A Check-In From Kyiv

“Just checking in on everyone in Kyiv… y’all OK?” 

“We are – had a pretty loud night. But we are okay,” replied Evan Hunter, our Executive Vice President. Then he added, almost as an afterthought: “Tonight may be another loud night.” 

This is the rhythm of life in Ukraine right now. Nights fractured by explosions. Days carried forward by courage and faith.  

When Russian tanks crossed Ukraine’s eastern border in 2022, a seminary happened to be in their path. The invading army seized it and turned its library into a waste dump. Thankfully, Tavriski Christian Institute’s staff had already managed to flee westward. While still refugees themselves, they turned to help others. Recognizing what faithfulness requires, they risked their lives to evacuate the elderly, to bring medicines to the wounded, and to provide food and shelter. 

“Our mission has not changed,” says Taras Dyatlik, our Engagement Director in Ukraine. Even while evacuating refugees, these leaders were planning the next phase of their mission: educating Ukrainian pastors and chaplains to do theology in a war zone. 

Since February 2022, Scholar Leaders has leaned into our partnerships to support our Ukrainian friends. We invited several seminaries into our Vital Sustainability Initiative to establish strategies for their long-term health despite the uncertainties of war. Now, in Kyiv, the rebuilding is underway – and that is why our team is here this week. Together, we celebrate not only the rebirth of a library, stocked with more than 20,000 books sent through the Theological Book Network program, but also the witness of leaders whose faith holds grief and hope together. These are leaders who embody God’s heart for truth, just peace, and healing even in the ruins of ongoing war. 

Ukraine’s story is not isolated. From Palestine to Myanmar, Ethiopia to Colombia, and beyond, theological leaders are serving faithfully under the weight of conflict and hardship. Scholar Leaders is privileged to walk with them. 

And we invite you to walk with us. 

Pray with us. Learn more about our programs. Give, so that leaders like these can continue to bring healing, truth, and the hope of God’s kingdom where it is needed most. 

Tonight may be another loud night in Kyiv. But even there, amid the sounds of war, the sound of hope is heard – carried in the faith, courage, and love of leaders who refuse to let destruction have the last word.