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AUGUST NEWSLETTER - 2024
NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENTS AND CHURCHES OF THE ASSOCIATION


UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, DEAR BROTHER!

On August 21, Aleksey Timofeyevich Kozorezov passed away. He was the minister and pastor who endured a lot during his life at the hands of the Soviets for preaching the Gospel and having an active church ministry. He immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Seattle, WA in 1991. That same year he became a pastor at the local church, and soon afterward, he became a part of the Pacific Coast Slavic Baptist Association’s committee, where he continued to serve until 2015. He was also a spiritual mentor at the Association.

Beginning in 2019, he was bedridden due to an illness, but continued to be strong in the Lord and rely on the Lord. His suffering is now over, and this faithful minister of God has found his eternal peace at the feet of his Lord and Savior, whom he followed all of his life.

Until we meet again in the presence of the Lord, our dear brother Aleksey Timofeyevich!

For more details about his ministry, visit this link.

PASTORS’ MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION

On August 2-3, First Slavic Baptist Church hosted a semi-annual pastors’ meeting. Dr. Valentin Siniy, who is a provost of the Tavrich Christian Institute (Ukraine), was the main speaker. He taught three seminars: “Understanding the Times: A Biblical Stance on Changes” (Part 1 and Part 2), Forms and Functions in the Church: Principles of Addressing Church Forms, and How to Properly Exercise Christian Freedom.
More details…


Group Picture Taken on the Second Day

CONVENTION’S INTENSE PREPARATION IS UNDERWAY

As was previously announced, the 86th convention will take place on October 24-26, 2024 at Bryte Church. The theme will be, “Whom Shall I Send, and Who Will Go for Us” (Is. 6:8). The main emphasis will be on the fundamental issues of repentance, cleansing, sanctification, and the readiness to serve.

The search for speakers who will be able to unpack these important topics is underway. The Association’s department leaders and Committee members are working on their reports about ministry that has been done, and a special team is working on the designs of the Almanac, as well as the website of the convention.

As always, everyone from every church of the Association is welcome to attend the convention.

ORDINATION AT THE HONOLULU CHURCH

On Sunday, August 18, 2024, the President of the PCSBA, Ivan Mileyev, visited Slavic Baptist Church in Honolulu to take part in an ordination service. Brother Michael Shemereko was ordained as a deacon. More details…

THE CHURCH CONTINUES TO GROW…

God continues to save people and add them to His Body. The Revival Church had a special church celebration on August 10 to baptize 17 people of various ages and were witnesses of their testimony of entering into the covenant with the Lord. After that, all the guests and members of the church had an opportunity to continue their fellowship outside in God’s creation. More details…


ANOTHER MEETING OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

This is the second year that children with special needs in Sacramento, who are gently called “Created for a Purpose,” have gotten together, along with their parents, for a five-day fellowship at the church where I. Verstak is the head pastor. The organizers of these wonderful meetings are the leaders of the PCSBA’s department of ministry for children with special needs, Viktor and Natalya Smolikov. More details… (in Russian only).

BAPTISM AT SLAVIC BIBLE CHURCH OF ORANGE COUNTY

Slavic Bible Church of Orange County in Irvine, where N. Larshin is the head pastor, received five new church members. The young man and women entered into the covenant with the Lord and dedicated their lives to serve Him with a clear conscience. More details… (in Russian only).

CHILDREN’S CAMP AT THE WORD OF TRUTH CHURCH

On August 3-7, Word of Truth Bible Church had their children’s camp, “Paul, God’s Grace in Action.” During this camp, the camp leaders tried to concentrate on the Gospel through the life of the Apostle Paul, and to understand how God’s grace turned Saul, a persecutor of the church, into the Apostle Paul, a zealous Gospel minister.
More details… (in Russian only).

BAPTISM AT THE LIVING STONES CHURCH

On August 4, the Living Stones Church in Rancho Cordova had a special celebration where seven people promised the Lord to serve Him. Pastor Aleksandr Krasnov led the church service. More details… (in Russian only).

BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT AT THE HOUSE OF THE GOSPEL CHURCH

This year, “House of The Gospel” church in Fresno was able to have a back-to-school event in our community for the first time. This event included partnering with a few different ministries. The goal of this event was to share the Gospel while providing school resources for children in need. More details…

SHATTERING ILLUSIONS WHILE PREACHING THE TRUTH

On July 20-25, the youth from Rockland Baptist Church had a teens’ camp at Sugarloaf Christian Camp. Over fifty people were part of this camp. During the camp they discussed issues that are relevant for today’s young generation: dreams, success, time management, freedom, and truth. Every one of these questions has a worldly answer and misconceptions, but there is also God’s truth. More details… (in Russian only).

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL CAMP OF GRACE AVENUE BIBLE CHURCH

On July 10-13, Grace Avenue Bible church had children’s camp. Over a hundred children ages 6 to 12 were able to embark on a journey of a wonderful world of God’s love and friendship in search of sea treasures. During the VBS, the church building was transformed into an underwater kingdom with corals, medusas, crabs, mollusks, and other sea inhabitants. Every day was full of various activities and was geared toward a particular theme. More details… (in Russian only).

