May 14 webinar features a ministry to victims of the war in Ukraine
The PC(USA)’s Eastern Europe Partnership Network members highlight opportunities to help
“Punkt nezlamnosti” means a “point of invincibility” in Ukrainian. This is the term that people tired and afraid of the increased shelling from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine use to describe one of the shelters provided by Camino Humanatar, a nonprofit organization in the Czech Republic founded by the Rev. Jan Dus. Dus is a Czech Presbyterian minister who has previously served First Presbyterian Church in Ponca City, Oklahoma and worked with Doctors Without Borders.
At 12:30 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, May 14, Dus will be the featured speaker during a webinar sponsored by the Eastern Europe Partnership Network (EEPN). Register for the webinar here.
Camino Humanitar is a humanitarian organization striving to meet the needs of those affected by the war in Ukraine. Its work began in the days immediately after Russia's invasion and continues today. As the bombing and destruction continues, Dus and Camino Humanatar sustain their commitment to provide aid and assistance.
“It is a center which lets people from anywhere come for restoration,” Dus told the Presbyterian Foundation in a recent article about Camino Humanatar and its efforts to provide safety for those living in the midst of the conflict over Ukraine’s future. Dus described how they converted a former orphanage in a southeast suburb of Kvív into housing for older adults, built bomb shelters for its neighbors and opened rooms as a respite center for those needing a place to recharge their devices after the long blackouts that come with war. The Presbyterian Foundation has set up a fund to receive donations to support this “all-volunteer grassroots organization” funded entirely through private donations.
“There is a great need for awareness and understanding of Eastern Europe at this time, and I think people will find the work that Rev. Dus is doing to be very compelling,” said Jean Waters, the communications lead for the Eastern Europe Partner Network (EEPN). Waters described the focus of the webinar to be for hearing firsthand stories on the war in Ukraine as well as learning about what is happening on the ground and how to get aid to those who have not had the opportunity to flee.
There are close to 30 mission networks in the PC(USA). Each mission network or partnership network centers on a specific country, people group, or program area of ministry and is composed of Presbyterians who represent international mission partnerships established through their synods, presbyteries, congregations or other PC(USA) entities.
The Eastern Europe Partnership Network is a network of 170 PC(USA) members and churches from across the country. “Their accompaniment of partners in the region has been integral to PC(USA)’s international engagement,” said Luciano Kovacs, an international global ecumenical liaison for the Interim United Agency. “Planning events such as this webinar is an opportunity for our constituents to learn about the reality of a war-torn country like Ukraine and relief efforts conducted with the suffering population.”
In 2022, the 22tth General Assembly adopted a resolution to be more involved in Eastern Europe. “Part of the reason we are providing this education (toolkit, webinar and future travel opportunities) is because many people in the United States don’t understand the history or current culture in Eastern Europe,” said Waters. She emphasized how through the EEPN, “we have worked with many partners that are in the Reformed church and some that are Orthodox in Eastern Europe.”
Register to attend the webinar on May 14.
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