A church in Kimberley is doing what they can to support a Ukrainian family on its way to Canada.
Summit Church will be welcoming Katrin and one-year-old Tim to the community next month.
They are among the thousands of Ukrainians that have been approved to come to Canada and escape the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The family will later be joined by Katrin’s husband Sasha, who is currently still in Ukraine due to an order requiring all men of a certain age to stay behind and fight with the Ukrainian army.
Lead Pastor Elizabeth Jorgensen says members of the church and the community have been rallying behind efforts to support this family.
“The response has been ‘we’re so excited, how can we help?’ and so I love that,” Jorgensen says. “I’m already seeing just the community coming together and rallying in support. I think a lot of people right now are wanting to help and just don’t know how. Like you see this crisis happening in Ukraine and it feels like its horrible, but what can we actually do to help?”
Jorgensen says she will be travelling with the family when they arrive to Canada, driving them from Saskatoon to Kimberley.
“They will have someone travelling with them the whole way from the European nation that they are currently living in,” Jorgensen says. “One of our partners there is going to be travelling with them to Saskatchewan and then I will meet them there and bring them. That will be the middle of May. That’s our target date.”
More information from Summit Church and details on how you can donate can be found below:
Sasha, Katrin, and Tim are a young Ukrainian family that found themselves, like so many others, without a home when Russia invaded. They fled from their home in Kiev, but by the time they reached the border, the order came down that all men of a certain age had to stay behind and fight with the Ukrainian army. Therefore, Sasha kissed his wife and one-year old son goodbye, and saw them flee to safety, while he returned to join the army. Since that time, Katrin and her son have found temporary safety in a neighbouring country. Through church connections and relationships, we heard about the need that this family had for a permanent home to resettle in, and therefore, we are now in the process of bringing them to Kimberley. Our target date for their entry is the middle of May.
Through a generous offer, housing in Kimberley has already been secured for the family. We will be raising funds for support for this family for the first year that they are here, so they can settle well, without any worries of finances. We hope to find a car for Katrin so that she is able to drive where she needs to go, and truly get immersed in all that our community has to offer. We also hope to get her a phone with a good plan so that she can continue to communicate with her husband, family, and friends who are still in Ukraine. When Sasha is able, he will be joining Katrin and Tim here in Kimberley.
If you would like to donate financial support for this family, you can do so through Summit Church. https://summit4sq.churchcenter.com/giving/to/summit-kids-coordinator
All donations are tax deductible and will go entirely to this family’s new beginning here. Katrin is excited to serve our city through accepting the role of the Children’s Ministry Coordinator at Summit Church.
If you would like more information on how you can help, you can contact the pastors of Summit Church, Tyler and Elizabeth Jorgensen at: tyler@wearesummit.ca and pastorlizzy@wearesummit.ca
– Summit Church Lead Pastor, Elizabeth Jorgensen
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