A Healing Path. A People of Hope.Ukraine and Texas Baptist Partnership

The Movement Charter

Thirteen ways one friendship becomes a movement.

A Healing Path grows from a decades-old friendship between Texas Baptists and the Ukrainian Baptist Union. The Charter holds the shared values of that partnership and the thirteen initiatives below. It is Gospel-centered, trauma-aware, and led by local churches.

We come not to direct, but to serve alongside our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, as learners as much as helpers.

Local church first Trauma-aware Prayer-saturated Locally led, globally supported Not primarily about funding

The Thirteen Initiatives

The shape of the work.

Some of these are part of every partnership. Others are shaped by each church according to the needs and gifts of its community. Tap any one to see more.

A closer look

Our biggest mental health strategy is the 7 Loves.

The most powerful care we can offer a wounded nation is a healthy church. The 7 Loves Spiritual Growth Campaign, initiative six above, is a seven-week whole-church pathway that is simple enough for the pew and strong enough for the clinic. Each of the seven loves is both a biblical calling and a proven pathway to healing.

1
Receiving God's love.Attachment security, the safety and self-worth that come from a steady relationship.
2
Loving God.Meaning that anchors life in something bigger, for resilience and hope.
3
Loving Christ's Church.Belonging and social support, among the strongest protections against isolation.
4
Loving your future self.Hope and direction that lift people out of hopelessness.
5
Loving your neighbor.Serving others, which eases loneliness and restores a sense of purpose.
6
Loving people into grace.Honest encouragement and peer support that steady the emotions.
7
Loving your family.Stable bonds that buffer stress and pass resilience to the next generation.

The campaign aligns with Ukraine's national mental health program, How Are You, and with trauma-informed practice. It reaches people through three layers at once: weekly preaching that normalizes struggle, small groups that hold safe and honest conversation, and daily practices of worship, forgiveness, and service.

The structures around it.

Initiative 04

Trauma-aware training.

A shared field guide so every pastor can recognize trauma and respond with wisdom and compassion.

Initiative 09

The Mental Health Network.

Texas churches contribute Christian counselors who coach and support Ukrainian pastors and leaders.

Initiative 11

Local church ministry.

Ukrainian churches that are ready open safe spaces for care, using resources like Hope for Mental Health.

This care is being developed carefully, guided by Dr. Jennifer Fast, a clinical psychologist leading wellness for the movement. We are mindful that stigma around mental health remains real in the post-Soviet context, so the aim is patient, local, and church-led care that begins where people already gather.

A snapshot of the Movement Charter, revised December 2025. The full Charter is available from the team.
healingpathmovement.com