More than 3,000 Christians around the world gathered online to rally in solidarity with the Ukrainian churches and pray for peace to prevail in the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war. The global prayer event took place on Ash Wednesday (2 March 2022, 1700hrs CET), and was jointly organised by nine global Christian communions, including the World Methodist Council, Anglican Communion, Baptist World Alliance and Lutheran World Federation. The ecumenical service included prayers for peace, recorded songs, Lenten reflections and personal testimonies from the various Christian bodies.
Rev Dr Hanns Lessing, the Acting General Secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), reflected on Micah 4:3, saying peacemaking is “hard work” but all churches are called to this task today.
The highlight of the event was the “Voices of Ukraine” segment, where the gathering Zoomed to six different cities in Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, and heard from one Christian leader in each city, either in a pre-recorded video or live. They shared details on what was happening on the ground and prayer requests, with many thankful for the help from various Christian organisations. Taras Dyatlik from the World Evangelical Alliance said that God is “building the church even in times of trial”, and gave thanks for the spiritual gifts required to mobilise the evacuations.