CAPE MAY – A group of nine members of the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church sang Christmas carols in Ukrainian outside of a fundraiser held in Cape May, Dec. 9.
The fundraiser was organized by Cape May Shelters Lutsk (Ukraine) Inc., a group that started with three businesswomen, Charity Clark of Cape Resorts Realty, Shirley Phinney of Elaine’s, and Vesna Palifrova from Crest Savings Bank.
Palifrova has relatives in Lutsk, who have been reporting on the war since Russia invaded, Feb. 24, decided to use their abilities and resources to support those in the war-torn region.Palifrova had been trying on her own to send money to help her family when her friends decided to hold a fundraiser to support the Ukrainian relief effort. Dec. 9 was the sixth major fundraiser held in Cape May to benefit Lutsk.
Prior to the benefit, which was to be held at the home of Patrick McGonigal on Beach Avenue in Cape May, Clark had an idea to somehow get children to sing Christmas carols in Ukrainian. Someone showed her a short video of the children’s choir at the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church in Vineland and her eye got as large as saucers.
A letter was sent to the church making the request for carolers for the fundraiser, and it was answered by Vyacheslav Drozd, who serves as the church clerk. Drozd took the request to Pastor AnatoliySakhan, who is a native of Lutsk. The church, which has an extensive music program, agreed to send 8 or 9 adults to sing carols for the event.
It was standing room only at the McGonigal home, when the guests were invited to step out onto the porch and the line of carolers approached the house’s walkway, holding candles and wearing blue and yellow scarves to represent the Ukrainian flag. The crowd on the steps cheered as the carolers treated them with beautifully harmonized singing.
Clark said Cape May Shelters Lutsk had raised about $150,000 prior to Dec. 9, and was attempting to raise another $50,000 to help get the people through the winter. Temperatures in Ukraine have already dipped into single and even negative digits.
The Ukrainian church has been attempting to supply people with wood stoves in order to keep them from freezing, but some of those in the hard-hit eastern portion of Ukraine do not even have an adequate supply of wood for fuel, Sakhan said on Dec. 11 in Vineland.
Clark termed the fundraiser as a last hurrah before a lot of locals, who leave Cape May for the winter, but in Ukraine, the situation is quite serious.
“With cold weather coming they are going to need more. We needed to raise the ante – raise more to get them through the winter,” she said.
Clark said more and more people are leaving towns in the east and heading to Lutsk. She said parents are sending their children with other people to get them out of harm’s way, while they stay behind to try and keep things together. Sakhan said traveling is now very difficult, as most Ukrainians do not own personal vehicles, and the buses and trains have been disrupted.
Cape May Shelters Lutsk has already sent winter clothing through a Polish shipping company, including winter coats, knitted hats, shoes, socks and underwear. The group sent a shipment of solar lights because people are constantly losing power for both light and heat. She said their contacts, with support from people in Cape May, have been able to go into Poland where they can buy food in bulk.
“The Polish are being so helpful,” Clark said. “They remember what happened to them in World War II. They say, ‘We have to give back’.”
Sakhan said the group the church works with has been sending money overseas to provide food to people in Ukraine impacted by the war. He said food is only one of the needs. People also need transportation to escape the war and people need infrastructure repaired so they can have water, electricity and heat. And as a pastor, Sakhan said the people need spiritual assistance.
“More than anything, they need to hear the Gospel,” he said.
