Pastor Henry Madava, originally from Zimbabwe, has been serving in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, since founding Victory Christian Church in 1992. He is also the founder of Christ for All Cities Ministries, dedicated to spreading the message of hope through the gospel.
After many Ukrainians left the country during the war between Ukraine and Russia, thousands of people came to Madava's church because of the hopeless situation.
The war has transformed his congregation. Before the conflict, church membership had declined to just 30 from its peak of 200. However, by 2024, the congregation grew to an astonishing 6,000 members. The church implemented several new initiatives to counter the trend: praying for the sick, preaching simply, reaching young people through TikTok, and solving people’s troubles.
For example, a “hope” campaign which preached about hope and distributed food kits to hopeless and depressed people was launched. Free buses were provided to bring people to the services when public transportation was dangerous. Pastor Madava even became the “father” of children who were orphaned after their parents died in the war.
“The church is supposed to be a uniting force,” he stressed.
Ukraine has long been known for its Orthodox Christian heritage, with the majority of Orthodox churches historically linked to Russia. However, when Russia was attacking Ukraine, many Ukrainians who were originally Russian locals from Moscow, found themselves in a dilemma. “So there has been a big disorder for them,” Pastor Madava said.
In addition to Orthodox believers, Ukraine is home to Greek Catholics and a growing number of evangelical churches committed to the Bible and Jesus. When the war began, evangelical communities, particularly Pentecostals, faced persecution from Russia, who saw their faith practices as a reason why Ukraine did not bow to Russia.
Pastor Madava said that local churches need basic life supplies such as food, clothes, and places to stay, especially in the winter. As some cities have been totally destroyed, local churches are concerned about how to reach out to help people, especially women and young people. Ukraine is divided into different regions: front-line regions and the regions where there is no active war. Most of the supplies go to the frontline.
When the war escalated, many foreign nationals—including Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese residents—were asked to leave Ukraine by the government. Despite this, Pastor Madava remains touched by the global Christian community's support, particularly from Chinese believers.
Before the war, he visited China and met Chinese Christians who loved Ukraine. He felt grateful for many who prayed for Ukraine. “We are very thankful to the Chinese church because they are good prayer warriors.”
