The Church leadership of the Seventh-day Adventists responsible for Russia and Ukraine (Euro-Asia Division - EAD) issued an appeal for prayer on its website on March 10. The appeal is based on the Bible text from 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray without ceasing".
"In these troubled times, when affliction and pain have broken into our lives, when our perception of reality is divided into a before and an after, let us keep our trust in the Lord, who gives us the assurance of His love, [and] sustains and protects us," the appeal says.
The church leadership warmly thanks all "brothers and sisters" for their prayers, their trust in God and the "committed service of mercy, for open hearts in helping and supporting refugees and displaced persons", for the "willingness to share shelter and bread with those in need".
The challenges are many, the church leadership writes. They include the burden of displacement, the grief of loss and suffering, the pain of broken relationships and many other concerns.
"Dear brothers and sisters, do not lose heart ... Form prayer chains, organise prayer groups, hold prayer meetings. For our help is only in the Lord!" the "Call to Prayer and Acts of Charity and Mercy" continues.
The church leadership suggests "asking for God's intervention, protection and guidance, for [His] comfort for those who have lost loved ones, for [His] wisdom for those on whom the restoration of peace depends".
Adventists in the Euro-Asian Division (EAD)
More about the EAD
The EAD is one of 13 sub-continental Adventist church leaderships (divisions) worldwide whose territory, in addition to Russia and Ukraine, includes the following countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Afghanistan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. In these countries with a total of about 330 million inhabitants, there are about 108,000 adult baptised Adventists who gather in about 2700 church congregations and groups. Around 46,000 of them live in Ukraine.
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