Ukrainian pastors aid neighbors on both sides of front line

When armed men arrived at a Light of the Gospel church in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, they searched the basement for weapons. There were no weapons; instead one of the men found a file with the names of people the church is assisting.

“He saw that we help veterans, disabled people, and large families,” said Pavel (whose last name is withheld for security reasons), bishop of the Light of the Gospel, a group of about 20 Baptist churches. “I think that touched the hearts of these fighters.”

In summer 2014, a conflict that began in Kyiv spread eastward to Donetsk. Pavel said it was a “scary time,” as criminals and people with weapons roamed the streets. Many residents fled. But Pavel and many other church leaders stayed.