Ukraine Appeals for Freedom

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As Poroshenko Addresses Congress, APN Helps Ukrainian Leaders Rebuild Country on Constitutional and Biblical Tenets

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PHILADELPHIA—Newly elected Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told a joint session of Congress this morning that the Ukrainian people have demonstrated their commitment to freedom and that their fight to throw off oppression is a fight for which all free peoples must stand in solidarity.

 

As Washington’s eyes are on Ukraine, at the invitation of Ukrainian leaders theAmerican Pastors Network (APN, www.AmericanPastorsetwork.net), a national network that provides Bible-based and constitutionally consistent analysis and recommendations on matters of public policy, has taken an active role in the rebuilding of Ukraine—politically, culturally and spiritually.

In June, APN participated by invitation in a national summit on leadership in Ukraine, providing government and pastoral leaders guidance and a pathway  for establishing a new government based on biblical principles and the Rule of Law. Future summits focusing on education and the Constitution are already being planned.

APN President Sam Rohrer said Poroshenko’s speech today is clear proof that the country is yearning for freedom undergirded by a Constitution that only biblical principles can build.

Rohrer said, “The President’s speech this morning to Congress appealed to the one body of leaders who have it within their power to advance the cause of freedom or fuel the fires of tyranny. He didn’t say, ‘fight our battles for us’, he asked for help with the tools necessary for them to fight the battle – that in reality is our battle today. Ukraine’s quest for freedom is reminiscent of the voice of our Founders who, generations ago, appealed to the God of Heaven to hear their prayers to build a new nation that would be a shining city on a hill. The question is, will we in America stand by them and let our light shine so theirs does not flame out?”

In his address, Poroshenko said, “It’s impossible to imagine how I am feeling right now – how symbolic is the unity of the United States Congress and solidarity with Ukraine. This is exactly what Ukraine needs most right now – unity and solidarity, not only with the United States, the United States Congress, but with the whole world.”

Earlier this month, APN unveiled its special “Ukraine Initiative: Out of the Ashes | Freedom Reborn” web site at www.ukraineinitiative.com, a centralized place for Ukraine updates and ongoing projects. Key to APN’s current efforts is providing humanitarian aid, and APN’sInternational Projects Coordinator, Pastor Dale Armstrong, has traveled to Ukraine numerous times over the past few months. After his time there, APN has committed to meeting some of the most immediate and crucial humanitarian needs, including water purification tablets, QuikClot® Bandages™, which help stop bleeding quickly, and individual medical kits for soldiers.

“The move towards freedom in Ukraine shows that the desire for liberty is universal and knows no national boundaries,” Armstrong said. “Our nation became the beacon of liberty because it was built on Judeo-Christian principles and the Rule of Law. As APN is providing much-needed humanitarian aid in Ukraine, we’re continuing to build relationships that will open doors to answering the call of the Ukrainian people to help them strengthen their government through the integration of Biblical principles into a new Constitution.”

According to a White House statement, today and in the coming days President Barack Obama will communicate “the United States’ firm commitment to stand with Ukraine as it pursues democracy, independence and stability.” Furthermore, “President Obama looks forward to discussing with President Poroshenko efforts to pursue a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine as well as our continued support for Ukraine’s struggle to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

 

To learn more about what the American Pastors Network is doing in Ukraine, please visit: www.ukraineinitiative.com

 

 

17 States Ask US Supreme Court to Rule on Same-Sex Marriage

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The attorneys general of 17 states, led by Colorado, have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the U.S. Constitution includes a right to same-sex marriage. The Mormon church and a few Christian groups have also filed a friend-of-the-court brief.

“There are scores of cases requiring thousands of hours to litigate the same legal question presented in this petition,” the filing by 17 statesreads, asking the high court to take up the cases challenging gay marriage bans in Oklahoma and Utah, noting that 89 ongoing cases across the country challenge traditional marriage laws.

“These cases are divisive and costly, not only in terms of money and manpower, but in terms of respect for the democratic process and deliberation undertaken by millions of voters where the nature of marriage has recently been debated,” adds the brief, filed Thursday. “Once resolved, the legal issues presented in the Utah and Oklahoma petitions are well positioned to provide the necessary guidance to the other states with traditional marriage laws.”

The 17 states include: Colorado, Oklahoma, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The Associates Press reports that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and four Christian organizations have also asked the Supreme Court to settle once and for all whether states can outlaw same-sex marriage.

