“God, we pray for Ukraine.”
The words, sung in Ukrainian beside a single acoustic guitar, rang out Tuesday evening in Chattanooga while on the other side of the world the people of Ukraine continue to fight off a nearly week-old Russian invasion.
Nearly 100 people gathered in downtown Chattanooga to march across the Walnut Street Bridge and into Coolidge Park. The group sang gospel songs in Ukrainian and English and prayed for peace in Eastern Europe.
People carried the Ukrainian flag. Others draped themselves in its yellow and blue. Children, some who barely reached the belts of the adults around them, carried signs like “No More War.” Some signs carried the images of family members. Others called to God for help.
“A lot of us have family there, and it’s difficult to see photos of them in bunkers, without food because the stores are out,” said Vanessa Barva, 22, who helped lead the singing.