TRIP TO GEORGIA

On July 31, a team of 23 people from Rockland Baptist Church, along with the head pastor, Nikolay Bugriyev, went on a two-week trip to the country of Georgia to support the work of a local pastor in Zugdidi. The main purpose of the trip was for the youth to lead a teens’ camp in Ureki for unbelieving children ages 12-18. Pastor N. Bugriyev visited the local churches and unbelieving families. More details… (in Russian only).

ABILITY TO INFLUENCE

House of the Gospel Church in Fresno had a church camp on July 25-28. It was a wonderful opportunity for mutual edification and spiritual growth away from the hustle and bustle of the city, near Lake Florence. About 200 people were able to come to camp. The main speakers were the local church pastors: Alex Ivanov, Kostya Bodur, Edward Kitsen, and Andrey Tribunalov. The teaching was based on the book by T. Rainer, I Am a Church Member: Discovering an Attitude that Makes the Difference. More details… (in Russian only).

WOMEN’S MEETING IN MINNESOTA

During her visit to Minnesota, the head of the women’s ministry Yelena Mileyev was able to meet with the local women of the Transfiguration church. For more about the meeting, read her article on the Association’s website (in Russian only).

A CALL TO WORSHIP

On June 30 to July 6, Slavic Baptist Church of West Sacramento had their Choose Life camp for teens 10-17 years old. Over 70 teens from various churches of the PCSBA were able to be there. The main camp verse was, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6). The themes covered issues like: What is true worship? What is the foundation of worship that is pleasing to the Lord? How are we to properly worship God? More details… (in Russian only).

MISSIONARY NEWS


NEWS FROM WARSAW

“Lighthouse” children’s club, men’s retreat, visiting local churches and his sending church in Sacramento, children’s camp—this is just a part of what Joseph Sheremet, who serves as a missionary from our Association, shares about his family’s ministry in Poland. More details can be found in his letter at this link (in Russian only).

CHILDREN’S CAMPS IN UZBEKISTAN

Organized by the Missions Department of the Association and Grace Family Church, the missionary trip to Uzbekistan was not easy, but it yielded results. About 50 gypsies and Uzbeks were able to attend a three-day camp in Bukhara, and 25 children for a one-day camp in Syrdaria. It was hard to work with the children, who were completely illiterate and not used to discipline, but the Word of God has made an impact on them, and it was evident. More details… (in Russian only).


USEFUL ARTICLE

What to do if the head pastor of the church fell into sin and repented? Is it possible and is it wise to restore him to ministry? Doctor of Theology and experienced pastor, John Macarthur, shares his thoughts and provides insights into this matter. Read an article at this link.


NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

A BANK DESIGNED FOR CHRISTIANS

After Nick Vujicic, an evangelist and a well-known speaker who was born without arms and legs, began to actively speak against abortions, he experienced true persecution. Even more than that. “I was locked out of my bank without any warning. They froze my credit cards and my debit cards,” he said. “They gave me a letter in which they said that they looked at me as a customer and decided that they don’t want to have anything to do with me.” This was not the only thing that he and other Christians have to endure as they speak against the murder of innocent children. This motivated Nick to create a group of like-minded people and create a bank that will act according to Christian principles, and will be geared toward Christians. The grand opening of  ProLifeBank is estimated to be in November of this year.

An overview article of this bank in Russian can be found here.


EVENTS

UNITED YOUTH CAMP

The annual Camp United will take place on August 30 (10 a.m.) until September 2 (12 p.m.), with Manny Pereira as the speaker.
Camp location: Tannery Gulch Road, Trinity Center, CA 96091. Food and housing are not provided.

Registration through United website and through your local church.

CONFERENCE FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS

The Sunday school ministry department of the Association is inviting all those who are serving in Sunday schools to attend a conference that will take place on September 14 at the Living Stones Church at: 10560 Coloma Road, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670.
The conference will include two seminars:

  1. Digital socialization and the role of gadgets in the development of children and adolescents
  2. Emotional and spiritual burnout in children’s ministry.

Speaker: Irina Tsvelikova.
Conference starts at 9:30 a.m.
Registration cost: $10. Registration can be found on the Association’s website.

With questions, contact Zhanna Yanovskiy: (916) 798-5838, zhanna22@yahoo.com

ANNUAL WOMEN’S RETREAT, “SALON OF IMPERISHABLE BEAUTY

On September 20—22, the annual women’s retreat “Salon of Imperishable Beauty” will take place at Lake Tahoe. This year’s theme: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

Retreat location: Zephyr Point, Lake Tahoe, NV
Address: 660 US-50, Zephyr Cove, NV 89448
More detailed information and information can be found here – click this link.

BRYTE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Bryte Christian Academy has open registration for the 2024-2025 school year. More information about the school can be found on the website. www.bryteca.org.
For registration go here: https://app.smartsheet.com/.../3e4b5026647541bc8f700d5af9....

More information can also be found at the following brochures: In Russian  | In English.


Previous editions of the newsletters can be found on the Association's website:
for the last year | for all the years..

If you have some news you would like to share with others, please send them at pcsbaca@gmail.com.

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The Editorial Team:
I. Mileyev- Editor in Chief
О. Avetisova - Editor
А. Zabolotnyy - Translator
S. Mizera – English Translations Editor
S. Romanov - English Translation Proofreader
S. Timofeyeva - Russian Version Editor
S. Iotko - Сorrespondent

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