What difference can a Canadian make in Ukraine? Take it from Ukrainians, one fellow believer, one pastor, one church, can make a world of difference.
“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.” Dr Seuss
Jocelyn and I have witnessed the difference Canadians make in Ukraine. Every trip with Ed Dickson to Ukraine includes short video interviews with pastors expressing thanks to Canadian congregations who helped repair a church or feed refugees or buy a vehicle to transport kids and youth.
Partnerships
We are devoting ourselves to encourage Canadian pastors and congregations to move toward genuine relationships with churches in Ukraine. Those partnerships can foster mutual encouragement, accountability, and shared mission for years, benefiting both Canadian and Ukrainian believers.
How? The most effective responses combine prayer, practical support, advocacy, and partnership. 
- Build a long-term partnership with a Ukrainian church.
Rather than simply giving to relief efforts, consider “adopting” a congregation. We work with 88 pastors and congregations in the Pentecostal Assemblies of Ukraine, from the Eastern front to near the border of Poland. Pastors like Leonid and Tanya, refugees from the war zone, who are now leading a church near Poltava. They are faithful, selfless, pastoral, outbound disciplemakers.
A healthy partnership might include:
- Monthly video calls between pastors.
- Regular prayer for one another.
- Sharing testimonies and sermons.
- Financial support for ministry, not just emergency aid.
- Encouraging relationships between youth groups, women’s ministries, and leadership teams.
Ukrainian pastors say that knowing they have Canadian brothers and sisters praying for them consistently is as encouraging as financial assistance.
If everything around seems dark, look again, you may be the light.
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Fund ministry—not just humanitarian relief.
Relief is essential, but churches also need resources to continue being churches.
Support ministries such as:
- Children’s outreach
- Youth camps
- Evangelism
- Trauma counselling
- Church planting
- Leadership and missionary development
- Bibles and discipleship materials
Throughout the war, many Ukrainian churches have become community centres, food distribution sites, shelters, and gospel outposts all at once.
Ask these Canadian leaders about their experiences in Ukraine:
Patti and Jeff Miller, Montreal
Jeff and Amber Price, Woodstock
Terry Burns, Perth
Gerry Michalski, Winnipeg
Steve Hertzog, St Albert
Joe Amaral, 100 Huntley Street
Derek Hamre, Langley
Tim Gibb, Sarnia
Greg Swinamer, Calgary
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Sponsor pastors and church workers.
Many pastors have lost:
- income
- employment
- homes
- congregations
- church buildings
A Canadian church can often support a pastor or ministry family for a relatively modest monthly amount, allowing them to remain in ministry. $300CAN/month goes a long way to cover the living expenses of a Ukrainian pastor.
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Tell their stories.
As the war continues, international attention naturally shifts elsewhere.
Canadian pastors can:
- regularly update their congregation
- share testimonies
- invite Ukrainian speakers
- celebrate what God is doing
- remind people the crisis is ongoing
Stories sustain compassion far better than statistics.
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Raise money for strategic projects.
Choose tangible goals. In the Fall of 2026, REVwords is raising $15,000CAN for facility improvements on a rural church near Poltava, in Eastern Ukraine. The church plans to install an indoor washroom and septic system, upgrade the heating, replace inefficient windows and doors and renovate a room for youth to gather. They have the skill to all the work themselves. They a need a partner to purchase the supplies.
Examples include:
- replacing a church van
- funding a youth camp
- renovating a damaged church
- purchasing generators
- buying winter heating fuel
- children’s Bible clubs
- summer camps
- church reconstruction
Pastor Pasha and Alina reaching youth in their community.
We have worked with Pastor Pasha and Alina for over two years and it is rewarding to see their church plant growing and now branching into a second church plant. That is possible only because of partnership.
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Pray intentionally
Move beyond praying simply “for peace.”
Pray for:
- protection
- endurance
- wisdom
- unity among churches
- opportunities for evangelism
- youth
- military chaplains
- displaced families
- pastors
- those grieving
- reconciliation and justice
- spiritual renewal
Many Ukrainian believers describe remarkable openness to the gospel amid profound suffering.
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Support Christian organizations already on the ground
Partnering with established ministries, like Loads of Love, or Emergency Relief and Development (ERDO) allows your church to build on existing relationships and local knowledge rather than starting from scratch.
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Help with trauma care.
The psychological wounds of war will last for decades.
Canadian churches can:
- bring trauma-care trainers
- fund Christian counselling
- provide pastoral coaching
- purchase trauma-recovery resources
- support retreats for exhausted pastors
Pastoral burnout in Ukraine is a major concern. Our friends with Loads of Love gifted dozens of pastors and their families with “no agenda, time to refresh” retreats in camp settings in June 2026.
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Prepare for the long recovery
Even when active fighting eventually ends, Ukraine will face years of rebuilding:
- homes
- schools
- churches
- families
- communities
- leadership
The need for discipleship, pastoral care, and community restoration will likely outlast the conflict itself.
What seems to matter most
From the testimony of many Ukrainian pastors, the support they value most tends to have these characteristics:
- It is relational rather than transactional.
- It is sustained rather than one-time.
- It strengthens local churches rather than replacing them.
- It supports both humanitarian needs and gospel ministry.
- It reminds them they have not been forgotten.
And if you’ve gotten this far in the post and wonder if investing in a country at war is unwise, follow Wendell Berry’s admonition, “Every day do something that won’t compute.”
P.S. A gift of any amount will help purchase the materials Leonid and Tanya need. Together, we can turn an old building into a place where young people discover new life in Christ. Your church could be a sister church for their church in Ukraine.
Give to “Ukraine – Jones Ministry” in the drop down menu to be receipted.
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