by Francis Tuffour
In Cleveland, Ohio, there’s a small Slavic Seventh-day Adventist church where both Ukrainian and Russian believers kneel side by side to pray, sing, and worship — finding common ground not in shared politics or geography, but in the love of their Savior.
When Pastor Gennadii Kasap arrived from Moscow in March 2022, the war raging in Europe cast a long shadow over his work. Many Ukrainians in the area were understandably wary. One of them, Andriy, admitted he “was categorically against being part of a church with a Russian pastor.” But over time, Andriy and his wife noticed that Gennadii didn’t carry a spirit of superiority — only humility. They realized his ministry was not built on human ambition but on a deeper calling. That realization led them to trust and have patience to see what God would do in their church.
Today, the congregation is nearly split evenly between Ukrainian-speakers and Russian-speakers. Services are bilingual; songs are sung in both languages. Though many church members don’t understand both tongues, they make a real effort to include one another, because they believe what binds them goes deeper than heritage — they have the same Heavenly Father.
When more Russian believers arrived in America fleeing persecution, the Ukrainian members welcomed them with open arms — giving food, clothes, even inviting them into their homes. Lidiya, a Ukrainian member, put it simply: “These people are my brothers and sisters in Christ, children of God in God’s big family.” May we be inspired to do the same for our political or cultural rivals by the power and fruit of the Holy Spirit.
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” — Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV)
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