We have watched in horror seeing live updates of Ukraine being invaded by the Russian Federation. This is an international crisis made up of thousands of personal tragedies. ActionOverseas is now offering a way in which you and your congregation can help in a practical way.

Refugees are fleeing towards Ukraine’s southern and western border crossings, with the consensus predicting 100,000’s of refugees. Mercifully, many charities and churches have leapt into action to provide help. Our sister church in Hungary, the Hungarian Apostolic Church, has been working intensely for days to support refugees. This Hungarian team is feeding, transporting and housing hundreds or refugees. We thank God for their labours. Nigel Bainbridge, our missionary in Hungary, is working with this team. If your church wish to support financially this team’s work, here are the bank details for the Hungarian Apostolic Church:

Bank name:    CIB Bank Zrt.

Bank address:    H-1027 Budapest, Medve u. 4-14.

Bank account name:   Magyar Apostoli Egyház

Bank account number / IBAN:  HU55 10700419-67493614-51200002

Swift:   CIBHHUHB

Alternatively you can deposit into AO bank Account in the UK and we will ensure that the money is sent to Hungary

Bank – RBS

Account Number – 11154994

Sort Code – 16-33-09

Reference – UkraineAid

Any cheques could be sent to AO Finance Office (payable to ‘The Apostolic Church’) at 1 King Charles Avenue, Bentley, Walsall, WS2 0DL. Please write ‘Ukraine Aid’ on the reverse so we can allocate correctly.

All donations will go straight to the point of need. It will reduce money transfer costs if a local church (or even a cluster of churches) collect donations from individuals and then send the money in one transaction. Thank you in advance for your sacrificial giving. Photo updates of the work being carried out by the Hungarian Apostolic Church will be posted on ActionOverseas Facebook page.

You may however already have existing church contacts within Ukraine or you may already support a refugee relief agency. If this is the case and you trust this source, then ActionOverseas would be fully supportive of you pursuing donations purely along this route.

In recent years, ActionOverseas has intentionally invested in pioneering visits to Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. In all these nations valuable and strategic friendships have been forged. Many will remember with great warmth the visit of the Russian Pastor Oleg Tikhonov to the UKAC Council. He was generously welcomed by Apostolic churches from as far as Aberdeen to Deal.

Part of our identity as Christians is to be peace-makers – the world needs it, Europe needs it, and especially today Ukraine and Russia need it. Feelings of grief and hopelessness will be felt on both sides of the Ukraine – Russia border. Let’s now take our place to be bring God’s healing to this broken part of Europe. We ask for God’s help that we and others can continue our Lord’s mission (Luke 4 v18,19):

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and the regaining of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

Yours in Christ, Mark Chenery (Chairman, ActionOverseas