Thomas Baldwin and Jackie Macadam report on the response of two churches to the crisis in Ukraine.

FOR one Church of Scotland minister, the Ukrainian refugee issues came to his door in April with the arrival of a mother and her child all the way from Kiev via Budapest.

The Rev Peter Sutton of St Cuthbert’s Church in Edinburgh said that he had signed up to take people in.

“I think though, that scheme is not really up and running very fluently yet,” he said.

“The majority of people who have signed up are not yet receiving refugees. The church is already doing a lot of fundraising and I wondered if that was as far as we could go.

“Then my daughter got in touch to say that she knew of a friend’s parents who were about to receive two refugees. The way the scheme runs is that you really don’t know when you’ll actually receive your refugees – it can happen overnight.

This couple, who live in Aberdeen, were told their refugees were arriving shortly while they were on holiday.”

They got in touch with Peter to ask if he could step in and pick the refugees up from Edinburgh airport and put them up for a week until they could get back home to Aberdeen.

“So I suddenly found myself stepping in to the position of homing two refugees for five days!

“I got a text from the husband on the battlefield that his wife and six-year-old daughter were due to arrive shortly, having crossed the border on foot and flying out from Budapest.

“When the congregation heard they were coming, people were so kind. We were given free tickets for things to do in Edinburgh, the zoo, the castle etc but I was worried they’d just want to lie low and recover. Turns out the first thing Maria, the mum, asked when we met them was how our wifi was as Dasha needed to do online school the next day and she had to report in to her work!

“In the end, we treated the week in Edinburgh like an extended long weekend.

They did the sights and had a great time, though there was always the worry about what was going on back home of course.

“Maria worked out that I was a minister and it turned out that Maria was from a Protestant congregation, rather than an Orthodox one. She would normally teach Sunday School and her husband would help with the live streaming of sermon. On the Sunday they wanted to come to church.

“All the time I was conscious though, that mine was only a short stop on their journey, and I took them up to Dundee to hand them over to the Aberdeen family they were to stay with longer term. It was hard on wee Dasha, because there had been so much moving about and being handed over from family to family.

“It was surprisingly hard for me too – Ihad to really make sure I didn’t allow myself to get too involved emotionally in their situation. I know the family they’re staying with and I know they’re in good hands.

“But the thought did strike – perhaps this would be a model for how the Church could be useful – to provide interim places to stay while the more long-term ones are ready. Ministers have to check and get agreement from presbyteries and church sessions etc to allow refugees to stay, but by being a short-stay, interim safe space, that can be left to the minister.”

“So I suddenly found myself stepping in to the position of homing two refugees for five days!

Swiss congregation opens refugee service

The Church of Scotland congregation in Lausanne, Switzerland, has opened a day centre for Ukrainian refugees.

The Scots Kirk is one of three Englishspeaking churches collaborating on the project, and is hosting the centre. Running two days a week, it gives the refugees a change to meet and socialise, get help and advice from local volunteers and organisations, and access Ukrainian TV and the internet. There will also be games and help with homework for the children, and the church will act as a collection point for donations of clothes and other items.

The Rev Gillean MacLean, minister of the Scots Kirk, said: “We feel, as a Church gathered from many nations who have found a home here in Switzerland, that we must help these refugees who continue to suffer the most dreadful loss and upheaval. We have the means and the capacity to be there for them socially and physically and we look forward to offering them a warm welcome and learning from them how best we can help.” 

The initiative is supported by Lausanne’s other English-speaking churches, Christ Church (Anglican/Episcopal) and Our Lady of Faith (Roman Catholic).