The last two weeks of war between Russia and Ukraine have already radically reshaped the geo-political order, and it’s likely only the beginning of a seismic disruption the end-game of which is terrifyingly unknown. Yet amidst the scary headlines and (even scarier) uncertainty, the evangelical church in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe is stepping up to do what it always does in times of crisis: sacrificially serve.

In her first feature article for TGC, our new international editor Jamie Dean reports on how evangelical churches in Poland are helping welcome some of the 1 million+ Ukrainian refugees who have crossed into the neighboring nation. It’s inspiring to read about churches inconveniencing themselves to aid the suffering of others, with a deeply Christian posture of “help first, count the cost later.” As one pastor, whose small Polish congregation is already struggling to pay its winter heating bill, told Dean: “Should we accept the Ukrainian refugees, heat the building, and then have no way to pay the bill?” In spite of this concern, he said his church’s approach has been “let us help them and worry about the expenses later on.”

Doubtless many more stories will emerge of churches rising up to serve in this crisis. We hope to report these stories often; I hope you’ll read them and be both encouraged and equipped to serve whatever needs arise in your own contexts. And if you’d like to help Christians in Ukraine in a tangible way, consider giving to TGC’s new fund to provide gospel-centered resources for the Ukrainian church.