Photos by Josh Larson

A wave of Russians and even some Belarusians have poured into the country of Georgia since Russia’s September 2022 mandatory military reservists’ partial mobilization. By March 2023, about 30,000 Ukrainians had fled to Georgia from cities occupied and often devastated by Russian troops. With Georgia’s no-visa requirement for 94 nations, people from many surrounding countries freely traverse the border.

Jed Gourley, pastor of Calvary Chapel Tbilisi, Georgia, explained: “Georgia and Ukraine have a special relationship. When Russia attacks Georgia, they flee to Ukraine. When Russia attacks Ukraine, they come to Georgia. They have a bond over suffering.”

Jed and his family came to Tbilisi eight years ago with a vision to establish a church and a Bible training program. To meet people, he and his wife started an English club that evolved into midweek Bible studies and a Sunday morning service. In 2020, Calvary Chapel Bible College Eurasia opened in association with CC Tbilisi.

With the influx of Russians coming directly to CC Tbilisi, the congregation size doubled and almost half are Russian-speaking. “I think they found through social networks of their own that our church was a place where they could have fellowship, feel loved, and get help,” Jed explained.

A Timely Arrival

David Markey and his family had been serving as missionaries in the northern Russian region of Yamal for 10 years when Russia entered Ukraine in February 2022. “They didn’t throw Americans out [of Russia] then, and legally we could have stayed—we had residency there,” David recalled. “But the government started asking questions within the church, not about Christianity but about being American. I didn’t want to be a burden for the church that way.” After talking to the local pastor about his concerns, they agreed leaving would be best. David thought, If God wants us back, He’ll bring us back in.

The Markeys eventually moved to Tbilisi and now serve alongside Jed, David’s brother-in-law. Growing up in Eastern Europe with missionary parents, learning Ukrainian and Russian, David said he feels God brought his family together for such a time as this. “Being able to speak Russian has allowed us to get involved in the ministry right away.” He added, “The nomadic lifestyle of a missionary, leaving your home country, has helped us relate to people who also had to leave their homes.”

Soothing Tensions

Hundreds of thousands of people have been welcomed into Georgia from various countries, raising cultural tensions. “In a country of 3 million, people coming from a country of 150 million, Georgians are worried they [Russians] will take over their jobs, apartments, and such,” Jed reported. “Many Russians are well-to-do, and some are poor, but that changes the whole economy of Georgia.”

While Jed feels his first responsibility is to the country in which they live, ministering to Ukrainian refugees had been their focus since the start of the 2022 conflict. Using funds from the Ukrainian Refugee Fund, he and his church minister to Ukrainian refugees both in Georgia and around the world, often helping pay for housing. He admits the priority is for those who fled their country because of the invasion, as opposed to the Russians who chose to leave their country in dissent. Jed explained, “It doesn’t mean people from Russia don’t have needs. It just means that the greater need is pretty obvious in that regard.” 

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10

David similarly struggles: “My heart does go out more for the Ukrainians—not that I don’t have a heart for Russians—but when you see somebody attacked as the Ukrainians have been, it’s like one person with a hand cut off and the other with a paper cut. You tend to look after the man who lost his hand more than the other.”

CC Tbilisi reconciled to focus on and pray for the greatest needs. “The Russians [here] understand the importance in that,” Jed noted. As a result, he has watched a growing number of Russians who stay [in Georgia] want to be involved in worship, service, and helping Ukrainians—some even buying medicine and sending it to orphanages and other areas in need.

Key Connections

Without a building to house people, CC Tbilisi has relied heavily on its humanitarian aid connections, often directing refugees to people who provide housing, clothing, and even technology needs. “We can help financially, like helping with the cost of renting the building someone else has supplied,” David acknowledged.

David’s connections are limited when it comes to international governmental influence. He relayed the story of a Russian husband who sent his wife and kids to the United States, where they have citizenship. His plan was to come to the States through Mexico, but he was detained and sent back to Georgia without explanation. Unable to afford a flight back, his family remained in America. “He was stuck,” David remarked. “There was nothing I could do to influence the decision of the [U.S.] government. I can advise, they’ve contacted senators, but then we could only pray and wait.” The husband continued serving at the church, teaching youth and evangelizing until he was finally reunited with his family.

In another instance, a lady David knew from Yamal made her way to Tbilisi with her two children. When the Russian 2022 invasion began, her Ukrainian husband left to renew his national documents at the Ukrainian consulate in Poland. Experiencing significant delays, he contacted David, who was able to help through a connection at the consulate. Unfortunately, the man’s Russian passport expired during that time, forcing him to wait in Poland for his family. Meanwhile, his wife would have to return to Russia to apply for a visa to Poland—now a dangerous dilemma.

“She left her job as a doctor, and now they are looking for her,” David divulged. “We’ve been sorting through all her documents. She often breaks down crying, ‘Why is this happening?’ She comes to Bible studies and shares. People cry [upon] hearing her story. But God is teaching her something through this. She said, ‘I realize God wants us here so I could reconnect with my daughter; and that I would depend on Him more.’ You can’t teach that in a Bible study—it’s taught by God through a situation only she could experience. She saw the time of trial and suffering here as a time to grow closer to God.” Through the assistance of Christians in Poland, her husband was finally able to obtain a Polish visa for his family in Tbilisi.

Continuing the Mission in Tbilisi

Jed maintains that his church will continue to focus on the local Georgian population while ministering to refugees from surrounding countries. Recently, a group of Ukrainian orphans miraculously made their way to Tbilisi through the war zone and Russian territory without official documents. Through CC Tbilisi’s connections and with other church groups, they are providing for them while the orphans wait for their next relocation.

CC Tbilisi anticipates a second wave of Russians if the Kremlin announces another military mobilization. Mindful of the increasing Russian-speaking population, Jed has added Bible studies in their native tongue and distributes headsets to those who need the Sunday messages translated.

“Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:38

Jed assessed, “Who would [have been] able to predict a geopolitical catastrophe that would create great movements of people—mass movements—into different countries? The Lord has us here, ready after living in Ukraine for so long. We are in a strategic place, surrounded by Muslim nations and countries with people who have not heard the Gospel. We have people from all over to learn the Bible so they can go back to their home or surrounding countries and take the Gospel.”

Jed’s prayer is that more churches, like the New Testament Antioch church, would send out their ‘Pauls and Barnabases’, their very best, to the mission field to do the work God has called them to.

To support the work in Tbilisi, visit: ukrainianrefugee.fund

This story first ran in the Summer 2023 print issue of Calvary Chapel Magazine

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