Praying for the people of Ukraine is important to many, as evidenced by the turnout at Christ Church Greenwich for a Prayer Vigil for Ukraine on Sunday evening.
As people lined up to light candles and place each one on a map of Ukraine, Russia, and Europe, the mood was solemn, quiet, reflective. Toward the end, the candles flickered, covering the map as a symbol of anxiousness, compassion, and hope.
“It was nice to see people who are so concerned about what is going on,” Rev. Marek Zabriskie said afterwards. “Our hearts are breaking for the people suffering.”
Marek spoke during the vigil. “What would you call this dictator who allows his forces to bomb shelters and hospitals harboring thousands of women and children? I would call him evil…We must unite to confront real evil and aspire to our highest values,” he said. “As Christians, we must call people to a higher level of communal and global citizenship…your prayers matter.”
He continued, “The soul of our world is at stake, but all around there are random acts of kindness…When we see this occurring, we can believe that good can, and ultimately will, defeat evil.”
Gov. Ned Lamont took the podium to speak passionately to the people in attendance.
“If there’s any silver lining that we’re seeing for the last few weeks, witnessing the hell that we’re witnessing on the poor people of Ukraine, is that the world is not indifferent,” he said. “When I look at these candles right here, and I see that those are candles all over this state, all over this country, all over this world, people are standing up. There are demonstrations far and wide, there are prayer vigils far and wide, from Christ Church in Greenwich all the way to Red Square, people are standing up. And you stand up with your prayers and you stand up with your heart and you stand up with your actions.”
On Saturday, March 26 at 10:00am-12:30pm, Christ Church Greenwich is organizing an Emergency Packathon to provide 36,000+ packages of nutritional meals for Ukrainian refugees on the border of Poland.
A Packathon is a group food packing event. All ages are welcome to help. During a two-and-a-half-hour shift, teams of volunteers assemble four complete nutritious ingredients: a carbohydrate, dehydrated vegetables, vitamin powder and a bean protein into individual packages. Volunteers weigh the packages, seal them, and box them for distribution. This is a simple, organized, and cost-effective way to feed children and families who have fled their homes.
The total cost for the supplies and food for this Packathon is $12,600.00.
Christ Church Greenwich is asking the community to donate whatever they can to help underwrite these expenses. Donations can be made directly to the Packathon by going to “Give” on christchurchgreenwich.org. You will be directed to “Ukraine Packathon.”
Christ Church is a lively community of faith composed of people with diverse backgrounds, circumstances, and spiritual journeys, bound together by God’s love for all people everywhere and united in the common mission to seek and serve God in all persons. We fulfill this work through the dedicated ministries of over 300 volunteers annually, who serve on more than 40 commissions, committees, guilds and task forces. In addition, the church hosts and supports more than 20 community meetings per week including 12-step programs, choral and music groups, neighborhood groups, and children’s programs.
The Christ Church Preschool is a regional leader in early education, and our bookstore, Dogwood Gifts and Books, is a thriving resource of both faith-based and secular books. Their 40-year partnership with Neighbor to Neighbor allows them to serve those in Greenwich who are in need of food.
The Mission of Christ Church Greenwich is to be a vibrant Episcopal community proclaiming God’s love for every human being, no exceptions. Following Jesus’ teachings is their compass for personal growth, community outreach and harmonious living. Its vision is to seek and serve God in all people through inspiration from the Bible, worship, community outreach, music, and art in our sacred historic home.