The friend-of-the-court brief — joined by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Ethics & Religious Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod — urges the high court to hear Utah’s marriage case.

“The time has come to end the divisive national debate as to whether the Constitution mandates same-sex marriage,” the brief states.

“Legal uncertainty is especially burdensome for religious organizations and religious believers increasingly confronted with thorny questions,” the brief adds. “Is their right to refrain from participating in, recognizing or facilitating marriages between persons of the same sex, contrary to their religious convictions, adequately shielded by the First Amendment and other legal protections? Or is further legislation needed to guard religious liberties in these and other sensitive areas?”

Federal judges in many states have struck down state amendments and laws banning same-sex marriage as unconstitutional since the U.S. Supreme Court last June squashed a key part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA.

Same-sex marriage is currently recognized in 19 states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

American Pastors Network Plays Key Role in Ukraine Humanitarian Aid

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Recent Leadership Summit Opened Doors to Meet Critical Needs

PHILADELPHIA—The people of Ukraine have many needs in the wake of the recent political, economic and cultural upheaval.

One of the greatest immediate needs is bandages to help treat the wounded soldiers. Recently, the American Pastors Network (APN, www.AmericanPastorsetwork.net), which this summer participated in an International Leadership Summit in Ukraine with more than 100 elected officials and pastors, helped deliver 54 packages of much-needed QuikClot® Interventional Hemostatic Bandages™. These are soft, white, double-sterile, hydrophilic pads with the mineral kaolin, and they are applied topically to control bleeding.

APN Board Member Dale Armstrong, who just returned from Ukraine, says that the most immediate need in Ukraine is humanitarian aid, including water purification tablets and individual medical kits for each soldier.

“One of the greatest specific needs is this quick-clotting bandage that stops the bleeding of the injured fast,” Armstrong said. “Delivering the QuikClot bandages during these recent trips was not only life-saving to some of the injured, but the initiative has also cemented trust and opened further doors. I believe this act of care proved our trust and friendship, in their terms and in their culture.”

The bandages APN delivered coast approximately $2,500 demonstrating that even some of the smallest critical items are in short supply.

“Churches and pastors in Ukraine have taken a tremendous role in meeting the needs of the army,” Armstrong continued. “Just as pastors came together with elected leaders at the summit this summer to help Ukraine work towards a biblically based, constitutional government, now pastors are playing a major role bringing aid to the soldiers on the front lines of battle.  All of these efforts together will help Ukraine as the nation seeks stability and direction that will lead to freedom for the people of Ukraine.”

Armstrong, who also serves as secretary and treasurer for the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastors.net), has taken several trips to Ukraine this spring and summer, with more planned.  Earlier this summer, he and other APN leaders visited Ukraine for the International Leadership Summit at the invitation of Bishop Valery Reshetinsky, who also serves as the Chairman of the Ukrainian Interchurch Council that represents 20 different evangelical denominations. At the Summit, APN trained Ukraine’s political and pastoral leaders in the biblical principles necessary for constitutional government. Future summits on the Constitution, education and economics are in the works.

Having recently traveled to Ukraine on a humanitarian trip, Armstrong plans to return to further the work and build relationships, especially as APN is in the planning stages of formulating its Ukraine Initiative, which will send help where help is needed most and work toward rebuilding the country through its pastors and leaders. Projects are in the works so that others can donate the much-needed bandages and raise funds specifically for this purpose.

Armstrong sent daily email updates from Ukraine, and, after being given a personal tour of two military hospitals by high-ranking officials and seeing first-hand the pressing needs, he recently wrote: “Our immediate needs are extra funding, as I do believe the humanitarian aid is building a stronger bridge of trust, apart from the fact that we are saving lives.”

Armstrong noted that these hospitals were working at capacity to meet the needs of a nation at peace, and they simply weren’t prepared for the overwhelming demands of war.

The pastor and APN leader is working to purchase more bandages, approximately 100, as well as up to 1,000 tourniquets, which will cost about $15,000 total.

“I believe it’s a part of the friendship process that ensures greater cooperation and promotion of our main goal,” Armstrong said, “which remains the most important thing in Ukraine’s future—a Constitutional summit focused on the biblical foundations of government.”

Armstrong began ministering the gospel at the age of 16 and has pastored several churches in Pennsylvania and ministered in many nations of the world. He and his wife, Teri, lead the Armada Network, a missions organization with more than 60 members including pastors, missionaries and Christian leaders.