Christ has instructed the Church to care for those in need and the vulnerable. That is when Christian witness speaks the loudest and that is why the Irish Mission is joining people around the world in extending a helping hand to those displaced by the war in Ukraine. One of our first initiatives was an in-person visit at the border between Romania and Ukraine during 18-22 March. A short visit into Ukraine revealed a great need for prayer and action; that need was also made evident by the increasing number of refugees reaching our shores. To this end, some of the pastoral team, the IM ACS leadership and members already involved in providing help have met on Tuesday, 29 March, and laid out a plan of action for continued support and guidance on addressing the refugee crisis we are now part of. What follows are some of the steps undertaken in order to provide concerted and concrete help during this time.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed financially during the Sabbaths of 5 & 12 March. Fields across the BUC have donated a combined £12,000.00 while the Irish Mission members brought in over €5,000.00 and £2,300.00 to which the Irish Mission added £4,000.00. Thank you again! Much of those funds have been assigned to specific projects during our visit and some donated to ADRA Romania; all moneys were used for the intended purpose and all operational costs (travel, accommodation, etc) were covered from other sources specifically assigned for such projects. There is still a balance in that fund; however, we’d like to encourage our members to continue to donate money on a regular basis so that needs here and abroad can be met with regular reports of how the money was spent being provided.
Interested in donating towards this fund? Please used the IM account with the reference Ukraine Aid.]
