On June 24, 2025, a meeting of the Council of Evangelical Protestant Churches of Ukraine (CEPCU) was held in Kyiv under the chairmanship of the Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Evangelical Church. The agenda included discussions on pressing issues of church-state relations, international cooperation and advocacy, and the development of chaplaincy ministry in Ukraine. The meeting was attended by leaders of Ukrainian evangelical churches, heads of church chaplaincy departments, representatives of public organizations, and foreign guests.

Following the opening remarks and prayer by CEPCU Chair Oleksandr Zaitsev, Oleksandr Zaiets, Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Religious Freedom, informed the church leaders about the current state of church-state relations in Ukraine. He highlighted the religious aspects of the Cabinet of Ministers' directive dated May 14, 2025, No. 475-r, “Certain Issues Concerning the Negotiation Process on Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union under Cluster 1 ‘Fundamentals of the Accession Process,’” as well as the implementation of Government Resolution No. 76 on deferring conscription of military reservists during mobilization and wartime, among other topics.

Pastor Jan Wessels, General Secretary of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA), presented the Alliance to the attendees and spoke about its activities. The EEA unites 23 million evangelical believers from various churches across Europe and represents them before European institutions in Brussels. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EEA has condemned the aggression, supported Ukraine, and partnered with Ukrainian evangelical churches. Both sides expressed gratitude for the ongoing cooperation and exchanged views on the prospects for strengthening relations between the EEA and CEPCU.

Ryan Lane, National Director of Samaritan’s Purse in Ukraine, spoke about the organization’s humanitarian and social efforts through Ukrainian evangelical churches. He noted that since March–April 2022, approximately 125,000 tons of humanitarian aid have been delivered to those in need in Ukraine. According to Lane, this represents the largest volume of aid distributed by Samaritan’s Purse globally among all current humanitarian crises. He praised the remarkable resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people and their defenders in resisting Russian aggression. Ukrainian religious leaders expressed their sincere gratitude to Samaritan’s Purse for its assistance to Ukraine and for supporting CEPCU’s international advocacy efforts.

Pastor Anatoliy Raichynets, Deputy General Secretary of the Ukrainian Bible Society, informed CEPCU members about preparations for the solemn CEPCU anniversary meeting marking its 20th anniversary and the upcoming Interfaith Chaplaincy Forum “United in Ministry,” both scheduled for the second half of 2025.

Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church Anatoliy Kozachok and Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches Valerii Antoniuk shared with CEPCU attendees the outcomes of the UCCRO meeting with Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Yevhen Moisiuk. They discussed key topics of chaplaincy and shared their vision for the continued development of evangelical Protestant chaplaincy ministry.

At the conclusion of the CEPCU meeting, evangelical religious leaders offered prayers for the Ukrainian people and government, Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers, Ukrainian families, and the healing of the wounded. They prayed for Ukraine’s victory and its post-war reconstruction.

Following the CEPCU meeting, the Spiritual Council of the National Day of Prayer for Ukraine convened to discuss organizational matters related to preparations for the National Day of Prayer, scheduled for early July 2025. The Spiritual Council approved the program and prayer themes for the prayer service “Prayer for Ukraine” and endorsed the organizational proposals put forward by the organizing committee.