A Room Completed Just in Time
It started, as so many things do, with a crisis.
When war came to Ukraine, thousands of internally displaced persons poured through our ten centers in the Uzhhorod region — families with children, elderly couples, young adults — many of them on their way to Europe or North America. But some stopped. Some looked at the relative safety of the region and decided to stay. And when they did, we could not leave them sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
Veliky Lazy IDP Community with Clubhouse on Right
That conviction became the Veliky Lazy IDP Community — a neighborhood of dignified Tiny Homes, where five families now live with eleven more homes under construction. Real homes. Built to last. Built with love and built to meet the internationally recognized Sphere Standards that define adequate living space for displaced persons.
But Tiny Homes, by design, are small. And displaced families need more than four walls — they need room to gather, to breathe, to belong. So, we began building a Clubhouse: a shared heart for the community, with space to come together and, on its second floor, a future worship hall for a new congregation. This was made possible by the generous funds many of you provided and still provide through our Rebuild Ukraine project.
Because there was no evangelical church in Veliky Lazy. Not in the village. Not in any of the twelve surrounding villages within a five-mile radius. And so, in partnership with New Hope Evangelical Church, One Collective began planting One Community Church — born out of this community, for this community.
The worship hall is still being built. But something significant happened recently that we want to share with you.
The office is complete.
It is the first room in the Clubhouse to be finished — and the timing could not have been more significant.
Even before the office had walls, the Spirit was already moving. Twenty-five young adults from the community had been gathering regularly to learn about Jesus, crowding into the small living room of one of the Tiny Homes — knees touching, faith growing. Now they have breathing room. The office has also become the gathering place for a team of church planters we are training, expanding the reach of what God is doing in this corner of Ukraine.
The office was a gift.
One Collective has a vehicle called the Visible Fund — investments by businessmen who believe in the power of community transformation. Through the Visible Fund, we launched STUD Frame Homes with two partners as part of our broader Rebuild Ukraine project, building structural frames for homes and community buildings across the region. Their first job was right here — the Veliky Lazy IDP Community. Since then, STUD Frame Homes has also built a private orphanage for children with special needs and is now constructing a trauma rehabilitation center for victims of war.
Blossom Cottage – Private Orphanage for Special Need Children
STUD Frame Homes did not exist before this work began. It was called into being by a vision for rebuilding Ukraine — and it grew. When the time came to finish the Clubhouse office, the partners of STUD Frame Homes volunteered their own time to complete it — not as a contract, but as a gift from the heart. A thank-you to One Collective for the journey they have shared together.
A business born out of a mission. A room finished out of gratitude. Twenty-five young adults with somewhere to gather. A church taking root where none existed before.
Our Church-Planting Team
You have been part of every layer of this story — through your prayers and your generosity. This update is our thank-you to you. The office is complete. The Clubhouse continues. And One Community Church is growing.
We are only just beginning.