Missions and the Church Today: Testimonies from CITA Missionaries

A missionary cannot exist without the Church—just as the Church cannot exist without mission work. Missions are the heart of the Church, its foundation and purpose. It is within the Church that a missionary grows and is formed under the guidance of ministers. In turn, the missionary brings the Gospel to places where it hasn’t yet been heard, plants new churches, and trains future pastors and ministers. This forms a living cycle in which these two elements—the missionary and the Church—are completely interconnected.

How does the partnership between missionaries and local churches in Ukraine function today, in the midst of war? Ministers with the CITA ministry from the Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Ternopil regions share their experiences.

“When things got harder, we had to do more—but the Lord’s field also became wider.”
— Missionary and pastor Serhii Turiikov, Kharkiv region

How has your missionary work changed during the war?

To put it simply—the workload has increased. There are more needs, and more people needing both spiritual and practical support. But we don’t see it as a burden. We see it as an opportunity from God: His field has expanded, and there are more people who have never heard the Gospel. There’s a lot of work to do—but it’s good work.

How does your church support you as a missionary during the war?

As the work increased, God began to bless even more—financially, with projects, with resources. I mostly work with young people from other regions—guys and girls with sincere hearts. They serve wholeheartedly, without complaints, always ready to do what’s needed. I give regular reports to the church about the projects we’ve completed, and people in the congregation actively support evangelistic efforts.

How do you see the relationship between the Church and missionaries during wartime?

We need to unite more—to work in greater harmony—because fulfilling the Great Commission is our shared responsibility. Many new people have come to the church through missionary ministry. And while the missionary is often the one who continues to care for them, I try to teach the church to do it together.

How do you balance being both a pastor and a missionary?

God’s grace is multifaceted. And if He’s given me two ministries — pastoring and missions — then He’ll also give me the strength to carry them out. If it’s His will, maybe one day He’ll give me a third. What matters most is having a clear calling and full dedication.

As a pastor, I focus on mentoring younger ministers and building personal relationships with churches. I get to know young people, always make sure to thank their parents and local church leaders. By God’s grace, I’ve earned their respect. And those who come to serve with us — I try to welcome them like a father would: sharing everything the Lord has given me so that they feel encouraged and joyful in their ministry.

There’s so much work to do. Every day we run multiple events — sometimes from morning till night. The youth even rehearse late into the night. One day off per week is the most we get. Parents help their kids financially, but all the ministry logistics — transportation, coordination, organization — fall on me, with God’s help.

I also work in agriculture — and most of what I earn goes right back into the ministry. God keeps blessing the work. Every year we renew our relationships with churches, gain new partners, new connections, and new co-workers join us.

About the Challenges

Some of the sisters who sing in the villages — sometimes 30 times a day — need regular vocal rest and care. While they recover, we shift our focus to children’s programs. Young men who lead kids’ ministry often carry heavy equipment and end up straining their backs — they need some time to recover too.

Ministry is ongoing, and to keep it going, we need steady financial support.

“God is near to those on the edge: A missionary response to the challenges of war”
— Missionaries Hennadiy and Alyona Holota, Mykolaiv

How has our ministry changed during the war?

Before the war, we served in prisons, detention centers, military bases, hospitals, rehab centers, and AIDS clinics. We worked with the homeless, widows, and families in crisis. That ministry continues — but with some changes.

Now, the rehab clinics and hospitals are full of soldiers recovering from war injuries. Before, it was mostly civilians battling addiction. Now, most of the patients are wounded soldiers. That shift changed our focus — we now do more soul care: conversations, prayer, and reading God’s Word together.

But we don’t just serve with words. We bring food, clothes, and help soldiers find housing after discharge. Sometimes we host them at the church for a month or two. Other times, we find believers who are willing to take them in temporarily. We also provide groceries, essentials, and invite them to church.

We’ve started reaching out to their families too — wives, children, and relatives. That’s part of soul care as well. Sometimes they just need someone to listen, a cup of tea, a simple conversation, or a kind word. We call them, check in, and stay connected.

We also travel to visit troops during their rotation and run evangelistic events. And we never show up empty-handed.

Another new direction we’ve taken is serving in the children’s oncology ward. Every month, we bring clean drinking water (since Mykolaiv has had none since the start of the war), and at times we fundraise to buy medicine.

How does the church support you as missionaries?

