Most of you know that I, David, am the IAMCS representative for Europe which includes Ukraine. There are bout 18-20 IAMCS congregations in Ukraine that I work closely with on a day to day basis. Eight of those congregations are from Crimea.We will be leading the Central and Eastern IAMCS regional conference in late April in Odessa. All of the IAMCS congregations in Ukraine will be participating. We are entering our 19th year of encouraging the Messianic Jewish movement there and are very aware of how the turmoil in Ukraine is affecting the IAMCS congregations and their members. We have established ways of successfully channeling funds to the most needy there and have taken on a role here in Birmingham to make that happen if any one is interested. We do not have any admin costs related to gifts except for the cost of the wires.
Unless there is war in the streets, we will be going to Ukraine to encourage our brothers and sisters in a month. We leave the US on April 26th so anyone who wants to participate in our efforts to raise funds can e-mail me at schneiers@aol.com or go to our website at www.shalombirmingham.com (Donation button, then financial info and then purpose of “Ukraine Relief” on the next page). This is a “such a time as this”moment, and we should carefully and prayerfully consider what all of us can do so that the Messianic Jewish movement survives this crisis. You should understand that many people who would help to support their congregations and their leaders are fearful now because no one knows what will happen if Russia annexes Crimea. Without help, these IAMCS congregational life lines could collapse within days or weeks. Please pray for Leslye and I as we prepare to stand next to our IAMCS congregations in Ukraine. Love and Shalom, David & Leslye Schneier