WHEELING — A Ukrainian minister told a congregation in Wheeling on Wednesday night people who know God not only should stand strong during times of crisis, they also must stand up and take action.

Pastor Alex Ilash of the Well of Living Water Church in Izmail, Ukraine addressed those at the Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in North Wheeling. It was Ilash’s second visit to the Friendly City, the first trip coming in May 2023.

He also asserted Russia’s war with Ukraine has less to do with taking over the resources in the region than it does stopping the spread of Christianity there.

Ilash explained Izmail lies mostly outside the fighting along the Romanian border about 500 miles south of Kyiv, but that hasn’t stopped his church from engaging in missionary efforts.

He and church volunteers driv

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