The Rev. John Shep and Ukraine

I woke up this morning thinking of Ukraine, in the news recently because of the accelerating threat of Russian invasion of this republic, once part of the Soviet Union. The headline in this morning's New York Times reads, "Shelling Escalates in Ukraine as Thousands Flee, Fearing Attack."

And thinking, too, about how lucky we are (and in the United States for the most part always have been) to live without the fear of horrors the Ukrainian people have faced routinely over the centuries. We have much to be grateful for, despite our current political chaos.

Ukraine should be of concern to Lucas Countyans because so many of our friends and neighbors here are  Ukrainian natives. 

But I always think especially of one person when I hear "Ukraine" --- my old friend and former pastor, the Rev. John J. Shep. John died at the age of 73 during late June of 2020 in Stoughton, Wisc., leaving his wife, Naomi, and four children. His first call as a pastor was to two small Lutheran churches in Winnebago County, where I lived of quite a few years, one of which --- Zion of Thompson --- was mine.

Here are a couple of paragraphs lifted from his obituary, offering a glimpse of this remarkable man, a proud son of that beleaguered nation:

"John J. Shep, age 73, received eternal life in Christ on June 25, 2020. John was born Jaroslav Petrovich in a refugee camp in Rosenheim, Germany on January 19, 1947 to Eugenia and Petro Shepelyavetz. In 1942, as young teens, his parents were forced to leave their villages in Ukraine to work as slave laborers in Germany. Then in 1950, under the Displaced Persons Act, they emigrated to the United States where they eventually became part of the Ukrainian diaspora in Chicago. John attended school in Chicago, as well as Ukrainian school on Saturdays. The family became naturalized citizens with his name then changed to John Shep."

And then:

"After a visit in 1976 to visit his remaining grandmother in Ukraine, John experienced a strong calling to aid the oppressed people including his relatives in the Soviet Union. In September 1979, with support from American Lutheran churches, he began a radio ministry in the Ukrainian language called Thoughts of Faith which beamed a weekly religious program behind the Iron Curtain. With continued support from American Lutherans and other civic groups, and with loosening of restrictions on foreign travel to the Soviet Union, he began delivering millions of Bibles to Christian groups in Ukraine, provided 2 mobile medical clinics to aid children and mothers affected by the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, provided the first computers to Ukrainian schools, published the first textbooks for children in the Ukrainian language, provided aide to orphanages and hospitals, among numerous other humanitarian projects. In 1985 he resurrected the Ukrainian Lutheran Church which had been destroyed by Stalin in 1939. For several years he lived with his family in Kyiv, Ukraine."

John returned to parish ministry in the United States during 2000 and was serving as visitation pastor at First Lutheran Church in Stoughton when he died.

The following map, lifted from Wikipedia, should be credited to "Rob984, ByStaJ."