Voice of Ukraine

ADMIN: This Orthodox Church is located near our historic Presbyterian Church in the center of Odesa. Pray!

From Jamie Peipon (Day 514): It is unfathomable that this type of madness has carried on every day for 514 days. We’ve become desensitized to it and it can be hard to keep up. Both of these pictures are of the Transfiguration of the Savior Cathedral in Odesa, Ukraine. The darker one was taken tonight. This is not a military site. This is an orthodox church.

The church was founded in 1794 and the main structure was built in 1808. It instantly became a significant landmark in the downtown area of Odesa. In 1936, the communists of the soviet union decided to demolish it. It wasn’t until Ukraine was independent once again that the church was rebuilt in 1999. Overnight, hateful and rage-filled men and women in Moscow decided once again that this church should no longer stand. They fired a volley of cruise missiles into downtown Odesa and decided to aim one right at this church. We won’t know until the sun comes up if it is destroyed or only damaged. This isn’t an isolated, accidental incident. This is the second time in 87 years that Ukraine’s neighbor to the north has targeted this church for destruction. It is also about the fifth night in a row that Odesa has been targeted with such brutality.

Some will say that this attack is “retaliation” for some previous action of Ukraine’s armed forces. Don’t believe that for a second. You don’t get to launch a war on a neighbor and then claim that their acts of self-defense are “forcing” you to launch more attacks, particularly against civilians and cultural sites.

It also isn’t the only church in Odesa that has been targeted. I visited another church there the day after it had been bombed earlier this year. During that same visit, I walked by this church as it is only 250 yards from our sister Presbyterian church in Odesa. The members of that church aren’t sleeping… but they don’t know what exactly they’ll find as they head to church for worship in the morning. Pray for their safety. Pray for the protection of their building from which the gospel is preached and the best humanitarian aid in the city is disbursed. Pray for this madness to end. Pray for Ukraine’s sudden victory. Pray that murderers will be stopped and brought swiftly to justice.

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.”