Ukrainian Refugees in Germany

When the first refugees from Ukraine showed up at the Adventist church in Tübingen we quickly realized that we had to welcome them in our midst and open our house for them, provide food and offer them a meeting place.
For a long time, we have wanted to start a Hope Center as a center of influence in our city. We had been looking for premises to start an active meeting center, but then Covid-19 came, and with the ensuing lockdown and restrictions our plans were postponed. Then in the summer of 2021, we decided to transform the lower rooms of the church to create an attractive meeting space on a modest scale. We didn't know when we would be able to offer events there, but we took advantage of the period of restrictions to be ready when it became possible again. And yet the prospect was still bleak. We had a whole list of ideas but they were still only on paper.
When the first refugees from Ukraine arrived in our area, we felt challenged to respond, not only with words as usual but with action. It was as if God was pushing us, saying, “Now get going!” We felt challenged to put into practice Jesus' words, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me!" (Mat 25:40 NIV). We spontaneously sat down to consider what could be done and decided to start right away.
The arrival of refugees from Ukraine has now impacted us as a church and Hope Center and Women’s Ministries teams in that we have started our activities concentrating on women and children. Due to Covid-19, the fellowship in the church had suffered for two years, as we had not been able to stay for Sabbath potlucks. Now, after the Covid regulations were lifted, we were able to eat together again on the Sabbath. The great willingness to help ensured that enough food was brought for twice as many people as usual and we were able to invite all refugees. We certainly still need to organize things better, but we trust in the lasting commitment of our church members.
Ukrainian Meetup
Word spread quickly that lunch and open house for refugees were offered in the Tübingen Adventist church on Saturdays from 12:30 - 16:00. Ukrainian refugees came from the surrounding churches so we were able to count 30 people with a Ukrainian background on the second Sabbath. We were happy that Pastor Slavici Zgherea, who is responsible for the Advent-Wohlfahrtswerk (AWW – Adventist Welfare Services) in Baden-Württemberg, was able to be there and help us with the contact with the refugees. The AWW has already helped many to find accommodation and is available to help us with advice and support.
The city and many volunteer organizations have shown much solidarity with the refugees. Since the initial reception facility of the city is situated near our church building, we prepared notices in Russian and Ukrainian to be posted there with information about our activities for refugees. This information was also posted on our websites and Facebook so that refugees can find us. Some women also came in by chance because of our notice board on the street and were happy about the friendly welcome. However, there is a lot of fluctuation among the refugees in the initial reception center because they are forwarded to other arrival centers where they can stay for a longer period. Thus, some of the women and children who came to us at the beginning are no longer here.
Sisters' Care Group
Already during the wave of refugees in 2016, a Sisters' Care Group was established in our community, where some women from our church, with the support of the AWW, made the church kitchen available to the refugee women from Africa and Syria. They were able to prepare dishes from their homeland there and spend time together. Now we would also like to offer the Ukrainian refugees of the initial reception facility this opportunity once a week and revive the Sisters' Care Group. At the moment, however, there are some problems with getting the word out and with the enrollment.
Samovar Night
We are also curious to see how our women's meeting in the form of a Samovar Night especially for Ukrainian refugee women will take off. We are using the DVDs Mit den Augen einer Frau (Through the Eyes of a Woman) by Hannele Ottschofski with programs that she recorded in Ukraine and for which there is a Ukrainian and Russian soundtrack. Each topic comes with a set of conversation starter questions. We are happy that we have some women who speak Ukrainian or Russian who are prepared to help with a discussion of the topics in one of these languages. We have started these programs, offering tea from the samovar and some munchies twice a month on Tuesday evenings starting at 19:00. Our experience so far is that we tend to reach Adventist women who also attend our church services.
Dinner4all
Beginning in May, a group from the church is going to offer a free meal Dinner4all once a month on the third Wednesday of the month starting at 5:00 pm for people in need. This outreach is planned by the Hope Center in cooperation with AWW.
We have acted spontaneously and some activities still need to be better transmitted to our community members, like the donations for articles of hygiene and body care, from which people can help themselves to what they need. Perhaps there are other ideas that we should implement. We need to remain flexible. One of our problems is the language barrier. We are glad that we have some people who can help with their language skills. Often the barrier is only in our minds in the form of our insecurity. We must learn to reach out not only with practical help but also by creating relationships even if communication is not perfect.
Longing for Peace
The women from Ukraine long for peace in their homeland. To the question, "What does being happy mean to you?" one woman answered, "Mir - peace." The women I have met here are strong. They worry about their husbands, their families, and their children, but they are strong. They are learning German and want to find work. They are ready to build a new life. But in fact they want to go back to their homeland. We cannot imagine what traumatic experiences are hidden in their memories. Their whole existence was turned upside down overnight. How can something like this happen in the 21st century?
We don't know how long the war in Ukraine will last, but as a church with all our activities, we pray that it will stop soon. We also pray that God will help us and give us the strength to provide this help for as long as it is needed.
Reported by Hannele Ottschofski for the Adventist Church in Tübingen, Germany