A church located in Devon has recently finished a 24-hour prayer vigil for the country of Ukraine. 

Members of the congregation at St. Andrew’s church in Colyton, Devon were the organisers of the vigil, which began on February 26, a few days after the Ukraine invasion anniversary.

During the vigil, the church remained open for 24 hours, allowing people to come in and pray for Ukraine’s well-being. The church also hosted several services throughout the day, including a prayer service for peace in Ukraine.

The school children in the church had made white doves with paper to signify the peace they were praying for. The vigil was organised in response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, which has been experiencing political turmoil and armed conflict in recent years. The church members hoped that the vigil would fulfil the purpose of coming together and praying for the country’s healing and restoration.

In an interview, Victoria Klimashevska, a Ukrainian sponsored by the Diocese of Exeter via the Homes for Ukraine scheme, who now lives in Devon, told Premier about the devastating Invasion of Russia a year ago. She said; “It is very interesting because sometimes we don’t remember what happened yesterday, or the day before that, but in our case, we remember every single minute of the day, every conversation that we had, every text message that was sent, people’s faces. 

“It was a very strange, weird day, we couldn’t believe that this was really happening. “We all thought it was just some kind of misunderstanding and that it would be over in two or three weeks. 

“And here we are, a year later, praying for it to end. But it is really hard to run a marathon when you don’t know how many miles you have to run.”

The event was well-received by the local community, with many people expressing their gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the vigil.