An article by Maureen Gillum published in local papers April 2022
It is easy to feel helpless, distraught, and hopeless watching the on-going brutal Russian assaults on Ukraine. But two small mainstream churches in Wakefield, NH opted to bridge the 4,500 miles across the Atlantic Ocean and put their ‘faith in action’ to directly help their Ukrainian brethren. From Ash Wednesday through the present, The United Congregational Church of Wakefield and St. John the Baptist’s (StJB) Episcopal Church have been busy raising awareness for the plight of citizens and refugees enduring heart-breaking losses in Ukraine.
In early March, St. John’s Episcopal Church joined with The UCCW in an Ash Wednesday service. During the service a collection was taken that raised $419. The following Sunday a parishioner and his wife at StJB matched what was raised, and others pitched in to top the amount off at $1,000. In the following Sundays of this Lenten season additional donations have come in for a total of $2,465 to help Ukraine.
“Amazing, generous, thoughtful and loving are the first words that come to mind in witness to how two small churches in NH collectively opened their hearts to the crisis in Ukraine,” humbly shared StJB’s Father Dave DeSalvo.
The generous collections for Ukraine are quickly being funneled to World Central Kitchen (WCK, www.wck.org), a not-for-profit organization offering on-site food relief all over the world. WCK’s founder, Chef Jose Andres in Ukraine this week, shared the horrors they’ve seen during WCK’s 1st war time efforts. He acknowledged the “enormous risk” his “food fighters” are taking in serving 300,000+ hot meals 24 hours a day and other assistance to Ukrainians trapped in or fleeing their homeland via 260 sites. “It’s very important that we are here with them right now and until the markets open again and things go back to normal, whatever that means,” Andres vowed, “because even in war, life goes on -- people have to eat, people have to hope.”
As this terrible war continues, on-going help is desperately needed and it is not too late to contribute to this effort. Please join us at StJB for Easter (April 17; St John’s Holy Week schedule at: www.stjohntb.org) or any upcoming Sunday (9 am service, in-person or Zoom) in our prayers for peace and collections to help Ukraine. St John’s will also next be at the Wakefield Pride Day on May 21st (Chef Dave’s grilled sausages) as well as StJB’s famous Memorial Day Pie Sale (Sat. May 28, 9 am to sell out) – both to also help raise money to support Ukrainian humanitarian efforts.
It is heartening to witness the outpouring of generosity from a small community like Wakefield to our sister cities and towns across the world in Ukraine, especially during Lent. Collectively, we can make a positive difference in these dark days as we continue to put our faith in action, pray for peace and build hope. As Ben Franklin summed it up well -- “the good we can do together surpasses the good we can do alone.”