Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We are writing this letter to share the recent plan that has been put in place by our church, Cornerstone Church of Parma, Ohio, to help Ukrainian refugees that have been displaced or impacted by the current war. Our church of about 200 members has already taken in around 60 refugees in the past few months and has begun providing for all of their basic needs. In addition, we are planning to take in 20+ more refugees in the coming weeks and are asking for individuals, organizations, and churches in our community to help our host families meet the financial responsibilities that come with opening their doors for others.
To date, Cornerstone has sent over $100,000+ in aid to our contacts in Ukraine in the form of relief funds, food, clothing, and medical supplies since the commencement of the war. The U.S. government has recently granted Ukrainian refugees humanitarian parole and is allowing them to legally enter the country. To meet their needs, our church has dedicated more than 20% of our financial resources to take in and provide assistance to those fleeing the war in the form of temporary housing, processing of documentation, finding employment, enrolling children into schools, establishing permanent housing, etc.
As we continue serving refugees, we are asking our community to partner with us. Specifically, we seeking assistance in the following areas:
Assist with the cost of domestic and transatlantic flights;
Sponsor a family by providing funds towards food, travel, and living expenses (no donation is too small);
Allowing those fleeing the war to rent homes in Parma and the surrounding communities.
Cornerstone has previously launched a special fund to gather donations for Ukrainian humanitarian aid and will now include the needs of refugees here in the States. Anyone can donate online by going to joincornerstone.org and clicking on “Aid for Ukraine” and following the prompts. By selecting “Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine” from the drop-box, you will ensure that your funds are routed to assist with these needs.
In this critical time, our church has made the decision to do good and to share what we have with those who are in need since such sacrifices are pleasing to God (Heb. 13:16). We invite you to partner with Cornerstone in this life-changing work and create more opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those in need.
Yours in Christ,
Pastors Ivan Skachko & Roman Brychuk