Viktoriia’s First Visit to St. Paul’s Church
Our new Communications staff member in Kyiv, Viktoriia, visited St. Paul’s Church for the first time recently. Read below to hear her first impressions.
This was my first visit to St. Paul’s Church. As we came into the church, we met two elderly women buzzing about the table covered with a white cloth. It was the day of the Holy Communion, so they put a vase with flowers on the table. They looked worried and kept wondering whether people would come. With a new wave of the Delta variant of Coronavirus in Ukraine and strict restrictions on the use of public transport, there was a chance many churchgoers would choose to stay at home.
One by one, people started coming in and were greeted with friendly “Thank God!” exclamations.
The service began, and the women were singing about God's love and mercy to them. Some of them had to travel over two hours by public transport to get to the church. Despite their infirmities, and in the midst of the pandemic, these brave believers decided to seek God instead of giving in to fear.
Pastor Ruslan preached about God's zeal. As he read John 2:17, he told us we are God's temple. He redeemed us with His precious blood, and He wants us to keep His temple holy. In Leviticus 26:11-12, God promises to put His dwelling place among us. He says He will walk among us and be our God, and we will be His people. God's will is for us to be pure and clean because we are His temple, and we are His people. We should not tolerate any distractions in the temple of our hearts.
The congregation prayed over the wine and bread, then took communion. The atmosphere was joyous and festive. As the Saturday service concluded, Pastor Ruslan blessed the women, and they went back to their homes with happy smiles on their faces. God is with them!
