The Council of Lutheran Churches decided to donate £10.000 to help Ukrainian people in the time of war. The support is given through the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) which has investigated the needs and found the best possibilities to help people in Ukraine and especially those escaping from war to find a safe place abroad.
“As the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain, we express our shock and horror at the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces under President Putin. Together with churches across the globe we continue to tirelessly pray for peace and the cessation of hostilities as pictures of unspeakable atrocities committed in occupied territories in Ukraine reach us,” wrote CLC Chair Rt Rev Tor Berger Jørgensen and CLC General Secretary Dr Anna Krauß to the LWF. “Many Lutheran communities in Great Britain were established by refugees who had to flee European war zones or Russian occupation in the 20th century. The cry for help from those fleeing Ukraine resonates deeply with us. We respond to this cry locally in whichever way we can. We also want to extend our support to those churches in the countries neighbouring Ukraine which have been so heavily involved in helping refugees finding sanctuary. Lutherans in the UK received financial support from LWF after arriving in the UK. Now that we are in a position to support others, we gladly dedicate our annual donation fund of £10.000 to LWF for its support of Ukrainian refugees and its assistance provided to the local churches helping them,” states the accompanying letter.
The General Secretary of the LWF Anne Burghardt said that UK Lutheran’s donation is very much appreciated,“Please forward cordial thanks to the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain for this generous support. The LWF member churches in neighbouring countries to Ukraine are offering support to Ukrainian refugees, and the LWF does its best to accompany them in this. We are also in close contact with our member church in Ukraine in order to supply what is most needed currently.”