“The Church Must Have Resources to Serve Effectively,” — Patriarchal Econome at the Synod

In his report, Fr. Lyubomyr emphasized that for the Church, finances are not an end in themselves, but a tool for service. “The Church, as the Body of Christ, is the soul, but we are also talking about material things,” the Patriarchal Econome noted. “There must be material resources, because as I always say: for the Church to serve effectively, it must have the resources to serve.” This was reported by the UGCC Information Department.

Every year at the Synod, Fr. Lyubomyr presents a report on the past year and the budget for upcoming periods. According to him, every year during wartime is challenging, and budgeting for 2027 presented a particular challenge, as it is currently impossible to predict whether the war will continue, what post-war Ukraine will look like, and what additional challenges and risks the Church will face. “We live under attacks, bombs, and Shahed drones, and all of this can change everything in an instant,” the priest emphasized, adding that this applies both to funding needs and to requests for aid made to the Church.

The Patriarchal Econome drew the bishops’ attention specifically to the solidarity of the entire Church—eparchies and parishes around the world—which, according to him, serves as a wonderful example of uniting for the sake of service and assistance. Father Lyubomyr also presented the bishops with the budget of the governing center of the Patriarchal Curia—a body that, in his words, is essential today for the Church to move forward strategically and ensure necessary operations.

“Resources are never enough; they must be sought out, but the Holy Spirit is at work,” the speaker stressed. “We always complete the budget year, we fulfil it, we do not lay off people, our staff remains employed, and we pay for their labor.”

Special attention at the Synod was paid to Church-wide funds and collections. In particular, they discussed the “Andrew’s Pence” fund, which has shown steady growth since the start of the full-scale invasion. The bishops were also presented with the UGCC Mission Fund and the Church-wide Priestly Solidarity Fund, which is designed to provide aid not only to priests in Ukraine, but also to those in Kazakhstan, Poland, and other countries.

Separately, Fr. Lyubomyr Yavorskyy presented the activities of the “Mudra Sprava” Patriarchal Foundation—a tool currently operating effectively in Ukraine as a transformational institution working with local communities. “Mudra Sprava” implements innovative projects showing that “the Church has stepped outside the temple walls,” while these initiatives remain, first and foremost, ecclesial service.

Along with the Patriarchal Econome, Nataliia Parkulab, Head of the Finance Department of the UGCC Patriarchal Curia also took part in the presentations of the financial block. Following the presentations, the UGCC bishops voted to approve the presented report and budget.

Press Service of the Mudra Sprava Patriarchal Foundation