There will be a Ukrainian-lead church service and inter-church event on Sunday 28th August 2022 at 6:30pm in Ballymena Elim Church on Castle Street in the town. The purpose of the service is as follows:
• To give Ukrainian believers the opportunity to share their faith with other Ukrainians who have arrived here. The service will largely be conducted in Ukrainian with English translation. It will include personal testimonies, worship and short messages of the Gospel and hope. The service will be run by Ukrainian believers.
• We also want to stand with Ukrainians and pray for them and the situation in their homeland. There will be an opportunity for leaders and representatives of various churches to stand alongside and pray for our new friends; to worship God together with them and to intercede on their behalf.
Mark Stone, pastor of Ballymena Elim Church, told us: “The service will be followed by a time of fellowship and refreshment, which the Inter-Church Ukraine Group will host. All are welcome. We warmly invite you to come. It would be wonderful to see you.”
The timing of these dates is significant as August 24th is not only Ukraine’s National Day, but also marks six months since Russia invaded Ukraine and the hostilities began.
Mark added: “It has been so good to see the wider Church come together to support our Ukrainian friends in this time of need. An inter-church group from various denominations has been formed, and is working together, to practically show the love of Christ to those who have fled the war.
“First Ballymena Presbyterian Church is hosting a function to mark Ukraine Day on Wednesday 24th, which will be a civic event for Ukrainians and their friends to meet for food and fellowship and a short programme. However, many of our new friends are Christians and we also wanted to provide an opportunity to stand with them in prayer and solidarity as the Church here.”
You can follow Ballymena Elim on Facebook for updates on their church services and events.