Forsyth County church with ties to Ukraine praying for friends close to Russian boarder

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Many metro Atlanta churches have close ties with Christians in Ukraine, and one congregation in Forsyth County even built three churches there.

Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen spoke to church members who say they’ve heard nothing from their friends in Ukraine since the day the Russians invaded.

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They say that’s probably because the three churches First Redeemer Church planted in Ukraine are less than 50 miles from the Russian border, and the Russian army has taken all that territory.

Pastor Jeff Jackson said the church family isn’t limited to the ones who come there on Sunday.

“Our hearts go out to them. Our prayers are with them. It’s very personal to us,” Jackson said.

First Redeemer has built 45 other churches all over the world, and three of them are in Ukraine.

“As soon as the invasion took place, we’ve not heard anything from the churches since that time,” he said.

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Dr. Larry Aultman leads First Redeemer’s missions team and has been to Ukraine four times. Last year, one of the local pastors showed him around the neighborhood.

“He took me to the war zone. Most people know the war has been going on for eight or 10 years there,” he said.

Aultman saw buildings and homes that had been blasted to bits, and this was long before Russian troops crossed the border. Aultman said 80 to 90 people attend each of the Redeemer churches in Ukraine.

“You get past the politics — which is a reality I understand that — but you get past the politics, and you discover they’re just people,” he said.

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Pastor Jackson hopes that no news from the Redeemer churches in Ukraine is good news. They’re praying.

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