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Molochansk, Ukraine
An island of hope in a sea of despair

Herb and Maureen Klassen

A new Mennonite Centre is opening in the Ukraine this fall. Herb and Maureen Klassen have just returned to Canada after four months as interim directors of the project, which is located in Molochansk, the former Halbstadt. The Centre will be housed in the former Maedchenschule, (Mennonite girls’ school), which was renovated this summer. It is sponsored by a newly formed group in Toronto called Friends of the Mennonite Centre of the Ukraine, with representatives also from Manitoba and British Columbia.

“Why a new Mennonite Centre in the Ukraine?” we wondered when we were approached to serve as interim directors of this new project. As the vision was clarified, we understood two things: the crying needs in the economically depressed Ukraine, and the very strong desire of the sponsoring group to bring some significant help to the area. These founders are a diverse group of Mennonite historians, tourists, academics and service persons.

Renovating the former Maedchenschule (Mennonite Girls’ School)

Knowing that there are other ministries such as Mennonite Central Committee and at least two new Mennonite churches in the area, we wondered if there was room for this initiative. Our recent experience in the Ukraine gave us a resounding “Yes”.

What is it that pulls Mennonites back to “the land of their fathers” again and again? Travelling to the Ukraine, we were aware of some of our own pull – compassion for the long history of suffering there; sympathy for the economic hardships currently being faced by the people there; and a sense of responsibility to share some of the bounty of North America with that part of the Mennonite family which remained in the former Soviet Union and with those who now live in the region of the former Mennonite colonies.

The situation in the Ukraine

In Molochansk, where the renovation of the Mennonite Centre was in progress, there was a sense of depression in the air. This is a town where unemployment stands at 80% and many other people are struggling to survive on meagre pensions or wages. We saw many sick children in orphanages and the sanatorium, some of whom had been abandoned by their families due to economic hardship. We befriended seniors in despair, facing hospital and medication costs they found it impossible to pay. We met teenagers depressed and hopeless as their dreams for the future crashed. With skyrocketing educational costs, they now find it impossible to get the education their parents took for granted under the subsidized Soviet system. Some are already turning to drugs and alcohol. We met families trying to care for children in unsanitary housing, with no means to improve their lot. The Ukraine is a society beset with problems, with little hope of a soon turnaround in its circumstances and no confidence in its unstable local and national governments.

The Mennonite Centre in Molochansk, Ukraine

How could a new Mennonite Centre help?

A first step was the establishing of five Emergency Medical Funds in key areas.

Further aid was distributed daily – food for a seniors’ home; school supplies and new chairs for a sanatorium; better housing for widows. Often we heard: “Why is it that our government doesn’t take care of us anymore but you people from far away care for us?” As we explained the reasons for our caring – the communities and churches in Canada who were grateful to God for sparing them many hardships and who wanted to share their blessings – there were many tears. As we shared with them stories of our Mennonite people who had suffered and died in the years of the Russian Revolution and Civil War, or from famine and persecution later on, deep bonds were forged. There was a sense that we share a common journey. Memorializing our Mennonite past in places like Eichenfeld struck a resonant note with local families, most of whom have lost a loved one to the ravages of history. In Russia and Ukraine today, a new-found respect for the dead is engendering a greater caring for the living.

Partnership

We enjoyed warm fellowship with the Mennonite church close to Molochansk in Kutuzovka village, the former Petershagen, together with several of our neighbours in Molochansk, some of whom walk the three miles to Kutuzovka every Sunday. The Mennonite Centre will partner closely with this church, especially in the areas of humanitarian aid, medical clinics and Bible study groups, but will also seek to fellowship with the local Baptist and Orthodox churches. All aid will be distributed impartially to the needy.

The Centre will become fully operational when renovations are completed in September, and the full-time directors, Al and Peggy Hiebert from B.C., arrive. Already programs for computer and English language classes are being developed, two needs frequently identified locally. No doubt the Hieberts will experience the same overwhelming love and appreciation that we received from the local people, and be heartened, as we were, by the courage and generosity of these people (and their lush gardens!).

Partnership is a key concept – in medical areas with Dr. Art Friesen and the Ukrainian Christian Medical Association; in children’s work with a young local couple supported by Logos Canada; in humanitarian aid, with over $6,000 contributed by our home church (South Abbotsford MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C.) this summer; and in other areas with individuals with specialized skills in history, education, architecture and development. Together we can make a difference; in the name of Christ, and in memory of those who lived and died in this land, we pray that we will.

 – Maureen Klassen

Further information on the Mennonite Centre, including 10 articles about life in Molochansk, can be found on the The Mennonite Centre in Ukraine Web site.

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Last modified October 6, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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