*Update 07/20/2026
Ukraine Update - IPHC Ukraine Is Making a Transformative Impact
By Bill Schwartz, Regional Director of Central / Eastern Europe
In the past week, I had a video call with our leadership team in Ukraine. It was a moving meeting for me as I was given a virtual tour via video call of a recently Russian-occupied village that our IPHC churches in Ukraine have been working to reach and rebuild. After Ukraine reoccupied the village, our leadership team began taking teams and supplies to minister to those returning. At first, fewer than 20 people returned to rebuild their war-torn homes and community facilities.
Today, 580 people live in this village, including 125 children. Our local IPHC community is the only church reaching out to this war-affected village. The local government has given our churches a building to rebuild. The city wants a small office from it; the rest they are giving to our new church plant in this village to utilize as a ministry center. On my call, I’ve seen men working on replacing windows and doors, as well as painting. I also noticed a large room filled with people who have received humanitarian aid, waiting for Pastor Dima to share the Word of God with them. I am so grateful for the efforts of our ministry teams in Ukraine. I am also thankful for the sacrificial service of our Ukrainian church and ministry teams, who serve with such passion.
From June 10-12, 2026, Bishop Reshetynskyi and team hosted their twice-a-year pastors conference. There were 185 pastors and credentialed ministers who gathered from dangerous areas and very difficult travel, as the capital city of Kyiv was being attacked on an almost nightly basis. In our IPHC Churches of Ukraine, the year 2026 has been declared the “Year of Transformation and Renewal”. The general theme for the conference was “Renewal of the Mind Through the Word of God.” The key Scripture passage was Romans 12:1–2. The conference also presented a vision for the development of our IPHC churches in Ukraine through the end of 2026.
In further discussions with Bishop Reshetynskyi, I asked him to provide a detailed account of the impact our IPHC Ukrainians are making. Below is a portion of his report:
Due to the war, nearly 6 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine and have become refugees. Our IPHC-Ukraine Union, together with our people, continues to stand in the gap and defend the entire nation. All of our churches have become centers of survival and support for the entire nation. We continue to assist refugees, widows, orphans, people with disabilities, and hospitals to support those who have lost everything. We have trained over 1,000 counselors to help people overcome post-traumatic stress disorder and have distributed nearly 800 metric tons of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, clothing, and warm clothing. We have distributed hundreds of electric generators, communication devices, and protective gear to people.
Every week, we send humanitarian convoys to the combat zone and rebuild homes destroyed by the conflict. The IPHC-Ukraine Union has established a chaplaincy battalion that ministers to military personnel in hospitals and to the civilian population affected by the war.
Our Ukrainian refugees have become missionaries in other countries and, over the years of the war, have opened new churches in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Portugal, and the United States. Over the past year, two new churches have also opened in Latvia and Italy.
He also shared, Since 1997, our IPHC-Ukraine union has been moving forward together with the global IPHC family. Over the years, we have opened more than 150 churches in Ukraine and launched missionary work in other countries of the former Soviet Union, including Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, and Central Asia... After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1988, a free Ukraine became the spiritual breadbasket for all of the countries of the former Soviet Union. About 80% of all new churches opened in the countries of the former Soviet Union are the result of Ukrainian missionary work.
Ukraine has been recognized as the number one missionary-sending country in Europe. Our IPHC Churches are certainly leaders in these endeavors. After speaking with some of our Regional Director team, as well as former Continental Directors, we feel confident in stating that IPHC Ukraine is the second-highest missionary-sending country within the IPHC, next to the IPHC of the United States.
Our global IPHC family has been blessed to partner with such an amazing movement of IPHC churches in Ukraine. Bishop Reshetynskyi has stated that this has only been possible because of the IPHC family in the United States.
As the Regional Director of Central and Eastern Europe, I am reaching out to our global IPHC family to ask if you would consider continuing to support our life-changing efforts in Ukraine. The soil is good, and our team can be trusted.
In the coming months, we plan to continue to fund the vital humanitarian efforts our IPHC Ukrainian teams provide. We also need funding for 100 children and youth who have been directly affected by the war to attend a youth camp in August. The cost for this is $200 per participant. Would you pray about helping us meet these needs? Funds can be sent to:
World Missions Ministries
PO BOX 12609
Oklahoma City, OK 73157
Project's Number in the memo:
41502P ( for Ukraine Relief Fund)
41504P (for Ukraine Summer Camps).
Or you can give through the online giving links: give.iphc.org/project/ukraine-emergency-relief (Ukrainian Relief Fund), give.iphc.org/project/ukraine-summer-camps (Ukraine Summer Camps). Thank you in advance, and please continue to pray for Ukraine.
Blessings,
Bill Schwartz
Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe
