A story from Grace Church of Columbiana, Ohio: A member of our church is a professional baker. A few years ago, she found and ordered a cookie cutter online called the tree of life. It was made by a woman in Ukraine. Fast forward, they have kept in touch. When this war broke out, the baker reached out to the woman in Ukraine. She, her husband, and their three children ages 6 months old, 2 years old and 7 years old needed to flee the country. They lost everything. The 7-year-old suffers from PTSD because of all the bombing. Efforts were launched to bring them to Ohio where they will have jobs and sponsors. And the baker keeps on baking, now donating some of her cookies for ongoing Ukraine relief.

It is impossible to meet these staggering and heartbreaking needs alone. Friend and colleague Rev. Dr. Shawn Stapleton once reminded me of this – always bring it back to Jesus. Here we go. We need Christ, we need boots on the ground, we need local helpers, we need to encourage each other as we work to forever meet the needs of God’s people.

*Central Beacon newsletter, May/June Issue, Central Congregational Church, La Mesa, California.