The Healing Path Movement, a church-to-church program connecting Baptist congregations in Texas with Ukrainian churches, is celebrating a growing network of more than 40 Baptist General Convention of Texas churches while preparing for new ministry opportunities, including an upcoming trip to Ukraine.
A group of BGCT leaders and pastors will travel to Ukraine the week of Sept. 15 to meet in person with their ministry partners. The trip is being organized in partnership with the Ukrainian Baptist Union.
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“This partnership is giving church members a way to do more than grieve the headlines, mobilizing people who are ready to roll up their sleeves and stand against the evil in the world. Right now, that work takes shape mainly through prayer and relationship,” said Hannah Polk, executive administrator of The Healing Path Movement.
The Healing Path Movement was organized through a collaboration between the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Ukrainian Baptist Union, with core leadership provided by First Baptist Church Kaufman under Senior Pastor Brent Gentzel.
Most of the BGCT churches involved in the partnership, paired one-to-one with a Ukrainian Baptist church across the country, are in regular contact with their partner church, with a few Ukrainian churches still awaiting Texas partners.
Many Texas churches have also started prayer teams that meet regularly alongside their Ukrainian partners, meeting weekly or monthly to “pray ‘on the 7s,’ a daily rhythm borrowed from our Ukrainian partners, who gather at 9 a.m. each morning and evening to pray for an end to the war and for their churches,” Polk said.
“Pastors on both sides stay in touch by video call, and when Ukrainian pastors have traveled to the [United] States, Texas congregations have hosted them so members can hear their stories firsthand,” she added.
Ministries to come
The movement is also actively preparing for ministries following the war, including the eventual establishment of baseball camps in Ukraine.
“This summer, a team from [First Baptist] Kaufman traveled to Germany to help lead baseball camps with Synergy Missions, and Kompass Church, their partner church in Zhytomyr, sent a group of 16 to learn the game with the goal of bringing baseball camps to Ukraine once the war is over,” Polk explained.
“Ten of those children have lost their fathers in the war. Some of the best moments came in the friendships formed between our team and the children of Kompass Church, which is exactly the kind of relationship this partnership exists to build,” she added.
The centerpiece of the partnership, Polk said, is the “7 Loves Spiritual Growth Campaign,” a seven-week, whole-church study every partnership walks through together. The campaign pairs Texas and Ukrainian small groups, allowing them to study and pray together.
The curriculum is adapted from Gentzel’s book “The 7 Loves” by the Baptist seminary in Odessa, Ukraine, and contains devotionals written by 25 Texas and 25 Ukrainian pastors. First Baptist Kaufman and Kompass Church will lead the campaign beginning Aug. 30, and each partnership then chooses its own seven-week window through the fall, winter and spring.
In August, the movement will also begin searching for the next 50 partner churches across Texas.
“Ukrainian churches are ready and waiting for a partner, and any church that wants to stand with a congregation in Ukraine can be part of this work,” Polk said.
To learn more or to join the movement, visit healingpathmovement.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Faith Pratt and originally published by Baptist Standard.
