There has been a recent increase in the number of actions taken against churches in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
In July 2022, three Baptists were charged for conducting “missionary activities”. Then in August 2022, a Catholic priest was fined the sum of one month’s wage for failing to use the full official name of his church on materials produced by the Church, in accordance with Russian law. And in a separate case, three Christians were each fined 5,000 (about SGD $118.57), one of whom was fined for failing to register his congregation with the Russian authorities.
In August and September this year, the Word of Life Church and Melitopol Christian Church were forcibly sealed, while the Grace Baptist Church in Melitopol and a local church in the village of Chkalovo were ordered to shut down during a worship service.
And in Mariupol, the Kurchatov Church was also recently forced to close. The church leader and his wife are currently being held in an unknown location.
Pray for the Ukrainian church. Pray that God will grant church leaders the wisdom and guidance they need on how to respond to the demands and restrictions placed on churches and religious organizations.
Pray that Ukranian Christians who are presently facing fines for practicing their faith will receive divinely needed financial provisions to cover these costs. Pray that believers will find the strength to remain firm in their faith and not be discouraged, especially those whose churches have been forcibly shut down.
(Source & Photo : VOMC)
#Persecuted Church
