![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.minnesotaumc.org\/files\/tables\/content\/16378484\/fields\/primaryimage\/9abca6d18949476f82d389a66a788632\/pray+for+ukraine.jpg?width=500\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRussia on Thursday launched a military assault against Ukraine<\/a>, with explosions occurring across a wide swath of the country. The attacks came as Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the launch of a \u201cspecial military operation\u201d to carry out the \u201cdemilitarization and denazification\u201d of Ukraine. In light of these events, Bishop David Bard issued the following pastoral letter calling on Minnesota United Methodists to pray for peace:<\/em> Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Bishop Bard Issues Call for Prayer February 25, 2022 Russia on Thursday launched a military assault against Ukraine, with explosions occurring across a wide swath of the country. The attacks came as Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the launch of a \u201cspecial military operation\u201d to carry out the \u201cdemilitarization and denazification\u201d of Ukraine. … <\/p>\n
Friends in Christ in the Minnesota Conference,
I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, who is our peace and who encourages us to be peacemakers when he says, \u201cBlessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.\u201d
This past Wednesday, Russian forces, under orders from President Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine. It is the most significant violation of territorial integrity in Europe since World War II. Much of the world is outraged by this unjustifiable military intervention, and anxious about what lies ahead. Lives will be lost. Communities will be seriously damaged. Ripple effects will be experienced by us all. And we are uncertain about the extent of Russia\u2019s military adventurism.
At this critical moment, I call upon all Minnesota United Methodists to pray for peace in Ukraine. I invite every United Methodist congregation in this conference to pray for peace at their weekly worship services this coming weekend, and to carry prayers for peace into the holy season of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday on March 2. The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church say: \u201cWe deplore war and urge the peaceful settlement of disputes among nations\u2026We yearn for the day when there will be no more war and people will live together in peace and justice.\u201d Let us pray out of this deep yearning for peace, and for a better world.
United Methodist Bishop Christian Alsted of the Nordic-Baltic Episcopal Area has written: \u201cWe stand with the United Methodists in Ukraine in prayer for protection, reconciliation, and peace.\u201d Bishop Eduard Khegay of the Eurasia Episcopal Area in Northern Europe and the Eurasian Central Conference, which includes both Russia and Ukraine, has written simply and directly: \u201cAsk for peace for Ukraine.\u201d
Many of you know that the Rev. Dr. Fred Vanderwerf, District Superintendent of the Southern Prairie District, and his wife Stacy, served as United Methodist missionaries in Ukraine. He shared the following: \u201cMany of you have been inquiring how are friends from our time of missionary service are doing in Ukraine, and we appreciate your inquiries. We lived in the western city of Lviv, where Ukrainian identity is preserved well, and like over 90 percent of Ukraine, they long to be respected as a sovereign nation and people. So far missiles have not landed in Lviv but have struck military installations in the oblast (like a state). My friends there seem most concerned about disinformation that is being spread through social media. The best way we can help is to only support legitimate sources. For example, it has been suggested that Ukraine was the initial aggressor and Russia is simply responding. This is categorically untrue. Mostly, I would like the world to know that this diabolical scheme of President Putin is not merely an attack on the sovereignty of Ukraine, but a potential catalyst for world war. Our concern is for Ukraine, but what happens there affects us all. Pray for peace, but also look for ways to wage peace. It\u2019s hard to know how currently, but sacrifices at the gas station, or in our investment portfolios, are the very least we can endure for a people whose lives lay in the balance and a nation.\u201d Fred also recorded a video that you may watch on his Facebook page<\/a>.
Friends, let us ask for peace for Ukraine. Pray for a world where people will live in peace and justice, and there will be no more war. Pray, and let us \u201cpursue what makes for peace\u201d (Romans 14:19).
Grace and peace,![](\"http:\/\/mnumc-email.brtapp.com\/files\/tables\/emails\/3205327\/files\/Bishop+Bard+Signature+hig+res.png?width=250\")
Bishop David A. Bard
Interim Bishop, Minnesota Conference<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"