Szczytno Baptist Church Housing Refugees

IBC Berlin has a “2-degrees-of-separation” relationship with a church in eastern Poland that is housing Ukrainian refugees at the nearby Baptist Christian Center. They could use some financial assistance to purchase essential items to care for refugees.

Sharing a Meal with Ukrainian Refugees

Here are the requested items:

  1. Replacing old mattresses (see below)
    -16 mattresses, size 85 cm x 200 cm
    -84 mattresses, size 88 cm x 188 cm
  2. Underlay / protector for a waterproof mattress
    -120 pieces; size 90 cm x 200 cm
  3. Pillows
    -100 pieces; size, e.g. 50 cm x 70 cm
  4. Warm blankets
    -120 pieces; size, e.g. 140 cm x 200 cm

If you would like to help with this project use the bank information below to transfer your contribution. Please, be sure to note = Help for Ukraine.

Thanks for your generosity.


Bank Information

Name: Ośrodek Chrześcijan Baptystów
Adress: ul. Kościelna 20, 12-140 Świętajno.
Bank account number: PL19 8838 1028 2005 0200 1006 0001

Websites

Baptist Church

Baptist Center

Replacing Old Mattresses
Providing Meals

Serving Our Fellow-Ukrainians, Even as We Flee…

This story is from the European Baptist Federation @ https://www.ebf.org/post/serving-our-fellow-ukrainians-even-as-we-flee

On Thursday morning, February 24, everything changed for many Ukrainians as the reality of war reached their front door. One Ukrainian Baptist leader who is leading Baptist humanitarian responses recalls his harrowing experience of fleeing the Russian advance.

His family lives just a few kilometres from a nearby airfield northwest of Kyiv. They expected the conflict to stay near the airfield, but after his wife and son ran inside their house when an enemy aircraft swooped close to the home, he realised that they needed to leave quickly.

Grabbing what they could, he piled his family into the car and began their long journey westward. At one point in a traffic jam, armed troops walked alongside cars and it was not clear whether they were friend or enemy. They were local troops who then quickly swept past them toward the fight in Kyiv.

Roads were jammed with thousands of others fleeing. Petrol stations limited the amount people could buy and others were already sold out. After hours of waiting and driving, they arrived at a local Baptist church at 5 a.m. where they could shelter for some time. Baptist churches across Ukraine have been transformed into centres of refuge and act as stopover places for those fleeing the active conflict zones.

After only a few hours of sleep, the family prayed together and then continued on their journey. They waited hours at a checkpoint to finally enter into the region of Transcarpathia near the border with Hungary. After 30 hours of journeying westward across the country, they made it to a place of temporary safety with friends.

After reaching safety, he immediately began to think about responding to the humanitarian crisis that he was a part of. He reached out to friends, family, and other church leaders from around the country to begin organising a response to the volatile and desperate situation.

The senseless violence and conquest are difficult for many to process as they flee for their lives. Many do not know how to communicate what is going on to their children who are scared by the events and by seeing their adult loved ones in states of panic. The days and weeks ahead will be extremely challenging.

Yet, the Baptist brother prayed, “May the Lord keep us all! Especially those who are now on the front lines, people on the battlefield and those who are stuck on the way! Have mercy Lord! We don’t stop praying!”

Even as Ukrainian Baptists are fleeing for safety themselves, they are diligently working to have a coordinated response to the war. From hosting those fleeing in churches to procuring and distributing food and hygiene items, Baptists in Ukraine need your prayers and your help.

Prayer requests from Ukraine:

  • Pray that the war will be stopped.
  • Pray for God’s comfort for those who have lost family and their homes.
  • Pray that Ukrainian Baptists are able to help those who are running from the war, particularly as it is still winter.

EBF Bank Details for Giving: Ukrainian Appeal – Your donations will help to purchase food, hygiene items, medicine, generators, gasoline, blankets, pillows, and necessary items for the internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees and the shelters set up for them.

EURO
Beneficiary: European Baptist Federation

Address: Postjesweg 150, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Bank Name: Spar- und Kreditbank Evangelisch-Freikirchlicher Gemeinden eG, Bad Homburg, Germany
IBAN: DE64 5009 2100 0000 1717 00
BIC/SWIFT: GENODE51BH2

IBC Berlin Ukrainian Refugee Relief (Romania)

Our IBC Berlin church family has made a financial contribution to Ukrainian refugee relief through a sister Baptist church in Romania, the church of Andrei Dinu’s father.

Church members are crossing the border in their personal
cars to shuttle Ukrainians fleeing the violence out of the country.
Refugees are being housed in the church …
…and in personal homes.
The church and families are providing meals.

You too can contribute directly using the bank information below. Your donation will help the church provide transportation for refugees out of Ukraine, provide shelter and food, and support them as they transit to a more permanent shelter to escape the violence.

Biserica Crestina Baptista “Betel”, Tulcea
Str. Traian nr. 45/53, Tulcea, 820130
Tel/Fax: 0240.532510
E-mail: betel@betel-tulcea.ro
Cont BCR Tulcea:
RO55 RNCB 0256 0433 4868 0001

Please mention for Ukraine refugees and from IBC Berlin

Your generous contribution will make a practical difference in the lives of people for the sake of Christ. Thank you for being a part of God’s Kingdom work on behalf of those in need.

Pray for peace in Ukraine.

Proposed Budget 2022 (Summary)

Our Finance Team and Ministry Council have been hard at work preparing our budget for 2022 based upon what we believe God is calling us to do as a church. Prayerfully review the proposed budget summary below to see the “bottom line big picture.” To see a detailed, line-by-line copy of our budget pick up one onsite on Sunday or request a copy by contacting our church office.

Look over the budget and submit any questions or comments you may have to our Finance Team, Leaders Council, or Ministry Council. Be prepared to participate in our All Church Family Meeting on Sunday 2. January 2022 after worship where we will discuss our budget and vote on our budget for the upcoming year.

As you look at the budget, please, note two key figures: BASELINE BUDGET and TOTAL BUDGET. The BASELINE BUDGET includes all of our regular, ongoing ministry expenses including our personnel (i.e. pastor and secretary) and administrative costs. The TOTAL BUDGET includes our BASELINE BUDGET plus all of our MISSIONARY EXPENSES, that is the salary and employer costs for our missionary partners:

  • Suanlian Tonsing – Church Planting Resident and New Hive Pastor
  • Taylor and Lydia Whitley – Church Planters
  • Jen Barry – International Fellowship of Evangelical Students Ministry

All of the MISSIONARY EXPENSES are designated funds covered by the fund-raising efforts of the missionaries and are not included in our baseline budget which is funded by our regular tithes and offerings. So, in summary:

  • BASELINE BUDGET – regular ministries, staff, and administration funded by our tithes and offerings
  • MISSIONARY EXPENSES – self-funded by missionaries through designated gifts
  • TOTAL BUDGET = BASELINE BUDGET + MISSIONARY EXPENSES