PACIFIC COAST SLAVIC ASSOCIATION’S 85TH CONVENTION
During the last PCSBA executive committee meeting, the dates and theme of the 85th PCSBA convention were settled.
The convention will be on October 27 and 28 at the Second Slavic Baptist Church, Sacramento, located at 6601 Watt Ave, North Highlands, CA 95660. The theme of the convention: “Generational Unity.” Passage: “…He will restore the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers…” (Mal. 4:6).
More information about the schedule of the convention will be provided in the future. Please pray for the preparations and for the convention itself.
President of PCSBA, Ivan Mileyev
URGENT NEED – BROTHERS AND SISTERS, PLEASE HELP!
Spring of Life Church in Anderson, South Carolina, which was recently planted and joined our Association, needs our help. The building that they were renting has been put up for sale, and the church would like to purchase it. However, the asking price for the deposit is too much for the young church.
Let’s help them by supporting them in prayer and with our contributions. They would be very grateful for any of our loving gifts. More information can be found here (in Russian only.)
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ANOTHER MEETING OF THE MISSION DEPARTMENT
On April 29, the Association’s Missions department had a meeting. With the summer quickly approaching, there will be a lot of opportunities to share the Gospel around the world. Olga Skots, who serves in this department, shares in her article about their plans for the summer, and what some of the fruits of their efforts would be. More details here (in Russian only.)
“8 STEPS OF A MISSIONARY CONTINUUM” TRAINING PROGRAM
On April 20-21, with the invitation of IMB, the Association’s President participated in the “8 Steps of a Missionary Continuum” training program. This training was organized by the founders of this program, Hal Cunnyngham and Amanda Dimperio Davis. The training took place in Rogers, Arkansas. The missionaries and leaders of the SBC were there as well. The foundational question of the program was, “How to engage a local church in missions ministry and build a relationship between the church and missionaries.” More… (in Russian only.)
During the Training
HOW TO BECOME A DISCIPLE-MAKER?
On April 26-28, there was a disciple-maker program training in Sapphire, South Carolina. This program was developed and taught by Billie Hanks, Jr. Billie is an experienced minister and served along with Billy Graham and other well-known speakers, for many decades. There were representatives from different countries and nationalities who came for this training: from Germany, Brazil, Uruguay, and representatives from the Ukrainian, Romanian, Slavic, and other churches of the U.S. There were representatives from four churches of the Association. More… (in Russian only.)
Students…
CHURCH PLANTING PROGRAM
 If the Lord is motivating a person to plant a church, what does he need to start with? What is the direction that he should be moving? How do you resolve some of the issues that arise during a church plant? Come to the pastor of the Forward Church, Bogdan Kipko, and he and his team will help you to answer these questions. For more, visit the Association’s website – click this link.
PASSING ON THE BATON OF MINISTRY
On May 7, The Haven Church in Concord had a special church service. Not only did they have Communion, but they also had a time of passing on the baton of ministry from Aleksandr Fyodorovich Skrenchuk to the new head pastor, Igor Petrovich Rudometkin. Read more here. You can access the biography of Igor Rudometkin here (in Russian only.)
Pastors Aleksandr Skrenchuk, Ivan Mileyev, and Igor Rudometkin
WELCOMING A NEW MINISTER!
On April 23, The New Hope church had an ordination service for Dmitriy Tsurkan as a deacon. This is truly a joyful celebration that the whole church was looking forward to. Pastors Anatoliy Golodnyak, Yuriy Sherbanyuk, and Gennadiy Gavelovskiy gave instructions and blessed the new deacon for ministry. More… (in Russian only.)
HEART BEFORE GOD
In early May, Bryte Church in West Sacramento had another (third) module of the International Institute of Counseling, Coram Deo. “Coram Deo” means heart before God.
The session was taught by Aleksey Tolochyants, who is the President and an instructor of the institute. Over forty people from various churches in Sacramento were in the classroom. Many of the students are church ministers, for whom the topic of counseling is very relevant. More… (in Russian only.)
Traditional photo at the End of the Session
THE PEARLS OF THE CREATOR
On May 20, The Russian Slavic Church San Diego, CA, had a women’s meeting with the theme, “Pearls of the Creator.” They talked about what it means to be a pearl and about the importance of understanding not only the Scriptures, but also understanding oneself, and comparing oneself with the women of the Bible. For more – read an article on the Association’s website (in Russian only.)
Meeting Participants
YOURS, MINE, OURS
“Yours, Mine, Ours” - this was the theme of the meeting for immigrants and young families at Grace Avenue Bible Church. The meeting took place on May 21, and was the second meeting in the series of evening services, “Place of Grace,” with a family focus. More… (in Russian only.)
Campfire Discussions
CHILDREN MINISTERING TO ADULTS
This year, the church celebrated Easter in two very interesting ways. They had a unique children’s program, and then they had a Passover meal of a migrant. To find out what was this all about, and what happened, please read an article by Karina Kostyuk on the Association’s website (in Russian only.)
EASTER CELEBRATION AT THE CORNERSTONE CHURCH
This year, the church celebrated Easter in two very interesting ways. They had a unique children’s program, and then they had a Passover meal of a migrant. To find out what was this all about, and what happened, please read an article by Karina Kostyuk on the Association’s website (in Russian only.)
Symbolic Passover meal: bitter herbs as a symbol of the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt, sweet honey as a symbol of a future life with God, and a rib of lamb as a symbol of the sacrifice of Christ.
BIBLE AND BOBA
The New Hope Church has been doing “Bible and Boba” meetings since March 27, 2021. The main goal of these meetings is to motivate more youth, and especially those who are unbelieving, to hear the Word of God, and to fall in love with it. The meetings take place four times a year and are attended by between 100 and 150 people. The next meeting is scheduled for August 26, 2023. For more, click here (in Russian only.)
Speakers Answering the Youth’s Questions
SLAVIC FOOD BANK
Every Friday, the Good News Church in Tacoma is serving food for the community. The doors are open to everyone who is in need, regardless of nationality and the length of their stay in the U.S. The ministry is called “The Food Pantry,” but among the churches it is known as The First Slavic Food Bank. Every week, 150-200 families receive food. For more about how and why it is being done, read in an article by S. Iotko (in Russian only.)
Church Volunteers Serve at the Food Bank
NEWS FROM THE MISSIONS FIELD
MINISTRY IN WARSAW
Joseph Sheremet, the pastor from Grace Family Church, moved with his family to Poland as missionaries. He shares about their ministry and the current events in Europe in his newsletter. Read his letter here (in Russian only.) Please pay special attention to their prayer requests.
Meeting with the youth of a small group of refugees from Eastern Ukraine
NEWS FROM SPAIN
It is not easy to develop a ministry of a church that is not well-established yet, especially among the refugees in one of the poorest countries in Europe. Viktor Kovba, a pastor at Terrevieja, and his wife are doing what they can in order to help those who are in even worse conditions than they are. However, sometimes they are very discouraged, and they appeal to others for help. Read Viktor’s letter, and join in praying and financially supporting their ministry.
The church is growing, and the place of worship is becoming more packed…
NEWS FROM VALENCIA
Alex Shipuk, the Association’s missionary, who has been working with the Slavic population of this Spanish city for several years, talks about how the church and ministry are developing in Valencia, Spain. Read his letter here (in Russian only.)
Church in Valencia
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