The church provides a large bus whenever needed. Once a month, we deliver around 500 liters of water to the children’s oncology center. We also use the bus for trips to pick up humanitarian aid, like traveling to Odesa. We cover the cost of fuel ourselves, but having the bus available is a huge help.

We also use the bus for ministry in prisons, rehab centers, hospitals, villages, and among widows, orphans, and the underprivileged. On top of that, the church offers partial financial support—each month they allocate funds to cover three trips to correctional facilities. Other expenses are covered through missionary donations and our personal funds. We pray for God’s blessing over this.

The church also supports us in prayer, encourages us, and gives us opportunities to study. While we pay for our own education, we have access to teachers and can attend conferences. The church covers travel expenses for these conferences. My husband and I recently completed a pastoral ministry course at the Evangelical Theological University.

When we hold our weekly Saturday services for people struggling with addiction, the church provides funds for snacks and drinks. Twice a year, when food packages are distributed, we receive some to give to widows and people in need.

How do you see the collaboration between the church and missionaries in spreading the Gospel?

Thank God, our church is an “outreach” church—we’re not just sitting still. Every month we go out to serve in villages. We have a set schedule that includes five villages where we serve regularly. We recently added another village near the front line—it’ll be our first time there. People there are hungry for the Word of God and have many needs.

We dream of seeing the church more involved in ministry to the military. Right now, very few members are willing to visit soldiers or go on rotations. As chaplains, we’re used to this—we served the military even before the war began.

We also hope to see the church’s social ministry grow—things like feeding the homeless, evangelizing among them, caring for widows (not just those who attend church), and helping people with disabilities. We try to reach as many as we can, but our finances are limited. Still, we try not to leave anyone without care.

Ministry during war: Testimony from CITA missionary Ihor Pimenov in Zaporizhzhia

When the war broke out, we immediately got involved, receiving support from the Ministry.

At the start of the full-scale invasion by Russia, we were in Berdyansk (Zaporizhzhia region). After the city was occupied, we evacuated with our church to Zaporizhzhia, where we continued our ministry. Here, we work closely with the Christ Is The Answer ministry, and we also receive support from the local church.

Our ministry based out of the church includes a wide range of activities:

• Evangelism tents – we set them up in busy areas, talk with people about spiritual matters, and pray for them.
• Eye clinics – we organize free eye check-ups for different groups in the city.
• Children’s ministry – we run kids’ events, clubs, and gatherings.
• Street evangelism – we witness in hospitals, on public transport, on the streets, and we provide food to the homeless.
• Military outreach – we provide spiritual and practical support to soldiers.
• Support for internally displaced people (IDPs) – we connect with them, invite them to eye clinics and church, and provide humanitarian aid.
• Spreading the Gospel – we distribute missionary newspapers, Christian literature, and New Testaments.
  

Support from the church

The church is actively involved in our ministry: they provide spiritual and prayer support, let our children serve in Sunday school, and help organize different events—eye clinics, evangelistic outreach, children’s celebrations—and distribute Christian literature together with us.

I see the collaboration between missionaries and the church as the openness of ministers’ hearts to missions. People welcome missionaries into their communities, value their testimonies and experience, and support them in prayer. We’re thankful to God for ministers who open their doors and hearts to us and meet us with kindness.

“During the war, we started ministering to people differently” – Missionary Andrii Vasenda, Ternopil

How has your missionary ministry changed during the war?

Our missionary work has changed drastically. We began serving people in completely new ways, responding to the new realities Ukraine is facing. We were already involved in social ministry before the war, but now both the format and the audience have changed.

We began ministering to wounded soldiers in military hospitals and started holding meetings for the wives and mothers of fallen soldiers. We also care for internally displaced people (IDPs) and others affected by the war.

Because of the war, we had to partially reorganize our team—many ministers left the country.

How does your church support missionaries during wartime?

Our church supports us as much as possible. We feel their prayer support and receive resources that help us carry out both social projects and our personal ministries.

How do you see the cooperation between the church and missionaries in wartime?

The church and missionaries are one. A missionary can’t exist apart from the church—he must be a living part of it. At the same time, the church should see the missionary as its messenger and support him.

Today, during the war, the needs are greater than ever before. That’s why it’s so important for churches, ministries, and Christian organizations to work together. That’s how we can more effectively serve people and expand God’s Kingdom—even in the darkest times.

CITA Ministries Press Center.