After the sponsorship paperwork
Sponsoring a family is a lot of work at first: housing, a Social Security number, school enrollment, a first job. Then life settles down and a new question comes up. The family comes to church with their sponsors every Sunday, but the mother still understands only part of the sermon, and the grandmother almost none of it. They are welcome, but they are still guests.
A live translation into Ukrainian lets them follow the sermon, the prayers and the announcements as they happen. That matters for a grandmother who never studied English, and for teenagers who speak English at school but want to talk about faith in their own words.
Where Ukrainians worship
Some newcomers find a Ukrainian Catholic or Ukrainian Orthodox parish nearby, especially in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York or Cleveland. Many evangelical Ukrainians join Slavic Baptist and Pentecostal churches on the West Coast, where they also meet earlier generations of Ukrainian immigrants. And many stay in the church of their sponsors, a Methodist church in Ohio or a Bible church in Texas, because that is where they were welcomed first.
How Ukrainian guests use it
- 01Scan the QR code
Put it on the screens or in the bulletin. Sponsors can send the link in the family's Viber or Telegram chat before Sunday.
- 02Choose Українська
No account and no install. iPhone users can also use the ChurchTranslate app.
- 03Listen and read
With an earbud, they hear the sermon in Ukrainian a few seconds behind the pastor, with captions on screen. Those who prefer can turn the audio off and just read.
Ukrainian or Russian?
Some Ukrainians, especially from the east and south, grew up speaking Russian at home. Many now prefer Ukrainian in church; some still find Russian more comfortable. You do not have to decide for them. Switch on both Ukrainian and Russian and let each listener choose. Each language only uses credits while someone listens.
How good is the Ukrainian translation?
It follows the line of a sermon well, along with prayers and announcements. Bible names, quotations and church vocabulary are the hardest part; ChurchTranslate keeps a terminology list per language and corrects known terms in the captions. It is not a trained interpreter. For a funeral, a conversation about trauma, or anything with legal or medical weight, a Ukrainian-speaking person is better. Our page on immigrant and refugee ministry covers the wider welcome.
Cost
A 90-minute service into Ukrainian uses 90 credits, however many people listen. Four of those a month fit the Lite plan ($65, 480 credits). See the pricing.