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McEWENSVILLE — A Northumberland County faith-based congregation, Revival Tabernacle, is partnering with a mission in southern Ukraine that is feeding the hungry and covering those without clothing in the war torn nation.
“All or 100% of all of the donations from the community go to the pastor’s ministry,” said Pastor James Bond of Revival Tabernacle.
At the very minimum the church on Susquehanna Trail has been raising about $500 a month toward this ministry.
Pastor Alex IIash of the Well of the Living Water, the ministry in Ukraine, spoke to the church members this week, appreciative of their continued support to help refugees streaming in.
It was a unique sermon focused on the inhumanity of mankind by Russia and as the world watches the war in Israel between it and Hamas and enemies of the Jewish state and democratic nations.
The grocery bags and clean clothes are made possible by the generous donation of people around the globe and among them of the congregation at Revival Tabernacle here, Ilash said “It is a divine blessing from the Lord to be able to be here with you this morning,” to a packed congregation.
He was excited to be able to share what God has been doing with the
ministry in Ukraine.
The ministry has received assistance almost since the beginning of the second invasion into his country in February 2022.
“You might not be able to come and tour Ukraine but you have the church, your brothers and sisters and the ministry,” he said. “I’m really grateful that together, with you, we’ve been able to run the ministry for over a year and a half now.”
“Our goal is to not only preach the gospel but to clothe and feed both with food and spiritual food,” he said.
With the church’s help his mission has been able to provide 75,000 grocery bags.
Ilash went over his journey to how the ministry began. He took the congregation back in time to when Russia invaded Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2015.
He said he and his father and their church ministry made 15 missionary trips handing out food supplies and sharing the gospel between 2015 and 2018.
“I could never imagine that the same horror and Russian aggression would cover the country in 2022,” he said.
It was January 2022 and he was in Kiev at a Christian Conference conference when a pastor approached him about the real possibility that Russia would invade again on a larger scale.
“I was not ready for him to say that,” he said, despite knowing 150,000 Russian troops had moved through Belarus and near the eastern border of Ukraine.
Also, Western intelligence was telling the Ukranians, warning them and monitoring the situation.
“We couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I was honest with the pastor and said ‘we don’t really believe that these things can happen.’”
The pastor looked at him and his face changed, Ilash said.
“He said, ‘Alex, I want to give you some simple advice and I want you to follow it. When you go back to your city, pack your traveling suitcases for you and your wife and family and make sure your traveling passports are unexpired, withdraw some money and make sure that your gasoline tank in your car is filled.’”
“You want to be able to relocate your family,” the pastor told Ilash. “You don’t want to have those obstacles in your way.”
Ilash was able to get across the border to Moldova and to Romania without much hassle or long lines.
It was not long after that the Ukraine government required all men ages 18 to 60 to remain in the country.
“I am grateful for the pastor and the simple advice, grateful for the voice of God,” Ilash said.
As fortune would have it, Ilash said he heard an inner voice again — which he contends was the God — speaking to him to return across the border into Ukraine and continue with the food, clothing and gospel ministry.
To this day, a year and a half later, the mission is following that which Christ asked of his followers: “To feed the hungry, clothe the poor and share the good news.”