Synod offers grants to support displaced Ukrainians

Sergiu Trifa (bottom left), the son of the Rev. Sorin-Horia Trifa, a Romanian pastor who works with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, snaps a a selfie with Ukrainian refugees in Romania in 2022.

Feb. 24, 2023, marked the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since the 2022 invasion, millions of Ukrainian men, women and children have been forced to flee their homes to settle — at least temporarily — in other countries. In response, the U.S. government has created a pathway for some of these refugees to come to the U.S.

The program, called Uniting for Ukraine, allows Ukrainian citizens who have an American sponsor to come to the U.S. on a two-year humanitarian “parole.” (Under immigration law, “parole” is permission from the Department of Homeland Security to enter the U.S. without being granted formal, legal entry.) The sponsor must commit to providing the displaced individual or family financial support for the entire two-year period.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) anticipates that Lutherans will be among those who want to show Christ’s love and mercy by participating in the Uniting for Ukraine program. Therefore, the Synod is offering a special grant opportunity to aid LCMS congregations and Recognized Service Organizations in sponsoring a Ukrainian family’s stay in the U.S.

The program assumes that when the war ends, most refugees will want to return to their homeland. Thus, refugee sponsorship is similar to hosting an international exchange student, except that the individual or family sponsored will have their own housing while they are in the U.S.

Learn more or apply for a Ukraine Refugee Grant through the Office of National Mission at lcms.org/ukraine-grant.

Posted May 2, 2023