‘Very sharp and full of... questions’

There are 1.5 million Ukrainians living in Germany. This is approximately 25% of those who have officially left Ukraine since the beginning of the recent conflict there.

The German government have been generous in their welcome and support for Ukrainians seeking to find a safe place to settle down. The generous financial safety net is helpful, but some have found themselves stuck on benefits, with their working lives on hold. For many Ukrainians their main western European language is English, which makes learning German yet another hoop to jump through to establish themselves.

Amongst this 1.5 million are tens of thousands of Christians who have gathered in churches. It was my privilege to connect with some of these Christians on the last weekend of June 2024.