The 20th century was a long and painful struggle for the people of Ukraine, especially for those who refused to submit to the oppressive Soviet rule. Christians of all denominations suffered terrible persecution at the hands of the communists during the seventy years of Soviet rule in Ukraine. Church buildings were ruined, burnt down, and profaned. Priests and faithful, Orthodox, Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals and others were shot, arrested and deported to the Siberian gulag; church communities were persecuted, confined to underground activities or entirely destroyed. Many died in exile. Despite the threat of imprisonment and fines, bishops continued to ordain new priests and pastors who faithfully served underground congregations. In some cases, they literally worshipped in catacombs beneath the earth! Even the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (which functioned as a state church) were limited and suffered from infiltration by Soviet security organs.
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Last December, Canadian representatives from The Voice of the Martyrs visited the Ukraine especially to visit some of those still living who have paid such a great sacrifice for their faith. One of the five purposes of our mission is to assist Christians who have been persecuted to rebuild their lives after their persecution ends. Because they were imprisoned and tortured during the communist era as enemies of the state, many of our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and other former communist states are ineligible for the kinds of pensions which they would have rightfully been entitled to, had they continued to live as ordinary Soviet citizens. We at The Voice of the Martyrs believe that it is our God-given obligation to help provide these courageous men and women with at least with a semblance of dignity and normality of life in their latter years. The $31 per month that The Voice of the Martyrs supplies to these courageous men and women through our Families of Martyrs Fund allows them to buy food and medicine that they otherwise could not afford. For the past year, VOM has been supporting fourteen such pensioners in western Ukraine and plan to expand this ministry in the coming year.
The Voice of the Martyrs has just released a brand new nine-minute video report of this trip, containing the personal testimonies of three of these courageous men and women who sacrificed so much for their faith. Witness for yourself how God sustained them in their afflictions and learn how Christians in Canada are continuing to stand with them. Log on to VOM multimedia website www.vomcanada.com and check out our Video section.
A full report of this trip will also be the focus of the feature article of the March edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter entitled "Communism's Lingering Legacy." Don't miss your free copy. Subscribe here today.
