Bishops of evangelical churches in Ukraine had a friendly meeting with a fellow believer, Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the US Congress, on February 2nd. The meeting took place as part of the Ukrainian Week in Washington.
The meeting was attended by leaders of Ukrainian churches that are part of the Council of Evangelical Protestant Churches of Ukraine: Valeriy Antonyuk, the Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian-Baptists, Anatoliy Kozachok, the Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, and Stanislav Nosov, the President of the Ukrainian Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This was reported by Ulyana Boychuk, a journalist from News.LIVE in the USA.
"This meeting was informal among brothers in faith. Ukrainian Christian leaders conveyed a lot of truth about the horrors committed by Russia and other dark forces in Ukraine, destroying and ruining churches, killing and persecuting pastors and priests, kidnapping children, and raping infants," said Paul Unguryan, the organizer of the Ukrainian Week in Washington and a participant in the meeting.
"Russia is bringing this terror to the largest country in Europe. And for Brother Mike, it was crucial to hear the voice of fellow believers. It is important for us to have this friendly brotherly conversation between two Christian nations because both America and Ukraine are founded on faith in Jesus Christ," said Valeriy Antonyuk, the Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian-Baptists.
During the meeting, letters of support for Ukraine were handed over, which were adopted at the meetings of the UGCC and the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, with signatures from the heads of Orthodox, Catholic, Greek Catholic, and Protestant Churches.
"In my opinion, Johnson is a person who really tries to find a way out of the situation created by difficult political challenges. I am glad that the meeting took place; he gives the impression of being quite open-minded and understanding that Ukraine needs this help because there is a struggle for Ukraine's existence. It seems to me that he approached what we were telling him with understanding," said Anatoliy Kozachok, the Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith.
It's worth noting that clergy from Ukraine, pastors, military chaplains, and religious communities organized the Ukrainian Week in Washington, where they held meetings and talked about the crimes and atrocities committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. This is the third annual Ukrainian Week. During these seven days, Ukrainian and American leaders discussed strengthening cooperation and opportunities for religious, political, and business partnerships.