July 2026 – New Life Church In Kyiv Damaged in Massive Attack
Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This last month of June has been difficult. Devastating attacks took place with hundreds of drones and rockets on June 2nd, June 14th, and later on June 24th in Konotop, hitting a local cinema. Our main church partner, New Life Church in Kyiv, was targeted by a Russian missile strike. However, through many hardships, the response of faithful believers in Kyiv and around the world has been amazing. Our MP summer camps continue as planned.
New Life Pastor Anatoly Kaluzny writes:
“Dear Friends, It is 4:00 a.m., June 2nd. A ballistic missile struck the territory of our church. There is significant destruction: windows blown out, doors destroyed, and some fire damage. By God’s mercy, it seems everyone is alive.
We ask for your prayers, your financial support, and any help you may be able to provide. I am on my way to the church now, and we will assess the full situation on site. The damage is serious. May God protect His people and give us strength.”
Church members, local believers, and other churches immediately responded. The same morning, amid smoke in the sky, volunteer cleanup crews got to work clearing the debris. Mercy Projects immediately wired support, and by God’s grace, reconstruction efforts have begun.
Pastor Anatoly later stated in an interview with CBN News:
“I have been with Christ now for 50 years, and I know Him. I know that our God converts our big problems, our pain and suffering, into big blessings. He has enough power; His church is strong around the globe, and God will use our damage, our problems, and our pain and turn them into blessings.
“We have sent missionaries to Russia to plant churches. We sent missionaries to Turkey and other countries. Now they support us in our time of need. Look at my church. It is a miracle. We are still standing! Our sanctuary was damaged, but not enough to stop us from serving the Lord. Our offices were badly damaged, but nobody was hurt. Praise God!”
“Since this war started, we have not missed one Sunday of worship. Though many people fled in the early days, we continued to worship and to serve. Thank you for praying for us!”
The church has been a warehouse for Mercy Projects, Samaritan’s Purse, and others. They have been a huge blessing to the cause of Christ in Ukraine.
1000-Year-Old Kyiv Lavra Monastery Damaged
The 11th-century cathedral is one of the most holy sites in the Orthodox world. Just a short walk from our office, Lavra is part of over 700 religious and cultural sites destroyed or damaged since the war started. These are not military or infrastructure targets.
On June 3rd, at a conference in St. Petersburg attended by American influencers, Russian leaders expressed their commitment to traditional values. They claimed to represent a bastion of Christianity against the liberal values of the West. The day before, New Life Church had been bombed. And 8 days later, multiple churches in Ukraine were targeted and destroyed. The Russian Orthodox leaders have prayed and blessed the rockets used by the military to kill civilians in Ukraine.
Lena Writes From Hearts of Love in Konotop
“We must go on and be resilient.”
“Dear Jeff, Lena writes. Thank you for your care, concern, and pray ers. We work as usual. Many children come daily. Yesterday was busy as well. The drone hits (at the cinema) happened at a distance of nearly 300 yards from us. We were at lunchtime when we heard the danger signal. We rushed all the kids to the corridor, and the first hit happened. We heard it, but it wasn’t very strong because the generator was running (the power was out). We turned the generator off, and we heard the second hit stronger. It was loud, and the building shook. Kids were nervous. Praise God, we have no damage. We are all ok. We must go on and be resilient. God is with us.”
Excited Kids Arrive at the MP Camp
“Our children look forward to summer camp all year long. It would be a huge disappointment to them and their parents if we canceled,” writes our youth ministry director, Yana. “We chose a soccer complex to use as our camp location that has a large underground shelter. I think it will be safe,” she continued.
Sharing the Gospel and Helping People
From Jeff: This war will not stop our ministry. The goodness of God will eventually triumph over evil. We will share the gospel no matter what. Unfortunately, due to inflation and the war in Ukraine, prices have increased dramatically. Paula and I are so thankful for the amazing financial support that our sponsors provide. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!