As the war in Ukraine continues, stories of (United) Methodist help amidst the war, Ukrainian refugees who have been taken in by Methodists, and spiritual and informational resources about Ukraine are proliferating. Because of the proximity of German-speaking United Methodists to Ukraine, some of these resources are in German. No attempt has been made to translate the resources indicated; online translators can generally provide a reasonable approximation.
Refugees in Poland
Refugees from Ukraine, mostly women and children, take shelter at the United Methodist Church in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo courtesy of the Rev. Slawomir Rodaszynski).
Global Ministries released an article on March 4th with an overview of how United Methodists throughout Europe were engaging in support for Ukrainians. It also includes a nice background survey of Methodism in Ukraine. The German United Methodist news service published an article on March 9th providing a further roundup of news snippets of United Methodists helping. Swiss United Methodists published an article on March 11th with yet more news snippets of United Methodist responses.
Swiss United Methodist news has also shared two dramatic personal stories of Ukrainian refugees who have been taken in by United Methodists: One is about a group of orphans from Kyiv who were nearly redirected by a dishonest transportation company before arriving safely at a Methodist welcoming center in Sibiu, Romania. One is about a woman from Kharkiv who gave birth while fleeing Ukraine before safely arriving in Warsaw and being cared for by United Methodists there. The Methodist Church in Britain also released a podcast interview of two United Methodists from Ukraine about their experiences fleeing from the invasion.
Several groups have put together helpful resource pages with prayers, news, and other material related to the war in Ukraine. The Swiss United Methodist Church, which has been a major source for news related to the war and the associated refugee crisis has put together this resource page. There are also resource pages from The United Methodist Church and the Methodist Church in Britain. Finally, the European Methodist Council has shared this moving prayer from UMC Eurasia Bishop Eduard Khegay.