have been provided to refugees in border areas.
Patrick Watt, interim CEO of Christian Aid, acknowledged that the humanitarian challenges in Ukraine are huge.
“Our message is simple: Russia must withdraw its troops immediately, both sides must agree a ceasefire and unequivocally commit to protect civilians and key services. All parties must abide by international humanitarian law,” he said.
Correction: The county in which Comber is located has been corrected.
