MODESTO – Scott Bird, Pastor at Anchored Bible Church in Modesto, was at first not interesting in a trip to Ukraine, or even Eastern Europe for that matter.

“God works in mysterious ways,” he said Sunday afternoon in the church conference room. Once there, the country gave him a change of heart. Friendly people, music, culture and food were all factors that drew him in.

“I traveled to Ukraine in 2018 as part of a goodwill mission to the Association of Baptist Churches in Kherson Oblast which is now a major epicenter of fighting as Russian troops move northward from Crimea and have attempted to cross the Dnieper River on one of the only bridges in the region.”

“What drew me there? Since the fall of the Soviet Union Ukraine has only had a Kremlin backed president and government. In 2014 the Ukrainian people mobilized in what is called the Maiden Revolution that ultimately saw the toppling of the Kremlin backed government. A free and fair election was held and one of the worlds newest democracies was born. As a Christian I believe in three spheres of authority in our world: civil, church, and family. I was inspired by the civil changes in Ukraine and now wanted to meet those in the church. This was made possible because the Central Valley Baptist Association which I lead has had a 30 year history of cooperative ministry with the churches in Kherson.”

“The people in Ukraine are wonderful. They have a tragic and complex history that makes their attainment of a democratic state a modern marvel. All freedom loving people ought to celebrate that achievement and mourn its attack. The nation is relatively young age-wise, but has a great number of people who were alive and experienced the genocidal famine which Stalin perpetuated against the Ukrainian people, it’s called the Holomodor. Because of this tragic shadow in the past the people today want to and have achieved a nation that walks in the light of the values I fear we take for granted in America. But they are also tough and have a core of steel which we are seeing on display as they frustrate the Russian offensive currently taking place. President Zelenskyy is a model embodiment of the Ukrainian identity, quick to smile, clear on his identity, motivated by duty to protect that which was won at such a cost.”

“On the church side of things there is a robust network of churches all across Ukraine. Right now it appears that most pastors that I have been in touch with are staying in order to serve their communities. In Kherson I’ve talked with pastors who have pulled people from the rubble of their homes after indiscriminate grad rocket attacks by the Russians. In Nova Kakhovka I talked with a pastor who is sheltering over 100 people including the aged and pregnant women. There is anxiety about the future but no fear about what they will do whatever comes.”

“Social media and the world-wide web has been a powerful tool for people to record the atrocities happening, that historical record will stand as a witness against the Kremlin for generations. It also allows contact with people in conflict zones. Social media has allowed continual contact throughout the conflict. In fact I was on a phone call with a pastor in Kherson region yesterday while they were sheltering from a military offensive that was taking place. It’s a strange world we live in but I’m grateful we have been able to communicate. I use those times to remind our Ukrainian brothers and sisters that they are not alone, and whatever happens we will be there to serve them.”

“I do plan to return. My trip this September is obviously on hold but I and others will return. It needs to be said that when Ukraine prevails, the international community will be there to rebuild the nation and the infrastructure destroyed by the conflict. But who will be there to rebuild churches, and orphanages, and schools and colleges? The IMF won’t give a cent to that rebuilding effort. And nor should they. Churches helping churches, this is what helps rebuild the churches in Ukraine. Future trips to Ukraine will be planned to help spearhead an initiative of connecting American financial resources and skills with Ukrainian know how and passion. It must be said this really matters because the local church is a resource center in so many ways to the communities across Ukraine. Most important of which is the message that makes sense of all of this, that sin is real and causes real consequences, but that we can be liberated from it not by being moral or pursuing good works, but by admitting we are sinners ourselves, that we need help from outside of ourselves and that the New Testament contains the declaration that that help has come from God in his Son Jesus. The knock on effects of the gospel life is what has transformed Ukraine and will be all the more necessary as people process the aftermath of this conflict.”

“What our community should know is that this conflict is very simple despite how some sectors of the media and politicians are spinning it. A free democratic state with sovereign borders has been attacked by an enemy of the world. Putin says it’s a nazi nation. The President of Ukraine is of Jewish heritage. Putin says is a war of Russian security. There isn’t one boot on Russian soil attacking them. This war is about one thing and one thing alone, the vain glory which Putin is a slave to; the resurrection of the Soviet world order. The second thing our community should know is that the oppression won’t cease with the end of hostilities. If Russia prevails, when it comes to the churches, I fear the worst will still be ahead. People need to know that the Russian Orthodox Church is funded by the Kremlin, it’s an appendage of the state and as such will brook no competition. Evangelical values are viewed as western propaganda and those who espouse it are enemies of the state. We may be witness in the next few months the suppression of Baptist churches. They may have to go underground like churches in China have had to do for decades. If this is the case it will be a travesty because it was all avoidable. But even if that’s the case our network of churches in the Central Valley will continue to serve support and supply the needs of our partners in Ukraine.”