Members from the Ukranian Church in Chicago are praying for peace in their home country, while waiting to know about their immigration status in the U.S. The Lake Union is praying for our immigrant communities facing legal peril. You are invited to join Sunday's prayer vigil.
Debbie Michel
April 17, 2025Through the Uniting for Ukraine program, an estimated 240,000 Ukranians have come to the U.S. and about 30,000 of them have settled in communities like Chicago in the hopes of keeping their families safe until the war ended.
One of those who fled after Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022 was Vitalii Hanulich who like many others took jobs, found apartments, learned English, began paying taxes and enrolled their children in local schools.
With the growing number of Adventists among the group in Chicago, it became clear there was a need to support the new arrivals. Illinois Conference stepped in and gave support to the Ukranian Seventh-day Adventist Church with the hiring of Hanulick, a former pastor and ADRA project manager in Ukraine.
Now, Hanulick’s congregation of about 100 members are feeling uneasy as they await word on if they will be allowed to stay.
“We've been waiting and haven't heard anything,” he said. "No one knows what will happen next."
Ukrainians who came through humanitarian parole, starting in 2022, were allowed to stay for a two-year period and were authorized to work in the United States.
In 2024, Former President Joe Biden announced a “re-parole” under the Uniting for Ukraine program, which allowed those who had already been accepted to apply for a second two-year period.
When President Donald Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20, the federal government stopped accepting any new applications for entry through the Uniting for Ukraine program. Questions remain over how the government will handle the applications for extension, or re-parole, from Ukrainians who are already here in the country.
Urgent Need for Prayer
In an urgent call to faith and action, the Lake Union Conference is inviting members across the union to participate in a unified prayer vigil, themed “Resurrecting Hope,” on Sunday, April 20, 2025, at 7 a.m. EDT/6 a.m. CDT. The virtual event aims to bring spiritual support and wider attention to immigrant members—such as those from Ukraine, Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and other countries—whose legal status in the United States are increasingly under threat.
You are cordially invited to join us online by registering at the ZOOM link. Simultaneous translations available for multiple languages.
This prayer initiative is not a political statement or an endorsement of illegal immigration; it is a Christ-centered response to the pain of those in our pews who are seeking to do what is right, yearning for clarity, mercy and hope.
Rooted in the biblical call of Micah 6:8 — “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” — the “Resurrecting Hope” prayer session will focus on interceding for four groups within the church community:
“This isn’t just a policy issue. It’s a spiritual crisis for our church family,” said Carmelo Mercado, vice president for multicultural ministries at the Lake Union Conference and one of the event’s organizers. “Micah 6:8 reminds us that justice and mercy are not optional for believers — they’re central to who we are. This prayer meeting is a plea to God and a call to action.”
The April 20 event will feature scripture readings, personal testimonies and intercessory prayer. Members across all time zones are encouraged to join us and participate simultaneously.
Let’s rally behind our brothers and sisters on this resurrection weekend as we seek to resurrect hope.
