Ukrainian evangelical churches invited Jan Wessels. “I was deeply impressed by the resilience of the Ukrainian society and the pivotal role that churches play in fostering this resilience”, he told Evangelical Focus.
Meeting of Jan Wessels of the European Evangelical Alliance (middle, right) with the Prime Minister Denys Shmigal of Ukraine, with other evangelical and government leaders, 24 June 2025. / Photo: KMU press office.
The general secretary of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) was invited by Christian leaders in Ukraine to visit the country last week.
Jan Wessels, on behalf of the organisation that seeks to represent some 23 million evangelicals in Europe, visited churches on the ground, learned first-hand about support projects initiated by Christian organisations and missions in the country, and addressed the Ukrainian Council of Evangelical Protestant Churches.
The pastor, from the Netherlands, told Evangelical Focus that he was “deeply impressed by the resilience of the Ukrainian society and the pivotal role that churches play in fostering this resilience”.
Wessels saw the reality of war in that fourth week of June. “The relentless nightly Russian bombings on Kyiv were a harsh reality I experienced firsthand, witnessing the profound suffering inflicted on non-combatant civilians, including women and children”, he describes.
“The bombings caused terror and destruction without achieving any military objectives. The city is adorned with portraits of young men who sacrificed their lives defending their nation against an unjust, unprovoked invasion. It is heart-wrenching to see, yet the spirit of the people remains unbroken”.
One of the stops on their trip was the office of Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmigal, who received an evangelical delegation on 24 June. The Head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Victor Yelensky, also attended the meeting.
[photo_footer] Photo: KMU Press Office.[/photo_footer] “On behalf of millions of evangelical Christians of Europe, I assure you - we are close to the Ukrainian people”, Wessels told the head of the government, according to a communication of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church, whose leadership also attended the meeting.
Prime minister Shmigal thanked the European Evangelical Alliance for its support and praised the work of Evangelical Protestant Churches in Ukraine, which are “taking an active part in the activities of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and religious organizations (…) Their contribution to the help of the Ukrainian front and rear, those who need help, is very important”.
The prime minister of Ukraine also addressed the religious persecution Christian leaders, including evangelical pastors, have suffered in Russian-occupied regions in the east of Ukraine.
The meeting, initiated by Anatoly Cossack, Senior Bishop of UCHVE (the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church denomination) also discussed humanitarian initiatives, including work with trauma victims. Jan Wessels committed to share the information and the needs of Ukrainians with other evangelicals in Europe.
The visit of the European Evangelical Alliance representative to the country served to demonstrate that “despite the circumstances, the Christian community continues to live, pray, support the displaced, comfort mourning families, care for orphaned and abducted children, and hold on to hopes for justice and peace”, Jan Wessels told Evangelical Focus.
“The unwavering faith and commitment to being a church—a true embodiment of the Lord's people—are truly inspiring”.
Speaking to this news site after returning from Ukraine, the general secretary of the EEA underlined again that “the European Evangelical Alliance stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. We continue to pray, lament, and support them in every way we can”.
“We call upon our governments to take decisive actions to end this war, restore international justice by recognising Ukraine's sovereign borders, withdraw Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, and contribute to rebuilding the country to bring lasting peace and reconciliation to this democratic, peace-loving nation”.
[photo_footer] Tribute to victims of Russian attacks in Kyiv. / Photo: Jan Wessels.[/photo_footer] [analysis]
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