Evangelical Christians celebrate the 100th anniversary of their mission in Ukraine
The first Pentecostal community was founded in 1920 in the Ternopil region by Ukrainians who emigrated from the United States, Building 500 Protestant communities over the course of ten years.
According to Religiyna Pravda, the solemn meeting was attended by pastors of Pentecostal communities from all over Ukraine, believers, and representatives of other Christian denominations.
Archpriest Oleksa Petriv came to congratulate the Pentecostals on behalf of the chairman of the UGCC (who heads the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches). Welcoming Christians of the evangelical faith, he recalled that 100 years ago this movement was founded, as well as statehood, Ukrainian autocephaly, the Greek Catholic Church were revived, and in Transcarpathia, Voloshyn revived the Ukrainian language and Alphabet. The priest said that this seed did not disappear during 70 years of totalitarianism and gave excellent shoots. Congratulating his brothers on their anniversary, he urged them to thank God for such a revival and not stop sowing the seed of Christ's faith.
Representatives of other Protestant churches, in particular, Oleksandr Turchynov, also came to congratulate the believers of the Ukrainian Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith.
"The last hundred years are an era in which there are two World Wars, totalitarianism, and independence. But we are lucky to belong to a 2,000-year-old church. And this is important because the feast of Pentecost is the birthday of the church," he said.
Oleksandr Turchynov said that all Christians together should build a country that does not tolerate lies, poverty, arbitrariness, sin and where Christians will serve, work and win together.
State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers Oleksandr Yarema read congratulations from Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal. In particular, the prime minister's congratulatory message honored the vitality of the Pentecostals of Ukraine, their service to the ideals of good, which contributed to the disappearance of borders and the acquisition of common high interests of people, the peacemaking and educational work of Christians of the evangelical faith in the development of a sovereign Ukraine.
Mykhailo Panochko, senior bishop of the Ukrainian Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith, welcoming the faithful, noted: "the church has been under construction for 2000 years God created man as a spiritual being, he is in search, and the choice is small: either the road of Truth or untruth. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one loses who chooses the path of truth, because the truth has an eternal perspective, and the lie is condemned. Jesus is building a church in Ukraine. I'm not saying that our faith is the best, and I'm saying: Don't brag about yourself, brag about Jesus, because he is known in different churches. Someone came closer, someone further away. And those who stand close, do not judge those who stand closer. The 400 churches have turned into 1,700 communities during the years of independence. This is what Jesus built. The Lord is watching over Ukraine, and he will fall into the soul that is open."
