On July 20, a memorial ceremony was held for the four innocent young Ukrainian evangelical men of faith who were shot by extreme pro-Russian separatists.
The four people killed are:
- Pavenko Reuben, 1984
- Pavenko Albert, 1990
- Bradarsky Viktor, 1974 and
- Vladimir Velichko, 1973.
Pastor Peter Dudnyk wrote the following on his website on July 20th:
"Our brothers have been murdered. The funeral took place today. All the evangelical churches in the city came together for the funeral and had canceled their regular services. They shot our brothers for believing in our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, teach us to forgive those who hurt us and to pray for those who hate us!
It has fallen to our brothers and sisters in Slavyansk to go through a terrible sorrow and not curse but bless those who have done them harm. Thank God that such people exist! Because of them there will be goodness and blessings in this world."
Pastor Vladimir Zubenko shares his feelings about what has happened:
"Slavyansk. At nine o'clock in the morning Alexander Moiseev and I attended the memorial service at Transfiguration Church. The church hall was filled with mourners crying. The church was saying goodbye to four of its sons who were slaughtered on June 9 by terrorists. From the pulpit, the sound of hymns was accompanied by the Word of God about heroes of the faith, comforting their families and loved ones. The question of "why?" pales when we understand "where to?". Without a doubt, all four are in Heaven, all four are alive. After all, our God is not a God of the dead, but of the living.
But I will still make an attempt to answer the question "why?". Why were they killed, what did they want to achieve by this? The answer is terrible and simple. Firstly, the murder was not done to achieve anything - it was an end in itself. This has always been the Devil's goal: to steal, kill and destroy. Second: the reason for the murders, I believe, is to be found in the fact that they are..., they are simply smart, happy, beautiful, intelligent and kind.
And because they are believers. And that has always vexed the darkness. And somehow, I am convinced that when the perpetrators saw their unwavering faith and realized that these men would remain faithful to the end, they destroyed them. But they did not destroy their immortal souls, only their manifestation here on earth.
At the entrance to Kramatorsk there is a line of cars about half a kilometer long. This is a good sign that a large number of people are heading home to their hometown. And we look forward to the Christians returning to our church. Several meetings and services have been held in our parish church. Despite the shortage of MS workers, there are noticeably more people coming to the Sunday services. Dear friends, we welcome new people to our city. We love you and look forward to seeing you. God bless you!"
May God grant peace and tranquility to all who live in Ukraine. I pray that everyone will lay down their weapons and that calm and peace will reign in southeastern Ukraine. Save us all, Lord, from such terrible trials.
The four brothers leave behind a total of 11 children to be fed and raised.
100,000 refugees in Ukraine
At least 100,000 people are displaced in Ukraine. The Danish European Mission works with evangelical Christians who provide emergency aid to displaced people. You can donate food and other necessities to internally displaced people in Ukraine.
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Source: Danish European Mission's partner Russian Ministries
